Our local farmers market: Bartering in the last free market economy during the month of December
The farmers market is located in the heart of downtown Hilo; it attracts customers because of the local products, these products have caused the farmers market to become a desirable tourist destination. The farmers market is always changing and competing against one another in one of the last examples of a free-market economy, this is why I chose this location. Over a period of three days at four different times, (6:30 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, and 2 pm) during which I will record instances where the shopper/shopkeeper in the market attempt to barter or haggle for the best deal. This became important to me because my grandmother would set up her art at the local farmers market and sell to the public, but customers never wanted to pay full price.
If you’ve never walked through the farmers market, it is a relatively quiet place underneath the banter between shopkeeper and shopkeeper also when shopkeepers practice their sales pitch to the browsing customers. One can only describe the farmers market as a valley of white plastic tables supporting all the goods people bring. Black canopies provide shade for the network of pedestrians and their valuables, but don’t think it will be cool though; even though it’s an open air market there is a greater humidity which make the fruits more susceptible to the pockets of fruit flies/gnats that linger. Products are brought by merchants from around the island, they bring what they sell and sell what they market, once they’ve sold out or have had enough of the day, they pack up and go home and prepare for the next day’s market. There are nine hours of operation at the farmers market and this is important bec...
... middle of paper ...
...t of hospitality to a kindhearted consumer.
In conclusion, bartering is a lost art form that was practiced and popular in civilizations that valued exchange. During my three days of fieldwork, I found that the principles of bartering and haggling appear more often with people of lower economic status than those who can afford the product in its entirety. This occurs because the citizens who have nothing to exchange or are short of funds would rely on either hospitality or persuasion, on the other hand; those who have sufficing amounts of currency in the farmers market would not need to think nothing of attempting to score a better deal. If I had more time/opportunities to pursue this question even further, I would want to find out if customers are building report in order to elicit reciprocity among specific sales tycoons in forthcoming visits to the farmers market.
RNRA Team, “Supermarkets, Fresh Produce and New Commodity Chains: What Future for the Small Producer?” Hot Topics: February, 2004.
At the same time, the local agricultural economy was experiencing a deep economic depression due to the severe droughs that had occured throughout the past decade. The loss of crops cut out the average farmers'/planters' main food source as well a...
Local rather than global and small rather than large, the increase in these less conventional manners of production can be seen in the increased abundance of farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and community gardens. Farmers’ markets are common areas where farmers meet on a regular basis and sell various fresh produce directly to the consumers. The number of farmer’s markets between 1994 and 2014 has increased from around 2,000 to 8,000 (ers.usda.gov). Farmer’s offers an aesthetic that Walmart cannot provide—the opportunity to be personable. The consumer is able to see who grew the food, ask how it was grown, and will not be dazzled by fancy packaging or advertisements.
Exchange: trading goods between two people, were both benefits. However, thought the narrator had not seen and exchange he did however heard about one of Professor Chagnon’s experiences with someone wanting to trade his knife with him.
My ethnographic study took place at Whole Foods Market in Kensington, London. Before entering the store, I closely examined the front display windows. The products displayed include very red fresh apples that were in a stack. The apples were placed on a tray and table to provide the product with a lift and increase product visibility for all to see.
The marketplace was a place where the Aztec people traded goods. It was held in the market district of Tlatelolco (which was in Tenochtitlan). it could hold up to 60 000 people at a time, and an average of 25 000 people went there in one day. Some of the things that were traded included slaves (16), red dye (19), cotton cloaks (20), and canoes (18). The Aztec people often used cacao beans (17) as a currency when they were trading. The people at the marketplace who were trading were usually merchants, farmers, and artisans-all of them looking for goods and money. There were also different sections of the market for different goods that were being sold. (???use 24))
Unless you are one of the millions of “grateful” Americans who spent their Thanksgiving standing outside of a corporate store waiting to bargain on all the great deals that are offered this year, this time of year is when the Nation gathers with their friends and family to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. With every scoop of mashed potatoes and every plate that is gobbled, it marks a remembrance of those early Pilgrims who crossed vicious waters to make a new start. What is less appreciated however is that Thanksgiving is also America’s celebration of the Free Market, so make sure you take out an extra chair from the garage for Mr. Adam Smith this year. .
According to Koppelman and Goodhart, merchants would sometimes exploit the poor by enforcing or formulating policies that would earn them more profits. These practices include blank price tags, bait and switch, rent-to-own and pawnshops (2007). These types of inequality and exploitation would make it harder for the low income to escape poverty.
The ethnic market that I visited was Mitsuwa Japanese marketplace on South Centinela avenue, Los Angeles. I was amazed to see the variety of Japanese food at the market, especially the remarkable variety of seafood from different parts of the world. Fish is consumed in different shapes and forms by the Japanese. An entire aisle was dedicated to different types of Japanese rice noodles, which I found fascinating. The food item that surprised me the most was the sweet azuki bean frozen bar, because I had never seen ice cream made out of beans before. Moreover, the space in the store was managed so efficiently that under one roof, you got everything. This was congruent with what I have read and heard about the Japanese being so efficient at managing
The local product exchange included food items such as butter, preserved food, honey, wine, whisky, and fruit, as well as cloth and clothing. Some farmers took place in labor exchanges. During the idle winter months, farmers could sell there workers to mills, other farmers, or the state or county for roadwork.
The practice of trading and bartering of commodities has been around since the beginning of time. The concept of commodity chains was developed by Terence Hopkins and Immanuel Wallerstein in an attempt to understand the spread of capitalism and economic change. (Bair & Werner, 2011) The emergence of capitalism has brought about an anthropogenic phenomenon know as globalization as a means to create profit and in doing so altered competitive dynamics (Gereffi 1999). Globalisation of economies has lead to the construction of chains of production, distribution and consumption transcending borders across the world. Gereffi (1994) identified these chains as Global Commodity Chains, using them as a method to analyze the global economy.
...oots are sold in both urban and rural markets by growers and vendors who are mostly rural women (Onyango et al., 2013). The income obtained may be the major household income or it can be used for supplementation of other income. This leafy vegetable is available during the relish-gap period in many communities and plays a crucial role in household food security during drought (Heever and Venter, 2007). The real value of the crop as a food source and as an income source is more pronounced during the relish-gap period and periods of drought as such vegetables as cabbage and rape will be scarce. The vegetable is commonly traded in winter (Shackleton et al., 1998). However, some farmers may not be able to obtain a significant income through this trade, but even casual trading can bring in some vital income that supplements their household needs (Onyango et al., 2013).
What if there was a way to consume and use everyday products while knowing the people who put the hard work into growing and harvesting them are being treated as fairly as possible? Fortunately, there is a way for the consumer to have full confidence in this while purchasing their products. What the buyer should look out for is if the product is marked “Fair Trade” or not. Fair Trade is a type of business in which it is established that the producer is paid a fair price for the goods they provide. Whereas some producers get ripped off and paid only a small portion of what they should be, Fair Trade ensures that this does not happen and gives the producers the full benefit of their work. Some may ask, “is it really worth it to invest in something that will only put a label on a product?” The answer is yes. In this day and age, every humane person should have the decency to pay a little bit extra to warrant the fair treatment of the producers. Fair Trade is quite a simple social movement to operate with rules that can be easily enforced and the range of products is large yielding it to have its strengths and weaknesses, as does every operation of this scale.
The definition of microeconomics was presented a high level, and I was still left drawing a blank trying to discover how this method of social science correlated to my everyday life. Starting from week one Professor Julie Pelia assigned us topics that engaged our minds, and I quickly began to see how the various components of Microeconomics fit into my life. This summary of Microeconomics will cover some of
The Dolgan and Nganasan food sharing process consisted of people supplying resources through kinship. Much of the sharing with meat comes from the reciprocal relationships with the animals they hunt. They believe animals must be treated properly even though they are not human. It is said in this society that food sharing will contribute to good future hunting. They believe the animal is giving itself to the hunter and must be cared for by the means of sharing. Food sharing in this society is related to the informal sharing economy. Also, in the Dolgan and Nganasan group’s products that are bought are also shared between people because of how expensive they can be. Another society has had very similar implications in their food sharing process as well.