Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Market killers - top 10 list

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Thamnophis <thamnophis AT gmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Market killers - top 10 list
  • Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:25:27 -0500

1. Have two sets of rules - one for the old boys network running the
market and another for everybody else. (This is actually the case in
one of our local markets - its even written into the by-laws that they
are "exempt" from the rules everyone else must follow!)

2. Have a market manager that refuses to accept anyone selling
anything that competes with their offerings. Give this market manager
complete say over who gets in and who doesn't.

But there should be another, more positive thread about what helps a
market thrive...

Joe
Boone, IA


On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 11:44 AM, Leslie Moyer <unschooler AT lrec.org> wrote:
> Pick fights with every community group in town--chamber of commerce,
> downtown merchants assn, City Council, etc., and blame them for every
> problem you have.
>
> Aspire to be an outlet for "backyard growers to get rid of a little extra
> produce" instead of a legitimate market for farmers trying to make a decent
> living wage. Your market board should be made up exclusively of these same
> backyard growers (or non-growers), too.
>
> Along with your #9--crappy signage is a must.  (No signage is even better,
> of course.)
>
> Leslie Moyer
> unschooler AT lrec.org
> www.ShadyGroveNaturalFarm.com
>
>
>
> On Jul 14, 2011, at 10:49 AM, Jack Moffitt wrote:
>
>> Have you any nominees?
>>
>> Top ten methods of killing a farmers market
>> by Jack Moffitt
>> A loose collection of unique methods to kill your farmers market:
>> (No particular order)
>>
>>
>> 1. Allow re-sellers to flood your market with cheap, often imported,
>> factory produce, so your local producers quit in disgust. (Dallas
>> Farmers Market perfected this technique by completely remaking itself
>> as a cheap imported furniture outlet, some years ago.)
>>
>>
>> 2. Divide your potential customer and vendor bases as much as possible
>> with requirements that all produce be 'organic' or 'naturally grown'.
>> This will get rid of half of your potential vendors and irritate half
>> of your customers.
>>
>>
>> 3. Be sure and flood your market area with crap sellers. Customers
>> just love wading past a sea of pot-holders and trinkets mumbling
>> 'no-thanks' on their way to buy their veggies. Notice how your
>> favorite grocery store put the toy aisle in the produce section? Me
>> either.
>>
>>
>> 4. Become the community salvation organization and flood your
>> potential customer parking areas with cars of those who came to get
>> the free bag, hat or t-shirt, then leave (but not before your regular
>> customers have circled the block twice and gave up on this week's
>> market).
>>
>>
>> 5. A three-parter: A.) Lots of loud music ; B.) get that music as
>> close as possible to the shoppers and vendors; and C.) select music
>> that is offensive to most in attendance.
>>
>> 6. Just when you hit a successful stride and have made your market
>> part of the life of the vendors and customers, close the market for a
>> 'season', a few months or whatever interval suits you and will cause
>> the most losses to your goodwill.
>>
>> 7. Move the market site. Screw those customers, they oughta get a Magellan.
>>
>> 8. Poison the potential vendor base with a strong dose of unexplained
>> rejections, rejections based on the divisions developed under premise
>> #2 above, etc. There is nothing like a strong cadre of ill-will
>> ambassadors to insure other vendors don't want to do business at your
>> market.
>>
>>
>> 9. Don't advertise. It costs money, and you wouldn't want to impose on
>> the vendor averaging $12 per market selling that green stuff nobody
>> can identify, by charging a reasonable fee to cover advertising. After
>> all you might disrupt killer tactic # 7 's gains.
>>
>> 10. Repeat 1-9 as needed.
>>
>> Jack Moffitt - market manager and vendor - Tex Mex border
>> _______________________________________________
>> Market-farming mailing list
>> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
>>
>> Market Farming List Archives may be found here:
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/market-farming/
>> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email
>> address and password):
>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming
>
> _______________________________________________
> Market-farming mailing list
> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
>
> Market Farming List Archives may be found here:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/market-farming/
> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email
> address and password):
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming
>




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page