This is our booth early morning at the farmers market just before the opening bell is rang. This year now that the farmers market has moved to the street were able to not only accommodate more customers but also more vendors. This is what a farmers market is all about, diversity of produce but also of growers, and hopefully a larger diversity of customers.The thing for us vendors now is how do we stand out to the customers who we haven't already won the hearts of. How to can we maintain curb and price appeal? The key is we need to leave with very little. I don't expect to sell out, I always bring more than I know we will sell because I need to make the booth as appetizing as I (stack em high-watch em fly) can and for the most part we do come very close to selling out and this my friend is how the rent gets paid, the truck gets gas and electricity stays on. This is true for most of the vendors at the market. I love being behind the booth and the thrill I get by meeting and talking to so many amazing Tulsans, but at the end of the day I measure our week in dollars and cents.
A couple of weeks ago a man actually haggled with me over a dime. I couldn't believe it. It was over a jalapeno, I sell $1 for 10 and 10 cents for 1 he wanted two for 10 cents not two for 20 cents. so basically he wanted a free jalapeno. I had never seen him before, he wasn't on of my regular customers. He was nicely dressed and very hansom. I gave him the jalapeno just so he would leave. If I could have only plugged him into a day of the life of that jalapeno, which is my life and what it takes each day to get up at 5 in the morning and get after it day after day he might have just forked over the 10 cents. But I couldn't and really for some people its not worth explaining. So he left satisfied with his prize and I steamed over it for a couple of hours until I pulled 10 cents from the floor board of my car and put it in the cash box.
Thankfully there are not many folks carry this enduring quality. Most, 99.9% of the folks that come by the booth I would want to break bread with but its funny how that .001% make it into the memory banks. Today I'm dedicating my thoughts and memories and gratitude to all the amazing customers we have and how grateful I am for them. And to the guy that got the free jalepeno it took only 10 cents to remind me how incredibly lucky I am, thank you.
2 comments:
It may be the culture of the farmers markets in other places like S. Texas. There all the items at markets are haggled over, and it's quite acceptable, dare I say "the norm". The farmer sets the price above the desired end result, and the game begins. Some shoppers find this process exhilerating. Not me. Maybe he was from S. Texas? I would love to take y'all there some day to witness this spectacle, but more for the sand, surf, and glorious seafood! Hang in there, my friend.
And we Thank YOU!
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