5 tips on how to get the best groceries at your local market

Do you end up getting low quality groceries when you shop at your local market?

Another day has come and you find yourself checking your pantry for what you need to buy at your local market. The idea of that trip to the market or grocery store is not always appealing, especially on a cold and rainy morning, but it must be done. Otherwise, you will have no food in your house, and that is not a scenario you want to find yourself in.
While it may seem like a tiresome and boring chore, a trip to the market can be as easy and fun as your shopping in the supermarket. There is so much of fresh produce all around, so arm yourself with reusable, not plastic, bags and your wallet.
Here are some tips that will not only ensure you get the best value for your hard-earned money but that you look forward to that shopping day.

1. Get there early

‘The early bird catches the worm’ is not just a phrase that concerns birds, but it also applies to some part of our daily life. Like that trip to your local market. When you arrive early you will be in a position to pick and select the best and most fresh groceries from the seller as compared to someone who goes to the market in the afternoon or evening. The latter will only find left-overs which aren’t so fresh because they have been through so many hands already, they have also been pressed, shaken and even pinched for good measure.

2. Be a return customer

When you go to the market, mark that one seller who always has the best product and build a connection with them. You will find that sometimes, even before you arrive, your groceries have already been set aside for you to pick before all the other customers come buying.

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3. Smile and be social

A smiling face goes a long way even on the dullest of days. Yes, you read that right. Smile! That smile on your face can open doors that have been shut solid to other people and this applies even to that visit to the market. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, in fact it is a good form of exercise for your facial muscles. You will be surprised at how easy you will find your buying trip at the market. The seller will readily show you the best products as opposed to appearing with a moody, serious and dull face. In short, leave your ‘business face’ at the market gate and enjoy your buying.

4. Take that phone number

Request your seller to give you his mobile phone number. Our lives can be unpredictable at times but our stomachs, on the other hand, are as predictable as the rising and setting of the sun. So when your day has been turned upside down by something out of your control like a kid throwing a tantrum at breakfast, and you feel you cannot get to the market on time, pick up your phone and call your seller. Let her/him know that you will be late or that you will send one of your friends to pick for you whatever groceries you are in need of.

5. Refer someone else

The next time you meet your friends or relatives, let them know the exact place where you purchase your groceries. Don’t forget to inform them that they have to mention in passing that so and so, that will be you, referred them to the seller. You might just be nicely surprised to find that extra bunch of vegetables or an extra banana in your grocery bag the next time you go shopping.

Photos: Pixabay