10 - 



Meeting Price Competition 



An essential aspect of pricing, no matter how you decide on 

 them, is to be aware of the retail prices of your competitors. The 

 alert roadside marketer keeps informed by close and frequent checks 

 on price levels in his market area. Since price levels are so im- 

 portant to his success, he makes it his business to stay informed 

 of changes in the market area. 



The sharp roadside marketer is also alert to the importance 

 of timing and price changes. The busy season can be extended by 

 changing the product line to include seasonal products. These can 

 be geared to low pricing of specials to increase traffic into the 

 market. This is an effective way of increasing sales and length- 

 ening the selling season. 



Prices--Vol ume--A Total Picture 



By this point, it should be clear that the "right" price is 

 both a combination of covering costs and generating sufficient 

 sales. A high price does not mean more profit unless it is capable 

 of generating sufficient sales. By the same token, lowering pro- 

 duce price to generate volume makes no sense 1f you are not cover- 

 ing costs. But there is a happy medium--the proper combination of 

 price level and sales volume--the "right price." The right price 

 may vary from product to product and often requires some experiment- 

 ation to find it. 



! The use of advertised "specials" to increase traffic in the 

 roadside market makes a great deal of sense--especial ly when tied 

 to effective point of sale promotions on non-spec1al merchandise. 

 Increased traffic should increase sales more than enough to off- 

 set loss in revenue of products sold at "special" prices. 



Many different methods may be used by roadside marketers to 

 set specific prices. Competitive pricing, straight markup, pricing 

 by nines, and price lining are among these. But no matter what 

 specific method is used, the roadside marketer should identify his 

 unique characteristics and capitalize on them. Special high quality 

 produce, personalized service, and the shopping environment may 

 mean the roadside market can ask a premium and get it. The road- 

 side marketer should take the lead in pricing his product and cer- 

 tainly not approach this important problem haphazardly. 



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POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPHS 



"U Pick" method of harvesting small fruit : It is the opinion of 

 the writer that commercial growers and part-ttme farmers In south- 



