Road Side stands?

[PhantomSlayer]

Oh my goodness, this is to the letter what my Momma and I were thinking about doing!! (Minus the wax melts!!) We are VERY blessed to live literally on a Highway, so ease of access to the stand would be covered! (I don’t always like living on a highway, but this is the one time it would come in helpful!)
She makes wreaths and hair bows (they are AMAZING!) and I can sew a little (very little, but I hope and pray to keep improving!) so maybe some handmade goods eventually… but really we wanted to start with eggs and extra veggies and fruits from the garden!! We have no concept of a structure yet, just tossing the idea around, but I am so glad to see that other people are thinking the same thing! My Momma and I are best friends, so it only makes sense that we have a roadside stand together to sell both of our things! Have you given any thought about structures or pricing? I would love to hear y’all’s ideas!

We're on a side road off a main road. I crochet and my mom sews and sometimes makes diy holiday decorations but I don't know if were gonna do any of those yet. Just gonna start with what we can. I plan to sell eggs for $4 a dozen. Our neighbor gets them for $3 a dozen because their like family. Gonna do washed and unwashed eggs. I don't know about pricing for veggies yet its usually tomatoes, banana peppers and jalapenos we always have extra of.

My mom is thinking about using a plastic storage cabinet we have in our basement. Shes going to ask my dad if we can somehow anchor to a platform or something. She has a small lockbox for money and she also mentioned digital payments but i dont know what shes planning for that.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Here are some practical considerations.

It has to be visible from far enough away for people to slow down and see: Oh, there's a roadside stand! Let's stop and see what they have!

If the speed on the road is 25 mph, it's easy. If cars are speeding by at 55-60, you'll want to put up a sign telling them your stand is just ahead. Like maybe 1/4 mile? At 60 mph, that's 15 seconds for them to see the sign, decide to stop, and slow down.

Some people (like me) want to pay cash. Some people don't do cash any more. For cash, you need to be able to make change. For cards, you have to have the card gizmo, or do it on your phone, or whatever. I don't pay that way, so I don't know anything about it.

Bright colors attract attention. Drab, dull colors don't. A pretty flag flapping in the breeze is eye catching.

Also... are there any regulations you need to consider?

Thank you! We do get some fast traffic despite it being a dirt road so I'll mention the signs/flag idea. My mother mentioned doing a digital option or cash. I'm not sure what her idea is for the digital though but she has a lockbox that she's thinking about attaching the structure.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Ooohhh, that’s all good to think about!! I was thinking an un-manned stand… maybe an honor system? We have a “honey hut” near us that has a lock box and goes merely off of people’s good will!
But the credit card thingy is a good idea! I wonder if you could maybe get one of those print out QR code things for a CashApp, Venmo, PayPal…. I hadn’t thought about using cards! And for cash, I was hoping to keep it in simple numbers (not $3.27, you know?!)

We live in a 55mph zone, so signs ahead would be very helpful!!

As far as restrictions, PRAISE THE LORD, we are not in the city limits (that’s ALL GOD!! Praising Him for that!)
So I don’t THINK there are any, but I wouldn’t even know where to look to check and be sure…

I'm also not 100% sure on our restrictions lol. I mean we live on the outskirts. I would think itd be okay for our plans as they are. However I would guess selling stuff like baked goods would be a no go without proper stuff. But I see people in our area selling eggs in road stands that are even closer to town so I think we should be okay. And its not like people are gonna eat wax melts, flowers or any crochet/sewn/diy items XD

 

[PhantomSlayer]

How far from your house will this be?

How many people drive by? Not to be so distrusting of my fellow human beings, but someday, someone might walk off with some of your merchandise. If you do the locked money box, chain it to something immoveable.

There is an honor system egg seller within a few miles of where I live. I have not heard of any problems, even with the cost of eggs going sky high. But this is on a dirt road, out in the country. Most of the people who drive by live out here and would not rip off their neighbors.

Maybe they have a video camera on their porch where the eggs are?

Its the iffy part right. While our neighbors are mostly trusted I told my mom "We need theft deterrents if were gonna do it because I dont trust everyone in our area". She wants to screw the lockbox to the structure and shes talking about seeing if we can get our old trail cam to work. I told her we should get security camera signs.

My brothers house which is closer to where the stand will be also has house cameras but I don't know if their viewing that area. Or even if their still working lol Once we finalize the idea in general I'll be asking him about the cameras.

 

[Sally PB]

Thank you! We do get some fast traffic despite it being a dirt road so I'll mention the signs/flag idea. My mother mentioned doing a digital option or cash. I'm not sure what her idea is for the digital though but she has a lockbox that she's thinking about attaching the structure.

Out here, people often sell small bundles of firewood. I saw a sign that said,
Firewood $5/bundle
Cash or Venmo

$5 bills are easy, and telling people your electronic method was a good idea too.

If you sell eggs for $3-4 a dozen, you may need to stock $1 bills for change....? If eggs are going to be a "main feature" item, put that in your sign, with the price.

"Oh, look! Someone is selling eggs! $3/dozen." Looks in wallet... only $5s or $20s... "I'll have to remember to bring ones tomorrow so I can buy some!"

Or, "Oh. Nobody's there. I don't have any ones." Drives off.

Electronic payment makes this a non-issue. You want to make it easy for people to buy from you.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Out here, people often sell small bundles of firewood. I saw a sign that said,
Firewood $5/bundle
Cash or Venmo

$5 bills are easy, and telling people your electronic method was a good idea too.

If you sell eggs for $3-4 a dozen, you may need to stock $1 bills for change....? If eggs are going to be a "main feature" item, put that in your sign, with the price.

"Oh, look! Someone is selling eggs! $3/dozen." Looks in wallet... only $5s or $20s... "I'll have to remember to bring ones tomorrow so I can buy some!"

Or, "Oh. Nobody's there. I don't have any ones." Drives off.

Electronic payment makes this a non-issue. You want to make it easy for people to buy from you.

I've seen eggs in our area $3-$5. I honestly calculated based on feed costs vs how many eggs we get (Very rough estimate). $3 is the minimum as it barely covers food costs if I sell every dozen we get. So I settled for $4 cause that wasn't including bedding.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

Its the iffy part right. While our neighbors are mostly trusted I told my mom "We need theft deterrents if were gonna do it because I dont trust everyone in our area". She wants to screw the lockbox to the structure and shes talking about seeing if we can get our old trail cam to work. I told her we should get security camera signs.

My brothers house which is closer to where the stand will be also has house cameras but I don't know if their viewing that area. Or even if their still working lol Once we finalize the idea in general I'll be asking him about the cameras.

I agree, Cameras and deterrents are a must!!
Also, what do you and @Sally PB think about doing a discount if people return their egg cartons? I reallllyyyy want them to return their egg cartons, 1.)because I don’t want to buy egg cartons, but 2.) because that means they are a returning customer!!
I would give them a cheaper rate for returning the carton, but I don’t know how to verify/give them the discount. Ideas?

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

Out here, people often sell small bundles of firewood. I saw a sign that said,
Firewood $5/bundle
Cash or Venmo

$5 bills are easy, and telling people your electronic method was a good idea too.

If you sell eggs for $3-4 a dozen, you may need to stock $1 bills for change....? If eggs are going to be a "main feature" item, put that in your sign, with the price.

"Oh, look! Someone is selling eggs! $3/dozen." Looks in wallet... only $5s or $20s... "I'll have to remember to bring ones tomorrow so I can buy some!"

Or, "Oh. Nobody's there. I don't have any ones." Drives off.

Electronic payment makes this a non-issue. You want to make it easy for people to buy from you.

YES! I love all those points, because I have been THAT person, who looks at all the reasons stopping would be a waste of time, and drives away. Proper signage would be great, and anyway of keeping things streamline would be really helpful!

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

How far from your house will this be?

How many people drive by? Not to be so distrusting of my fellow human beings, but someday, someone might walk off with some of your merchandise. If you do the locked money box, chain it to something immoveable.

There is an honor system egg seller within a few miles of where I live. I have not heard of any problems, even with the cost of eggs going sky high. But this is on a dirt road, out in the country. Most of the people who drive by live out here and would not rip off their neighbors.

Maybe they have a video camera on their porch where the eggs are?

How far from the house?

About 50 feet away MAYBE. Not on the porch, but totally within eyesight of the house… we don’t have a very long driveway!

How many people? Hundreds a day. I’m not kidding, it is THE main road through our town… we have to have a little median between us and the Highway because otherwise, our house would be ON the highway! But, at least we’re visible!

I would certainly want a FIXED lock box, that even we couldn’t remove, just unlock to collect. I’m talking screwed into the stand in 17 different ways lol.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

I've seen eggs in our area $3-$5. I honestly calculated based on feed costs vs how many eggs we get (Very rough estimate). $3 is the minimum as it barely covers food costs if I sell every dozen we get. So I settled for $4 cause that wasn't including bedding.

Also, how do you keep the washed eggs cool? I’m not sure where you are located, but here in AL, it gets HOT.