| Hello fellow market growers! Here are a few tips that will help you be successful at farmers markets. Tip number 1 is to be nice and give great customer service. Period. If people wanted bad service, they would go to a big box store. This might mean helping them choose the right varieties or size for their cooking or project needs. If they are having a luncheon, don't sell them a whole box of cucumbers; or, if they just want a bunch of flowers to put on their desk at work don't recommend your biggest bunch. If they are canning pickles, sell them a box and give them a bunch of dill for free. Come on, they just dropped $40 on cucumbers; don't try to get $3 more for the dill. Tip number 2 is to have a variety of at least 5 different tomatoes and different peppers and so on. Give people what is not on the store shelves. This gives them a reason to come to the farmers market. Like, there's only so much yellow summer squash a family is going to eat all summer. We sell over 10 kinds of summer squash at our markets. Tip number 3 is to have good fair prices. Always Be fair. If your prices are too high, you won't get the weekly people getting their produce from you. If you can't be competitive, look at your costs and figure what's wrong--then fix it! If we as a group of market growers don't have families buying from us, then the whole farmers market and farm to fork movement and the buy local campaign will not gain ground and be sustainable. So, please be fair! These are just a few tips from someone who has sold at fairs and markets and has dedicated their life profession to the organic movement. Thank y'all for reading! the Squash King |
