Market Farming

["delannw" <delannw AT dlogue.net>]

Marie,

Just wanted to add another voice of support.  Do not quit because of one
lousy day.  Who knows where all that negativity came from.

I hope that you will describe this experience to the regular Market Manager.
The assistant made a terrible error at your expense by overriding the
regular manager's instructions over where you were supposed to park.  In any
case, someone owes you an apology for the inconvenience of having to move.

Market Managers do just that, manage markets and this one goofed up at your
expense.  I'm sure it wasn't personal.  So, describe the incident in a calm
way and ask how this kind of confusion early in the morning can be avoided
next week.  You did pay your fee and new or not, you deserve to be treated
in a professional, courteous way.  If he or she can't own up to the screwup
then I would want my fee back and I would find another market.

Personally, I think that life is too short to fight pointless battles.
Either it is a decently managed market or it isn't.

And don't think for a moment that your presence at this market or any other
market is not valuable to the market.  In my second year of full time farm
market sales no less than seven other markets have contacted me asking if I
will come and sell at their location.  So, my feeling is that my current
location better keep me happy because I do have options.  You probably do
too.

Finally, work to be a positive vendor with the other vendors and especially
with your customers.
What some vendors do not seem to understand is that shopping at a farmers'
market is not at all like grocery shopping in a store.  A customer might not
like the people at a grocery store but they are likely to stay and buy their
stuff for the week.  At a farmers' market, the customer just walks to the
next stand.    I think that you could really improve your market sales by
parking right next to her.  She probably abuses her customers too.

I am recalling that last year I sold next to a stand from one of the largest
vendors at the market.  Very intimidating...me with my 5' table and them
with forty feet of vending space.  But they weren't very good at customer
relations.  By the end of the season their sales were so poor they quit
coming and they didn't even sign up this year...not worth their time.

So, don't worry about this incident.  Go next week with the expectation that
it will be a whole different day.  It probably will.

And, good wishes from east central Illinois.

Del Williams
Farmer in the "Del"
Clifton, IL