This is the first part in a series relaying what I've learned in my first year of selling fruit at our local Farmer's Market. We've got a small garden, but don't grow hardly enough for our family let alone selling any of it off. We're going to be reselling. Doesn't this go against what the Market is all about, shouldn't it be farmers selling what they grow? Probably, but do you really think the guy selling red tomatoes March 1st or ripe bunches of bananas at any time of the year actually grew them? Most likely not.
Or, as Prop Joe puts it: "Shit is just business, String. Buy for a dollar, sell for two"
Set your Goals Our first is to make money. Not a ton, but enough to justify the time invested. The second goal is to get out of the house and talk to adults for a while. This one isn't going to apply to everyone but if you're a stay-at-home or work-at-home dad like me you know the value in getting out.
Product If you're going to resell you need to find your supplier. If you already know what you're looking to sell you might be able to simply make a few phone calls to area farms. Let them know what you are doing and see if they can give you a break at first, every bit helps. Try to get an idea from an existing vendor how much you should buy, unless you like the idea of being saddled with 4 bushels of rapidly degrading fruit I'd shoot low.
Getting a table Most Markets are seasonal and you will have the best shot at getting a table before it opens. Contact the organization that runs your local market and ask for an application as well as any regulations for selling whatever you decide to sell. There is going to be a setup fee, maybe a business license as well.
Setting your Price This one is tricky and it's probably going to be a while before you nail it down. I have this one regular who always stops by and squeezes the life out of a few peaches, only to scoff when I give her the price. She'll probably never be a customer, and that's okay. Ask around the market at what others are selling for, match it then adjust from there. I always lower prices towards the end of the day, don't want to get stuck with a bunch to eat.
Lessons Learned I didn't want to deal with weighing out all my sales so devised an easy bag system, half bag for $3 and a full bag for $5. It didn't take long to realize that anyone filling their own half bag would quickly turn it into a 3/4 bag and expect to pay $3.
Next we'll go over how to put together an eye catching booth as well as look at expense tracking, to make sure all this work is worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment