This is a sign at a cork goods store near to my apartment in the French Quarter.  It made me think about good customer service and also about how some stores do a better job than others to invite new shoppers in. Of course, it makes me think about farmers markets too in that same manner. It may be even more important to be ready to welcome market shoppers with no experience than other retail shoppers…

The one fact that is undeniable about farmers markets is that the experience is not comparable to how most Americans have regularly shopped for most of their food since before World War II. Therefore, as we work for wider acceptance among food shoppers, we have to constantly be aware of what the scene looks and feels like to most people when they come for the first time:

Okay, maybe not THIS alien, but I’d bet that a fair number of newbies are still baffled by what, how and why the market is about. So if we regularly put out invitations like this, we will need to do our best to prepare the space for them to find their way in (maybe post articles like this on your site? ) so the end result is that we create the environment that tells everyone they are welcome.