August 2024 - 24
FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
BY BRIAN MOYER | PENN STATE EXTENSION
Managing increased customer traffic
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
Managing Multiple Customers.
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
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August 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2024
Editor's Letter
Food Handling: First line of defense
Postharvest: Map the flow
Grower Profile: Earth-first philosophy
Auditing & Regulations: Accelerated deadline
Great Lakes EXPO News: Premier event for specialty crop ag innovation, networking
40 Under Forty Fresh Views: Everything but the dirt
Farm Market & Agritourism: Managing increased customer traffic
Ag Labor Review: The devil is in the details
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
August 2024 - 1
August 2024 - 2
August 2024 - 3
August 2024 - Editor's Letter
August 2024 - 5
August 2024 - Food Handling: First line of defense
August 2024 - 7
August 2024 - Postharvest: Map the flow
August 2024 - 9
August 2024 - 10
August 2024 - 11
August 2024 - Grower Profile: Earth-first philosophy
August 2024 - 13
August 2024 - 14
August 2024 - 15
August 2024 - Auditing & Regulations: Accelerated deadline
August 2024 - 17
August 2024 - 18
August 2024 - 19
August 2024 - Great Lakes EXPO News: Premier event for specialty crop ag innovation, networking
August 2024 - 21
August 2024 - 40 Under Forty Fresh Views: Everything but the dirt
August 2024 - 23
August 2024 - Farm Market & Agritourism: Managing increased customer traffic
August 2024 - 25
August 2024 - Ag Labor Review: The devil is in the details
August 2024 - 27
August 2024 - Classifieds
August 2024 - 29
August 2024 - Advertiser Index
August 2024 - 31
August 2024 - 32
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/2025-fruit-nut-growers-buyers-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-fgn
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/fgn-vgn-40-under-40-class-of-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyers-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com