Curbside Honey Sales
The
roadside stand is as common a site in rural America as the lemonade stand is in the city. Whenever someones garden
produces a surplus of produce the farmers drag out an old card table, load it down with baskets of fruit and
vegetables and slap a for sale sign in front of it. The same roadside stand that you use to sell your extra fruit
and vegetables can also be used to sell your excess honey that you've collected from, your bee
hive.
When you are getting ready to
set up your roadside stand you need to make sure that you have a sign indicating that you are selling honey. The
sign should be simple. The letters should be clearly printed with ink or paint the contrasts with he background of
the sign. The sign should be large enough the people driving past your house should be able to easily read the sign
as they drive past your roadside stand.
Make sure that sign can be
easily seen from the road. Keep the writing simple, the sign you are using to advertise your roadside stand is not
the place to practice your writing skills. People who total their cars trying to read a long winded spiel on a
piece of cardboard generally aren't good customers. Don't get cute and draw a picture of a honeybee on your sign,
people might misunderstand and think that you are warning them of a potential
attack.
Before you set out your honey
take a second and examine it. Make sure that the honey has been strained. There shouldn't be any dirt, clumps of
wax or other foreign materials in your honey. Take a minute and wipe the outside of the container with a wet
washcloth and remove and indication of spills. Make sure that the container is dry before you expose it to
dust.
If possible offer your customers
various forms of honey. Give them the opportunity to purchase jars of honey that you extracted from the honeycombs
and also invite them to purchase a honey comb that still has the honey entombed behind the wax
plugs.
Offer your clients a variety of
different size containers of honey. Some customers will shy away from purchasing large containers of honey because
they are afraid that the honey will crystallize before they have an opportunity to use it.
Don't be afraid to market and
sale other products alongside your honey. Feel free to sell flowers, sweet corn, or banana peppers. Different
foods, in a a variety of colors will give your roadside stand an artistic flavor.
If possible try to establish
your roadside stand in a shaded section of your front yard. The shade will make your produce appear fresher and
will also encourage customers to linger over the products. If you notice that your products are starting to look
old, replace it.
If you are selling vegetables
don't be afraid to spray the vegetables with a fine mist of water. The water will look fresher if they are
occasionally watered.
Feel free to mingle with your
customers. Customers are more likely to make return trips to purchase at your roadside stand if the owner is
cheerful and friendly.
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