The Clever Reason To Visit The Farmers Market Later In The Day

There are so many perks to doing your grocery shopping at a farmers market — the produce is super fresh, you get to support local vendors, and it's better for the environment than shopping at a grocery store. If you're already a fan of hitting your local farmers market, you probably think getting there as early as possible is the best bet. But, as it turns out, there's an excellent reason to wait it out and visit the market closer to closing time: discounts.

Yep, the vendors will lower their prices and offer discounts toward the end of the day because they want to sell as much of their product as possible. It makes sense when you think about it — the vendors have less to bring back with them after leaving the market. So, really, it's a win-win: vendors make more money in the long run and sell the majority of their produce while the buyer gets a major discount. Thus, getting majorly discounted food can be added to the list of the perks of shopping at farmers markets.

Arriving at farmers markets super early also has its perks

While there is clearly a case to be made for showing up at a farmers market as late as possible, there is also, on the other end of the spectrum, valid reasoning for being the early bird. It may not seem pleasant to set an alarm during the weekend — as many farmers markets will open pretty early — but there are perks.

Namely, if you're one of the first customers, you get your pick at the best of the products. Essentially, the (food) world is your oyster. If you show up later in the day, yes, you'll get those discounts, but the selection will be much more sparse, so you may not get exactly what you want.

So it really comes down to personal preference — would you rather get to pick out exactly what you want or be a bit more flexible and reap the benefit of a discount? Either way, the vendors will be grateful for your business.