September/October 2024 - 30

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
BY BRIAN MOYER | PENN STATE EXTENSION
Managing increased customer traffic at your farm market
O
n a recent sunny morning, I visited a wellestablished
farm market to talk with the
manager. The parking lot was nearly full and
inside the market, there were three registers in
operation, and they still had a line of customers waiting
to check out.
Managing increased customer traffic at your farm
market can be both a rewarding and challenging
experience. Higher foot traffic means more sales
opportunities, but it also requires strategic planning to
ensure a smooth operation.
Customer service trainer and author Jeff Mowatt
offers some advice in his article called " Managing
Multiple Customers: 5 tips for juggling customers,
callers and walk-ins " (tinyurl.com/3c897b4p) and from
his advice, I've cultivated a few of my own.
More customers are a great thing
" When you see more customers arrive, don't let them
see you sweat. Take the professional approach and
broaden your smile - even though it may be slightly
forced. Keep in mind the adage of LL Bean who said,
'Customers are not interruptions to your work, they are
the purpose of your work,' " Mowatt said in his article.
Some things you can do in advance of an onslaught
of customers: Label sections and products clearly to
help customers find what they need quickly; highlight
specials and discounts to attract attention and move
inventory faster; and have multiple checkout points to
reduce waiting times.
Training staff is crucial
Regardless of what the employee is engaged in on the
sales floor, it is critical that associates are visible and
available to customers. Train staff to handle customer
inquiries and issues promptly and politely.
Mowatt's article stated: " One of the most frequent
gaffs in frontline service is when a customer needs to
ask a question, but the employees are preoccupied -
talking with each other. Even more aggravating is when
the staff congregates to socialize while customers are
left to fend for themselves. "
Does the staff have knowledge about the products in
the market? Do they know who has answers to certain
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30 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024

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September/October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2024

Editor's Letter
Accelerated deadline
Weeding out danger
East Coast diversification
Regenerating soil
Connecting innovation and education at the Great Lakes EXPO
Organic Grower
Veg Connections
Farm Market & Agritourism
Ag Labor Review
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
September/October 2024 - 1
September/October 2024 - 2
September/October 2024 - 3
September/October 2024 - Editor's Letter
September/October 2024 - 5
September/October 2024 - Accelerated deadline
September/October 2024 - 7
September/October 2024 - Weeding out danger
September/October 2024 - 9
September/October 2024 - 10
September/October 2024 - 11
September/October 2024 - East Coast diversification
September/October 2024 - 13
September/October 2024 - 14
September/October 2024 - 15
September/October 2024 - Regenerating soil
September/October 2024 - 17
September/October 2024 - Connecting innovation and education at the Great Lakes EXPO
September/October 2024 - 19
September/October 2024 - 20
September/October 2024 - 21
September/October 2024 - 22
September/October 2024 - Organic Grower
September/October 2024 - 24
September/October 2024 - 25
September/October 2024 - 26
September/October 2024 - 27
September/October 2024 - Veg Connections
September/October 2024 - 29
September/October 2024 - Farm Market & Agritourism
September/October 2024 - 31
September/October 2024 - Ag Labor Review
September/October 2024 - 33
September/October 2024 - Classifieds
September/October 2024 - Advertiser Index
September/October 2024 - 36
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2024
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2019
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2019
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2019
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