Killing Capitalism

A few years ago a group of citizens gathered together looking to organize a Farmer's Market. My husband and I had participated in one in the last town we lived in and were interested in possibly being a part of this one. We went to one of the early meetings and listened to what they were proposing. We thought long and hard about participating, but sadly, our garden and orchard did not fare well that summer, so we did not participate. However, because we had expressed interest, we were put on the mailing list. I recently received an application to participate this year, along with a letter from the manager. This letter included a description of some changes they have made to the Market, including a cooperative Market plan. I was appalled as I read about this. The managers of the Farmers Market want to regulate what you sell and when you sell it. They are going to limit who can sell what. Only 3 vendors will be allowed to sell any given produce item, but they cannot all sell said produce item on the same week. For instance, if you want to sell Roma tomatoes (the example they gave), only 3 vendors can sign up to sell Romas, but each has to pick different weeks to sell them. This means that if all your tomatoes are ripe on July 1, but that isn't your week, you are out of luck. You can sell other tomatoes, if you've signed up to sell that variety, but not Romas. This is what they have to say about their idea:

Cooperating gives everyone a share of sales and avoids over-saturating the market. It also allows the Market to work for you by advertising your products--you make more money!!

Seriously!? Do they really believe this? They must if they decided to adopt this plan, but I have to tell you, it goes against so many things I believe in. If an individual wants to plant a specialty crop that they are sure no one else will have, that is great and they should be able to decide that for themselves, but if someone want to plant an acre of Roma tomatoes and take them to market to sell, they should be able to, when those tomatoes are ripe. What happens if your tomatoes are not ripe on your chosen week? Can you trade weeks with someone who maybe does have ripe tomatoes? What if yours are ripe, but you can't sell them, are you supposed to let them just go to waste, or do you try to store them until it is your turn and then you have less than great quality produce. As a consumer, we have a right to choose what we buy. We should be allowed to inspect other's quality of produce, customer service, and price to decide what we want, not be limited to what the "cooperative Market plan" says.

Now, I know I wasn't at the meeting where this plan was adopted so I can't say I was there to oppose the idea. However, this is not a Market that encourages people to participate in it. I know some people still will. They have wares and are looking to sell them. They will work with the Market's "plan" and I hope they are successful. I, however, will not be. I don't know that my garden would support me doing this, I mostly garden for my family, but even then, not sure this is a place that I would want to go. I think I would almost rather travel farther to a more friendly market that is not going to try and regulate what I can and cannot sell.

Here's the thing, Capitalism works! When we participated in a Farmer's Market before we got to know the other vendors. We got to know who had what, and who had the best what. There was one farmer who had the most delectable nectarines. He usually sold out within an hour, if you were lucky. Sometimes quicker, so you had to be there early. How sad it would be if he was told he couldn't bring them at times, and I did get there early. Another vendor had apples that were the perfect blend of sweet, tart, and crisp that I've ever had. I know I would miss it if he wasn't allowed to sell his apples. And finally, the mustard lady. I love gourmet mustards. This lady has all kinds, along with the best sea salt seasoning mix ever. I love putting her sea salt mixture on my grilled and roasted vegetables. If by some chance I went to Market and she wasn't there, I think I would be mad. Yes, maybe I would find something better, but I should be able to choose. The thing is, these vendors developed relationships with us. They learned who we were and we learned who they were. We learned about their gardens and orchards and all sorts of things. They watched my kids running around and growing year to year. Don't tell me that I can't support my friend because it isn't "their week".

When you have different vendors all selling the same thing, well, something about them needs to be better than their neighbor. Maybe they have better customer service, maybe their prices are better, or maybe their wares just look better. When you have more than one person selling the same thing, they are going to work to make sure you are getting a great deal. When only one person is selling, well, you get what you get, or you choose to get nothing. If there is a saturation of the market, well, vendors learn, and you let them fail. The market will still get whatever their agreed upon percentage is. Take away the competitive edge and you lose, the consumer loses, the vendor loses, the market loses. Allow people the freedom to learn, grow, and yes, sometimes fail, and if they are smart, they fail forward to something better. Better ways of growing, better varieties to grow, or maybe just better ways to advertise and display. People win when they are allowed to learn and grow, they lose when someone makes most of the decisions for them.

I think the saddest thing for me is that more people involved have not stood up for their freedom to choose. That the people at that meeting, while trying to help their market, are in reality adopting practices that time has proven to cause more harm than help. For our local economy I hope the farmer's market is successful. I hope that the vendors who do participate find it to be worth their while. I also hope that more people will become educated and speak out to protect our free market economy.