Making Sense of the Dollars Spent at Farmers’ Markets

The habits, preferences and demographics of consumers at farmers’ markets are topics of interest as the number of markets burgeon across North America. This study, using a survey (via interview), researches five markets near Vancouver, British Columbia, focusing on factors associated with spending. The results reveal that spending is significantly related to frequency of shopping, type of products purchased, preferences about buying organic, parking habits, and demographics such as age, education level, ethnicity, family composition and home ownership. The study also shows that Vancouver-area farmers’ market shoppers are not significantly different from those elsewhere—they too tend to be older, well-educated and disproportionately Caucasian. Results yield valuable practical strategies for market managers.