In NYC, there are plenty of produce vendors on the street that sell aesthetic, fresh fruit for less than cost conscious mega-chains, like Wal Mart, Trader Joes, and Wegmans. The big chains have negotiating power, wholesale discounts, and economies of scale to help them profit on tiny margins. So, how is it that my small, local, fruit stand can outcompete pricewise with national chains and still stay afloat?
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I work in the industry and it’s kind of a scam…a lot of these produce markets sell product that has been rejected from the chain stores that has been past it’s prime. When produce is delivered it typically needs to be sold by 8-10 days from when it was picked (10-14 days from when it was packed) . If a shipment arrives late it will be rejected by the chain store and resold to a farmers market or a processor. So when you get produce from a farmers market it is eat or freeze with in a couple days instead of a week to 10 days. It’s all the same product from the same farms but is just “eat it now”
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