The produce has already been picked; it's not like they can take it back and re-plant it. They will most probably just sell it in bulk to some mom-n-pop grocery store and head back to their farms. So you can score some really nice deals.
I did this when I was tight on cash for a month or two and needed to survive on the more bare minimum budget.
That is such an insightful comment; thank you!
And it's the best kind of negotiating. Not only do you get a good deal, it's a win for the farmer too.
I know many and they all complain about that rich assholes that do this thinking the food is just going to get thrown away.
Unless they invented some time-travel machine, it's impossible. Most farmers markets around these parts have similar hours: 9AM to 2PM or so.
So, if the farmer leaves the market at 2PM, where will they go? No farmers market is open after 2PM.
There goes your little theory.
Pro-tip: stop treating farmers like children who don't know what they're doing. You city people think you know it all, when in reality, you don't.
Can you please leave out the insults and adversarial style?
We try for respectful and polite conversation here, even when we disagree on something. That way we can learn from each other.
From the site guidelines:
> Be kind. Don't be snarky. Have curious conversation; don't cross-examine. Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the community.
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Thanks, and I look forward to reading more of your insights!
Even if there is no price flexibility, the employee will often agree to sell you a cake for full price then give you a cake of similar value he was about to put in the trash for free. If they know you always tip and can convince themselves that their employer is also winning, they are highly incentivised to agree.
Sometimes people in a job like this will take the un-eaten cakes home, but in the end they can only find a home for so much free cake.
You clearly don’t know anything about how they operate.
You do know the vendors go to multiple farmers markets, right? You’re not saving anything from waste. Unless your particular farmers market is the last stop for that vendor, you’ll piss them off.
You are ASSUMING that I offered them less money.
You are ASSUMING that I somehow forced them to do something they wouldn't do otherwise.
Reality is, they themselves offer great deals on whatever is left. No coercion required.
And last time I checked, it was a free world: I'm free to take their deal or not, and they're free to offer me one, or not.
And by the way: I learnt of this trick from farmers themselves.