# Need help approaching Market Manager



## nappint (Jun 26, 2008)

I had a market this last weekend that I'm going to be attending every other week this season. The market was next to a 5K race that the city was sponsoring so the vendor turnout was very small. I ended up with a brand new vendor next to me and when I say "brand new" I mean brand new to the market AND brand new to business. She was selling lotions, soaps and scrubs which was not really the problem. 

The problem was she only had a 4' table and no canopy. When she set up, she shoved her table right up next to mine and almost under my canopy and she was the last one on the row. Then she proceeded to make all sorts of medical claims about her products and even told everyone her vanilla/coconut scented lotion was "100% natural"! She was so close to my space there were a few customers who thought we were together :crazy I gritted my teeth the entire market and then got the heck out of there! She didn't affect my sales so I'm not upset about that, I'm not even really upset the market manager put us right next to each other. I just don't want anyone to mistake her business for mine or visa versa ya' know. 

So I need help in what to say to the manager to make sure we don't get put next to each other ever again. I don't want to bash this girl's business because that will just make me look bad  and I truly believe her lying will work itself out eventually...especially after an informed customer chews-her-a-new-one for making crazy claims. But I need to make the market manager understand that I don't want to be anywhere near her at future markets.

Anyone have any idea how to explain this sticky situation without looking like a high maintenance busybody?


----------



## Dorit (Apr 20, 2011)

Boy, thats a tough one! I am the world's least tactful person so I won't give advise on what to say, however I agree with you that it will work itself out. I had a M&P vendor across the aisle from me saying the same outragous things. I think I still out sold her. Now I do 2 markets a week with this same vendor. I talked to the manager about how it doesn't do either one of us any good if we both sell soaps. The next week she told me that she asked her to bring out more of her bath salts and body scrubs. Well, talk about shooting yourself in the foot, I was better off with her M&P. So the moral of this story is competion is good, you just have to be better.


----------



## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

LOL! And you could ask this vendor if she's every heard of the FDA?


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

:laughcry You scared me with the beginning of your post: I was at my first Farmer's Market last Friday and did not have a canopy...... (What do I know? I like the sunshine after a long muddy winter!) I did not scoot under anyone elses canopy though and definitely did not make any medical/all natural claims. Just brought my soaps, got some compliments about my (last minute decision) wrapping and sold a few of 'em. I'm thinking this market will work okay for me even though there are two more soap vendors. One has very pretty but expensive M&P and the other one has.....goat milk soap and lotion but the soap is unwrapped and dirty :ick so I'm not too worried there. I did learn that I need to make a good size sign stating 'Soap', because a lot of people thought my soaps were cheese (????). 

I am truly confused about what you can say about your soap though. I agree that you should not be able to state your soap is all natural, but then how come you are apparently allowed to call your soap 'organic' (which in my opinion it never can be using Lye)? I do state I use natural oils and butters, real oats, essential oils, etc, but do not call my soap as a product 'all natural'. I do state that my soap makes your skin feel soft, but I do not claim it'll cure anything.


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

How can soap be called organic if the ingredients are not grown organically? It seems like all natural is a far more fitting claim. Is that why Burt's Bees puts a percentage on their product? 97% natural, etc.


----------



## Dorit (Apr 20, 2011)

There is an upscale store in Istanbul (my daughter is there for a year) that sells towels and soap, they have an expensive soap called "ash water soap" I explained to her that is the way all lye is made but it has such great marketing appeal. :biggrin


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Lol, that's cool!


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

That is the label in Japan also Dorit. Vicki


----------



## nappint (Jun 26, 2008)

Well, I decided not to say anything right now. I'll address it in the future if I have to. I don't really have a problem with someone calling their soap natural if they've tried to make it as natural as possible with maybe essential oils, herbs, natural colorants etc., but this chick was waving her coconut/vanilla FO lotion around declaring it to be "100% natural". Lies like that just make it harder for honest soapers to make a living ya' know.


----------



## todog (Dec 10, 2011)

I have been known to say something to the offending seller if they are near me, and she was near you. I usually say it quietly and gage the response from the vender. But I can get quite loud if I have to explain to them more than once. I refuse to let anyone misslead the public when it comes to goats milk soap . I don't make lotions yet but I do know the difference between fo and eo and I will gladly enlighten anyone. Be nice and inform them and a soft warning usually does the trick. I also have the info in print for a handout to venders and customers alike.


----------



## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

LOL, I used to vend at a market with a lady like that. She wasn't right next to me, but I could hear her loudly telling people that her products were "all natural". Yep, she waved them around, put them on people, etc. (I absolutely hate it when someone tries to feed me something or put body products on me..) I finally figured out that she believed her products were "natural" because she had "made" them....(all were bases) and the company she bought her bases and chemicals from was called "texas naturals". She was certainly confused and I never tried to educate her. She developed health issues and now she buys products from me


----------

