Farmers market are nice alternative to your local chain supermarket. They usually are populated by small farmers and growers from surrounding local area that takes pride in their product. This is not necessarily saying that supermarkets don't stand behind their products. I'm just pointing to the fact that will you ever meet the person who grows your carrots, potatoes, onions or tomatoes at the supermarket? Will you see them standing next to their little corn section shaking hands with consumers and giving them cooking tips? Probably not. If you have never been to a farmers market, I highly recommend that you do go to one just to experience the ambiance. With farmers market, there is no middle man, no distributor, no processing center. It is just you and the person who grew, made or harvest your product interacting. Most of the produce that you will see are what is in season. Tomatoes in the summer, root vegetables in the winter. Most importantly, their product is organically grown or raised. This does not necessarily translate to budget shopping. There are times that your local supermarket will have a better deal than your local farmer's market. Mister Ballin On A Budget here will show you how to get the best deals around.
Season: It is best to eat produce and food within the season because they are easier to grow and harvest during that time. Sure you buy Avocados now, but you will be paying extra for the shipping and handling. Most likely your Avocados will have to be transported from a more humid and warmer climate usually far away. With local farmers market, you probably not run into those issues, but I have seen instances such as that. Always look for seasonal fruits and vegetables at the farmers market. They are usually in plentiful quantities and are the center of display. The more out of season produce are usually in small quantities and to the side of the stand. These items take more care to grow and harvest adding to the farmer's bottom line, hence a higher price for that item. They will cost you more. So buy seasonally.
Options/Flexibility: At the farmers market, there are different stands to choose from for the same item. For example, if cabbages are in season, you will see more than 2 or 3 stands selling cabbages. Most likely, the prices will be fairly the same, but there are instances where one stand will sell that item for cheaper. They do that sometimes to stand out in the midst of their competitors or they are hoping that you will buy other items at their stand. A marketing ploy on their part and an incentive for you. It is worth it to scope out all the stands first before you buy. Gauge the prices and go to the one where you feel comfortable buying from. I usually taste a sample of the fruit before I buy it and I observe other people buying as well. If I see a crowd of people grabbing oranges at lightning speed, then they probably know that it's a good quality item.
Timing: This is quite possibly the most important part in getting quality produce at bargain prices. The best time of the day for cheap, quality, and organic product is near closing time. Usually 30 minutes til the end of farmers market is when prices on produce and other perishable items drop significantly. Why? The simplest answer is that the farmers don't want to lug and carry all those items back. They want to get rid of all their inventory for that day as much as they can. There are usually a big concentration of shoppers in the early morning and it tends to trail off near closing time. In order to try to maximize their sales, farmers will make last ditch efforts to attract buyers and unload their products. They do this by slashing and dropping prices on perishable items by mid afternoon. They rather make a little money than no money at all. I've seen prices on fruits drop by 50 cents a pound from $1.50/lb and more in certain areas. That is at least a 30% discount. This is where your bargaining skills really come in. Farmers and sellers tend to be more flexible at this time. You can negotiate even cheaper prices if you buy in bulk. This is the time where you will have an advantage on scoring deals. Of course you're thinking that all the good and choice produce will be scooped up in the morning, and what's left tend to be lesser quality items. Well, just remember what I stated earlier. A farmer/seller stands behind their quality product. All of their products displayed at top quality items, even down to the very last grape. They know that if they sell you a potential piece of sh@# item, you won't be buying from them next time and they will lose a potential customer for life. These local farmers depend of loyalty and reputation, they will not jeopardize that by selling you crap. Another plus is that you won't have run into the busy morning crowd. You can catch that extra hour of sleep that you needed so badly from the previous night of boozing and debauchery. | |
| Negotiation Skills |
So here are my tips:
* If you buy in bulk, you are more likely to get deals and bargains.
* Make friends with your local farmer. Wouldn't hurt to shoot the sh@# with them. Who knows, maybe next time they will throw in an extra orange for you.
* Buy seasonal. If there are some items are you require that are not in season and cost a pretty penny at the farmers market, then this is one instance that local supermarket will be an alternative option.
* Timing is crucial. Just think seller's market and buyer's market. Early in the morning is a seller's market. Demand is high. They dictate the conditions and price. In the late afternoon before closing time is buyer's market. Demand is low. They are willing to ease conditions and prices. This is the time where you will score your best deal.
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