The economics of Seattle’s Farmer’s Markets
Posted by Gian on June 4th, 2007
Anthony and I go to the West Seattle Farmer’s Market every Sunday. It is surprisingly fun, even though we are generally just buying produce. I always assumed we were paying a little more than in the grocery store, but a story in today’s paper indicates that at least one of the markets are cheaper than the stores. Granted, the study was rather limited (only compared 2 stores that are known for being pricy against one Seattle farmers market).
I don’t know if the farmer’s markets are a better deal. Frankly, I don’t really care (which seems to be the sentiment of the people interviewed in this article). It is fun to talk with the farmers and buy produce that is generally much better than what the stores carry. In addition, what we buy tends to come from less than 100 miles away, versus thousands of miles for many of the big grocery stores.