Adventures in Selling Baked Goods - Page 7

Chocolatl · 12-08-2013, 06:48 PM

Slowest day yet. Sold $40. Needed $95 to break even and was hoping for $150. Ouch. ::sigh::

monster · 12-08-2013, 07:18 PM

Could you Festivize the packaging?

monster · 12-08-2013, 07:21 PM

I'm sorry it's not going so well and sorry if I seem unsympathetic. When it comes to problems, I'm all man....

glatt · 12-08-2013, 07:46 PM

I'm sorry it's not going well.

I wonder why people aren't buying so much this week? Maybe spending money on Xmas gifts and also eating lots of holiday sweets last week is causing a lack of demand.

monster · 12-08-2013, 09:12 PM

I wondered that. Or if it's just too hot there when people are really wanting to feel a chill?

Big Sarge · 12-09-2013, 06:42 AM

I really believe beans would be a great marketing aid

Chocolatl · 12-10-2013, 10:15 AM

I'm not sure what the deal is. It's not just me -- the market hasn't had a lot of foot traffic. Some of my fellow vendors go the whole day without a sale or only make one or two sales. Kitsune hypothesizes maybe people are hitting the malls for their holiday shopping instead of browsing street markets. :-/

Lamplighter · 12-10-2013, 11:19 AM

The mood is winter even if Florida's weather is not.

Plus, families only have so much $ for holiday spending,/
Once it's spent, it can't be spent again and merchants know this.

.. so we have Black Friday on Nov 1st... next year it'll be Oct 15th

xoxoxoBruce · 12-10-2013, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocolatl

Kitsune hypothesizes maybe people are hitting the malls for their holiday shopping instead of browsing street markets. :-/

Probably true, dedicated shopping expeditions complete with the gnashing of teeth and renting of cloth, looking for the only toilet water Aunt Edith will accept.

BigV · 12-10-2013, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocolatl

I'm not sure what the deal is. It's not just me -- the market hasn't had a lot of foot traffic. Some of my fellow vendors go the whole day without a sale or only make one or two sales. Kitsune hypothesizes maybe people are hitting the malls for their holiday shopping instead of browsing street markets. :-/

fwiw: I have done the bulk of my holiday shopping at street markets, (Pike Place Market and Portland Saturday Market), with a total of five gifts so far. clodfobble had a nice post about shopping for gifts.... my strong preference is to vote with my wallet, and I like to vote for local/independent producers.

I wish you the best.

Chocolatl · 12-15-2013, 04:33 PM

Thanks all for the good wishes. I had a MUCH better market day today. I took less product and was able to sell it all. Not huge profits, but enough to buy supplies needed for the next two weeks. Hooray!

Also a milestone: today was the longest I've ever been away from Beans! 7.5 hours. Hard on Mama's heart, but she and Kitsune did just fine.

orthodoc · 12-15-2013, 04:52 PM

Congratulations, Choco! Maybe having less on display prompted some people to buy before all the pies were gone ...? Less supply, more demand sort of thing.

Chocolatl · 12-15-2013, 04:56 PM

Hmm, could be! I don't usually display them all at once, but maybe having fewer flavors helped. The weather was muuuuch cooler than last weekend so that helped a lot! I also advertised that I can do party trays so hopefully that'll result in some orders over the course of the week.

orthodoc · 12-15-2013, 04:57 PM

Great idea! You can do flavor combos for both adult and kid parties.

And for offices ... people bring in all sorts of goodies through the holidays. Hit up some professional offices with your brochures, and any government offices you can get access to. I think you'd see orders out of that ...

xoxoxoBruce · 12-15-2013, 08:07 PM

Considering you're a newbie to both the location and the business, I think you're doing fine.

12-08-2013, 07:18 PM	#92
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	Could you Festivize the packaging? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

12-08-2013, 07:21 PM	#93
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	I'm sorry it's not going so well and sorry if I seem unsympathetic. When it comes to problems, I'm all man.... __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

12-08-2013, 09:12 PM	#95
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	I wondered that. Or if it's just too hot there when people are really wanting to feel a chill? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

12-09-2013, 06:42 AM	#96
Big Sarge Werepandas - lurking in your shadows Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: In the Deep South Posts: 3,408	I really believe beans would be a great marketing aid __________________ Give a man a match, & he'll be warm for 20 seconds. But toss that man a white phosphorus grenade and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

12-15-2013, 04:52 PM	#102
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	Congratulations, Choco! Maybe having less on display prompted some people to buy before all the pies were gone ...? Less supply, more demand sort of thing. __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi

12-08-2013, 06:48 PM	#91
Chocolatl Glutton for Gluttony Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 1,409	Slowest day yet. Sold $40. Needed $95 to break even and was hoping for $150. Ouch. ::sigh::

12-08-2013, 07:46 PM	#94
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I'm sorry it's not going well. I wonder why people aren't buying so much this week? Maybe spending money on Xmas gifts and also eating lots of holiday sweets last week is causing a lack of demand.

12-10-2013, 10:15 AM	#97
Chocolatl Glutton for Gluttony Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 1,409	I'm not sure what the deal is. It's not just me -- the market hasn't had a lot of foot traffic. Some of my fellow vendors go the whole day without a sale or only make one or two sales. Kitsune hypothesizes maybe people are hitting the malls for their holiday shopping instead of browsing street markets. :-/

12-10-2013, 11:19 AM	#98
Lamplighter Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bottom lands of the Missoula floods Posts: 6,402	The mood is winter even if Florida's weather is not. Plus, families only have so much $ for holiday spending,/ Once it's spent, it can't be spent again and merchants know this. .. so we have Black Friday on Nov 1st... next year it'll be Oct 15th

12-15-2013, 04:33 PM	#101
Chocolatl Glutton for Gluttony Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 1,409	Thanks all for the good wishes. I had a MUCH better market day today. I took less product and was able to sell it all. Not huge profits, but enough to buy supplies needed for the next two weeks. Hooray! Also a milestone: today was the longest I've ever been away from Beans! 7.5 hours. Hard on Mama's heart, but she and Kitsune did just fine.

12-15-2013, 04:56 PM	#103
Chocolatl Glutton for Gluttony Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 1,409	Hmm, could be! I don't usually display them all at once, but maybe having fewer flavors helped. The weather was muuuuch cooler than last weekend so that helped a lot! I also advertised that I can do party trays so hopefully that'll result in some orders over the course of the week.

12-15-2013, 04:57 PM	#104
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	Great idea! You can do flavor combos for both adult and kid parties. And for offices ... people bring in all sorts of goodies through the holidays. Hit up some professional offices with your brochures, and any government offices you can get access to. I think you'd see orders out of that ... __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi Last edited by orthodoc; 12-15-2013 at 05:00 PM. Reason: Another idea

12-15-2013, 08:07 PM	#105
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Considering you're a newbie to both the location and the business, I think you're doing fine. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)