Actual farmers markets are often designer shops for rich people.

If you find actual farms and coops you can get good deals.

There’s a local food coop that sells large boxes full of produce for $20 every Thursday - but you don’t get to choose what’s in the box.

Yes! There's a vegetable farmer here, does most of his profit at a farmer's market in a town across the valley, we would buy the box of whatever was left for $20. He would drop it off on his way home. Was a good deal for him, and we got amazing vegetables all summer.

The real farmers that drive in to urban areas tend to do the majority of their business with restaurants, often the rather better ones that want high-quality or unique produce (this is according to farmers I've talked to who referred to their farmer's market sales as 'nickel-and-dime'.)

Some of them do a half-off sale for everything they've got at the last half-hour of the market, that's good to know. Some are just buying from the wholesalers, too, that's something to watch out for as others note - but some of those run lower margins than the local grocery stores, so it's cheaper to buy from them.

Same, in area South of Seattle they have just become whole foods for the most part. I still go because at least the money goes to smaller scale businesses, but there is nothing inexpensive about them.

In the US half of the farmer markets are basically expensive scams, but there’s always the legit ones with cheap products. For example, in SF there is Alemany farmer’s market, and that’s it.

I've seen tons. There are many in the Sacramento area where there are tons of farms, you can get produce and other items for pennies on the dollar compared to the grocery store.

The legit ones are cheap. I buy avocados for 50 cents a piece at mine. I think they are grown in ventura county.

There used to be one at one of the Cow Palace parking lots in the 80's.

Even then, I was shocked at the low prices.

I stumbled on this Farmer's Market by accident.

I had this security job guarding the Cow Palace on the weekends. The insurance was less if they had a guy on the premises.

I remember seeing my boss (Bill. The nicest boss I ever had. Never forget this huge man walking towards me on a Sunday in complete darkness besides the emergency lights crying while holding a dead cat. He loved the abandoned cats that neighbors left on the property. The higher ups authorized poisoning the cats. I could feel his pain. When I saw the bait traps I disposed of the poison. I was the only one there during the day so I got no reprimands. I thought I'm fired, while carting my huge box of fruits/veggies, and honey, but he didn't care.

Since that day of shopping at that Farmer's market I was ruined I guess? Everone I have been to since was overpriced.

(Here's something to think about. There is a tiny model of the Cow Palace buried below the auditorium floor. Only a few people knew about it then. It was left there by the architects. I had keys to most rooms, and did my fair share of exploring. Seeing that model of the Cow Palace was something out of a Twillight Zone episode. They even put in tiny cars in the parking lots. It was all dusty, but an exact model of the Cow Palace in Daly City.)

Well those were some lovely reminiscences. Thank you. Did you see the model before it was buried?