Vegetables on the honor system
Unmanned stand offering fresh vegetables relies on customer honesty.
Shane Jordan left the construction business to spend more time with his family, but he still needed an income.
He started selling some of the vegetables he grows in his garden, but was looking for ways to use his time more efficiently. So he decided to try a new approach — a vegetable stand using the honor system.
Jordan, who lives in Goodman, Mo., has four stands, with two in Bella Vista — one at Wishing Spring Gallery, the other at Highlands Crossing.
In the morning, he fills them with a combination of his own home grown tomatoes and melons he purchases at the Amish auction. Most of his produce is local, he explained, even if he doesn’t grow it himself. The exception is peaches. He sold local peaches earlier in the season, but they’re gone now, so he buys some that are grown in Idaho.
Once he has his stand set up, he leaves. Customers are on the honor system.
“I didn’t realize how much people enjoy it,” he said. “People appreciate the honor system. They leave notes in the mail box. It’s been wonderful experience.”
Bobbie Vann, a volunteer at Wishing Spring Gallery and a customer at the stand, said people appreciate the trust.
“Sometimes it works better than being suspicious of everyone,” she said.
Mary Kay Sutton has also bought from Jordan’s stand. She said she seldom makes it to the Farmer’s Market, so she’s happy to stop on a week day. The stand at Wishing Spring is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Jordan keeps track of exactly what he leaves, so he can tell that very little disappears without a payment. Occasionally, his cash box is short a dollar or two at the end of the day, but sometimes it’s a dollar or two over. His sign says, “We don’t worry about exact change. If you are under you can just catch up the next time.”
People often stop him when he’s loading or unloading to give him a dollar or two they owe.
“My wife thought I was crazy, but it works out really well,” he said. So far, no one has stolen the cash box from any of the stands. That’s the one thing that would really hurt, he said.
Jordan plans to keep selling tomatoes until the frost kills his plants. He will probably add some decorative items for the fall, including corn stalks and gourds. He may start an inside grocery business for the winter and he will sell firewood. He has had a firewood business with his brother for years.
Next year he plans a bigger garden so he can sell more vegetables. And he might buy some more secure cash boxes.