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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87@frontiernet.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] farmers' market manners
  • Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 22:01:21 -0400


On May 21, 2011, at 8:53 PM, Stephen Sadler wrote:

How do you [ . . . ] sellers of produce feel about tasting and walking away?

I can't speak for everybody; but I have no objection to it. A customer who goes all around the market tasting everybody's strawberries, and then buys from somebody, is fine with me; even if it isn't my strawberries that they wind up buying.

The only taster I've ever had a problem with was one person who wanted to stand there and eat all the strawberries I put out for sampling. If I refilled the sample box, he'd come back for more. I eventually had to tell him, quite firmly, "One per variety to a customer." But that was one customer, over what is now nearly twenty years of farmers' markets. -- though I do remember the woman who got angry because her strawberry was juicy.

I've had plenty of people taste and not buy. I don't expect every sample berry to bring in a customer -- but some of them do; more than enough to make it worth my while to put them out.

How much attention I give the taster may depend on how busy the stand is at that moment. And I'm one of the ones who prefer honest feedback. I have noticed, over the years, that not everyone prefers the same thing; and customers who ask me which one is best are liable to be told that not everyone agrees on that, which seems to disconcert some of them, but it's true. I will tell them which is my personal favorite when I've got one.


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale







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