Maybe that's our problem too - Wed night market, didn't really notice a slowdown 9/4 (just after school started), I didn't go 9/11 due to DS's schedule, but 9/18 it was super slow - one of the other farmers was hanging out at the Italian ice stand all night and another was making the rounds visiting with all the other vendors b/c there were NO customers! I sold 3 Cherokee Purples (and the lady tried telling me she had bought some at another market the week before for 50 cents each - which came to about $1.71/lb!) and 3 apples at opening bell, then another tomato ($1) and pint of cherry tomatoes ($3) plus 4 jars of jam in 3 hours.

This week is the last market - I'll go, but I'm thinking about not doing market at all next year. Except that the jams seem to sell better than the produce, and I can't wholesale those. Seriously thinking about wholesaling the veggies, though.

Problem is no one stops by the house either so I have to go to market to sell the preserves. But I did better on Open Farm Day selling preserves, and a Grange fair selling plants, than I did any given day at market this year.

maybe you all could find a place for the market that's close to the sports fields and take advantage of all the traffic!

I have always found that once school starts, or even when the back to school sales starts, the sales drop off. That has gone on since 2000 when I started. No matter where the location was, it happened.

our big market is in a college town. when school is in session there are a lot of student shoppers...except on home football game day saturdays when the game starts before 3 pm. then there's no place to park so no one shows up to buy. the students are at the game. you can hear the cheering from the stadium while at the market.

I would have sworn someone suggested that as a possible problem ; ) I would never say "I told ya so"

After seeimng how busy the evening markets are in Wichita, I am coming to believe that Saturday just may not be the best day for market, especially in smaller communities.

My cousin just told me that even the Sunday morning market isn't as packed as it used to be - I would have thought that would be easier for people to get to (if they weren't going to church, in which case it wouldn't be busy in the summer either).

Guess there's no good day/time during the school year!

Yea, Sunday wouldn't work here in the bible belt. Folks are either in church, sleeping off a hangover, or both.

I would be interested to see some research on when the bussiest time for folks to grocery shop is. I am betting that it is a week night. I am betting, from what I have seen, that week day evenings is the best time, atleast here locally. Many folks just want to relax on the weekend.

I know I like to takes sunday off and do absolutely as little as possible. I like to recharge.

Yes you were right, but last year there was only one sport and a terrible garden year. People were still hungry for fresh produce, any produce. We just didn't notice it as much. This year there are two sports and plenty of produce so people just aren't making the effort.

After talking to 5 of our most regular vendors about moving to a weeknight for the rest of the season, they all said they wouldn't be able to make it if we did, so that is out. We did try to have a Wednesday market and a Saturday market for two years, in 2010 and 2011. The Wednesday market never took off. It was always poorly attended by customers so we just abandoned the idea.

I also attend the Wednesday market in the bigger town. It isn't as good as the Saturday one, but it is really good during the summer, sales just drop off too.

Jay

I have seen the stats on when people grocery shop and I am trying to remember exactly. I think it goes Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Wednesday and Monday/ Tuesday are both slow. Friday might have edged out Thursday but I don't recall for sure. I remember they were close. Having worked all the days of the week in a grocery store at some time I would say Saturday is by far the busiest. Monday and Tuesday mornings are the slowest. I like to get out and do my in store stuff on Monday morning and then the office stuff later.

Yea, from what i could find, saturday is the busiest, do i was wrong. I avoid stores on Saturday, snd thats probably why. Lol

I won't go to BJ's on a weekend, that's for sure! I don't know about regular grocery stores, the traffic may be spread around a little since there are so many (and they tend to be clustered close together in town).

This Sunday market (10Am - 1PM) has been busy for years - either non-churchgoers (lots of yuppies) or people stop by after church (it's within walking distance of 2 churches in that town). I'm surprised that it has dropped off since school started, with another month of market to go, if it had been busy all summer. I don't think kids tend to have Sunday morning sports. Now, Saturday (any time) I think could be impacted now, I know some of my relatives couldn't make our great-uncle's funeral at 11AM on a Sat b/c of soccer games, etc.

People may go shopping on weeknights in a well-lit, heated store, but from what I saw last Wed (which was beautiful, just had to throw a long-sleeved shirt over my T shirt as the sun was setting) they just aren't stopping by on their way home from work any more now that school started - either sports, daycare, or wanting to get home and make dinner for their latch-key kids ASAP must be keeping them. Didn't even pick up after 5 (market ends at 6). Not expecting much business tonight but trying to get rid of the last (or almost last) of my tomatoes, and all this apple butter I was asked to make!

I still think weekends (esp. Sun) might be best for non-summer markets - esp. in the fall, people want to go out leaf-peeping here, might stop by if a market looks like fun (maybe not ours in a strip mall parking lot), entertainment, apples, cider, pumpkins, etc. Agritourism is big here, harvest festivals and corn mazes, PYO apples and pumpkins are places people will take their kids. Only people buying stuff for meals are those picking up their CSA shares. I also think people tend to cook less this time of year - too busy, looking for something quick, may not even be eating together. I know our schedules get crazy - seems like DS has something (Scouts or sports) every night, lots of weekends too.

Ask around the greenhouses that sell plants. I'd bet their business has been booming. More and more people are growing some items themselves, trying to save some money. We had it here a few years ago and the seed/greenhouse people are still selling like crazy and you see little 'gardens' popping up. We had some people dig up the ground between the sidewalk and the street and plant some tomatoes.

Gardening is the new exercise craze, and until it dies down, we (as market vendors) will see a decrease in our business. Evidently people will find out that it's alot of work.

Also check and see how many new 'roadside' stands have popped up. Here we have alot of pop-up stands. Our county has a population of about 180,000 and on almost any weekend (Saturdays #1) you will find 10-15 of the pop-up stands. A few have been there for years (4-6), but most are just people trying to make a bit more money.

Just like all businesses, marketing has highs and lows, and at this time (here) it's during the lows. Each community is different, but does the same thing.