Is it appropriate to dicker over prices at the farmers’ market?
Growing small quantities of organic produce is an expensive endeavour. When you’re forking over $8 for a basket of raspberries, you’re paying little more than the costs of production and labour, so our best advice is to suck it up or take your shopping cart to the fluorescent-lit aisles of the supermarket, where imported, pesticidal produce is available at half the price. That said, there are circumstances in which market merchants are willing to make a deal. Anyone buying in larger quantities is likely to get a freebie, and loyal regulars will often find an extra turnip or two in their bag. For your best chance at bargain bounty, wait until the end of the day, when the spinach is starting to look a little limp. Just be warned: you’re risking the stink eye from the guy in overalls and the clan of ethical eaters around you.
• Question from Dana Greenfield, Riverdale
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Stink eye for buying floppy produce at the end of the day? Sounds like a snob fest and i used to shop the santa monica farmers market… never got the stink eye there just farmers grateful to unload food that might not get sold. Think you’ve got your etiquette lesson backwards.
Signed,
Farmer’s Daughter
I live at Dufferin Grove – it is a really great area and the farmers market just adds that much more to it. The overall philosophy of the community is about sharing and exchange. If anyone wants to bargain at the end of the day that is not a problem. At all other park food events people who cannot afford them are never excluded or they pay what they can. It is just a really great community.
The $8 berries, unless you can be 100% sure its 100% organic, have been sprayed too.