A good product is only part of the job.

You may be an excellent grower, farmer, baker or artisan. That does not automatically make people want to buy from you. Customers also notice how you greet them, whether you listen, how confidently you answer questions and how easy you make the purchase.

Being proud of your product is a starting point. You still have to earn the sale. If you ignore people, stare at your phone, arrive unprepared or make buying hard work, the quality of your food may never get a chance to speak for itself.

1. Be ready before the first customer arrives

Opening time is when you begin serving. Your display, prices, payment system and team should already be ready. Customers should not be watching you search for change, unpack stock or work out where the card machine has gone.

Arrive with enough time for the whole setup, including the small jobs that are easy to forget. Allow for weather, traffic, equipment checks and the walk from your vehicle. Give yourself a few settled minutes to look at the stall, brief the team and be ready to welcome people.

• Have products displayed, prices visible and spare stock organised.
• Set up required food safety facilities before food handling begins.
• Test the payment terminal and connection; have charging and backup arrangements ready.
• Put approved bags, packaging, tongs, labels and change within easy reach.
• Confirm who is serving, packing, taking payment and covering breaks.

A rushed, irritated start is something customers can feel. Preparation gives you more attention to spend on them.

2. Present yourself as someone customers can approach

Wear clean, practical clothing and a clean apron where appropriate. Keep hair, hands and personal presentation suitable for working around food. Customers should be able to recognise the people serving and see their faces clearly.

A smile, a greeting and an interested expression make a difference. Face the customer area, look up regularly and leave a clear place where people can approach. If you need to sit, arrange the seat so you remain visible and engaged.

Eating over the counter, turning your back on waiting customers, leaning into a private conversation or complaining loudly about the morning all send a message. Consider whether it is the message you want attached to your business.

Keep disagreements, gossip and criticism of other businesses away from customers. Your behaviour contributes to the atmosphere of the whole market.

3. Put the personal phone away

If a customer is standing in front of you while you scroll, you are showing them what has your attention. Do not expect them to interrupt your screen to give you money.

Personal messages, social media and videos belong in a break, away from service. The same applies to headphones and earbuds that prevent you noticing people or hearing their questions.

A phone used for payments, orders or genuine business tasks has a purpose. Make that clear: “I’m just bringing up your total.” Complete the task and return your attention to the person. If an urgent call is unavoidable, arrange cover and step away.

Follow the Food Safety guidance when moving between phones, payments and food handling. A busy phone is not a reason to compromise hygiene.

4. Acknowledge people, even when you are busy

People can usually see that you are serving someone. What they cannot tell is whether you have noticed them. A brief acknowledgement makes the situation clear.

Give the customer you are serving your attention, then acknowledge the next person at a natural pause. Keep track of who arrived first. Regular customers should feel welcome without being allowed to jump ahead of someone who has been waiting.

Keep personal catch-ups brief when others need service. A newcomer should not feel they have walked into a private club.

5. Make people welcome without pressuring them

Greet people naturally and give them room to look. You can offer a useful opening without launching into a sales speech: “These are particularly good for roasting,” or “Let me know if you would like to compare the two.”

Listen to the response. Some people want advice; others want to browse quietly. Respect a declined tasting or a decision not to buy. Avoid following people along the counter, repeatedly asking for a sale or making them feel guilty for walking away.

Use plain language, speak clearly and allow people time. Keep space for mobility aids, prams and shopping bags. Offer assistance respectfully and ask before taking over. Treat a small purchase with the same courtesy as a large one.

6. Know what you are selling

Buying directly from a producer should give customers access to useful knowledge. Every person on your stall needs enough information to answer everyday questions accurately.

• What is the product, and what makes the varieties different?
• Where was it grown or made, and who grew or made it?
• What are the ingredients and declared allergens?
• How should it be stored, prepared or served?
• What size or quantity suits the customer’s needs?
• What is the normal price, the members price and the unit being sold?
• What is available today, what has sold out and what can be suggested instead?

Keep current product information available to the team. Update it when ingredients, suppliers, recipes or prices change. Do not leave a new employee to invent an answer because the owner is busy.

Never guess about allergens or dietary suitability

“I think it’s fine” is not an adequate answer to an allergy question. Check the current information and ask the responsible person. If you cannot verify suitability, say so clearly. Do not promise that a product is allergen-free or suitable for someone’s medical needs without a sound basis.

Required allergen information for food that does not need a label must be displayed with the food or available on request. See the Food Labelling and Food Safety resources for the detailed requirements.

FSANZ allergen information requirements.

7. Help customers choose

Ask one useful question before recommending something: “What are you cooking?” “How many people are you feeding?” or “Do you prefer a milder flavour?” Then suggest a product that fits.

Explain value in practical terms: portion size, preparation, flavour, freshness or the work involved. If someone asks about the price, answer calmly. They may be deciding what fits their budget. A defensive lecture is unlikely to make that easier.

Suggest an additional item when it is relevant, and let the customer decide. Be honest when a smaller quantity or a different product will suit them better.

If something has sold out, help with an alternative or accurate information about its likely return. Do not promise next week’s stock unless you can reasonably stand behind the promise.

8. Organise the stall so good service is possible

Your layout should help the team move through choosing, weighing or portioning, packing, payment and collection. If staff constantly cross over each other, search for supplies or ask customers to move their purchases, review the arrangement.

Give commonly used items a consistent place. Keep a clear payment area and somewhere to put a completed order. Put spare packaging close enough to replenish promptly, without crowding the counter.

When two people are working, agree on their roles. One might advise and pack while the other takes payment. At a different stall, each might serve a customer from start to finish. Choose the arrangement that works for your products and food safety controls.

Before handing over, confirm whose order it is, what remains to be done and whether payment has been taken. Customers should not have to explain the same order three times.

9. Staff for the demand you actually have

If you regularly lose track of orders, cannot answer questions or leave people waiting while you prepare food, look at staffing as well as layout. The fact that one person can physically stand behind the counter does not mean one person can provide the service the stall needs.

Observe the busiest periods. Note when queues build, what takes time and whether customers leave before being served. Use that information when planning paid staffing and rosters. A second person during the peak may be more useful than extra help only when it is quiet.

Plan for breaks, late arrivals and absence. Everyone covering the counter needs product knowledge, payment training and a clear understanding of your standards. Being a friend or family member does not automatically prepare someone to represent the business.

10. Manage your queue

Make it clear where to order, pay and collect. Keep waiting customers within your allocated space and manage the queue so it does not block the aisle or another stall.

Be realistic about delays, particularly for prepared food. Tell people before they pay if an order will take time. If the delay changes, update them. Avoid promising “two minutes” simply to keep someone in the queue.

Keep an eye on the people still waiting as well as the order in your hands. A polite acknowledgement, an accurate update and a clear collection process are part of the service.

11. Make payment straightforward

Customers should know how they can pay before reaching the end of the transaction. Offer practical payment options for your customers and make any limitations clear. If you accept cash, organise a float and change. If you accept cards, test the terminal, connection and charging arrangements before opening.

Brief the team on the options you actually support: cash, debit or credit cards, contactless and compatible phone payments. Make it easy to obtain a receipt. A payment system only helps if everyone using it knows what to do.

Keep the terminal accessible so the customer can see and confirm the amount. Check that payment has succeeded before saying the transaction is complete. If it fails, explain calmly, confirm whether anything was charged and agree on the next step.

Have a workable plan for a flat battery, poor signal or equipment failure, consistent with your payment provider’s instructions. Do not put customers in the position of guessing whether they have paid twice.

Know the member pricing

Show the normal price with the members price underneath. The members price is 10% off the normal price, calculated as normal price × 0.90. Check the customer’s current physical membership card or authourised sticker from the information stand. Photographs of cards on phones are not authorised. Apply the correct price consistently and brief every person taking payment.

12. Make tastings part of the conversation

A tasting should help someone understand the product. Identify what they are trying, give a short useful explanation and have the corresponding product and price close by.

Respect allergies, dietary needs and a customer’s choice to decline. Use the required protected sampling setup and compostable service items. Keep used utensils separate and follow the market’s food safety and offsite waste requirements.

Do not let an unattended tasting station become the substitute for a person who is willing to engage.

13. Deal with problems without becoming defensive

Let the customer finish explaining. Ask what happened, check the product and relevant details, and involve someone with authority to resolve it. Avoid arguing across the counter or blaming the customer before you understand the issue.

Give a clear next step. If you need to investigate, agree how and when you will respond, record the details appropriately and follow through. A reported safety or allergen problem needs prompt action under your food safety procedures.

Consumer guarantees still apply at a market. Do not use blanket “no refunds” statements or suggest that a handwritten stall policy removes a customer’s legal rights. The appropriate remedy depends on the problem.

ACCC consumer guarantees and remedies for problems with products.

Courtesy does not require staff to accept threats or abuse. Stay calm, seek market assistance where needed and follow the relevant incident procedures.

14. Give the last customer the same attention as the first

Keep the stall welcoming through to closing time. Replenish, consolidate the display and keep the team engaged. A customer arriving near the end should not have to compete with packing, a private conversation or an obvious wish to leave.

Thank people for their purchase, confirm any useful storage or preparation advice and make the handover easy. “Thank you, enjoy your Sunday” is a better final impression than immediately looking back at your phone.

15. Check what customers experience

Ask someone you trust to approach as a new customer and give honest feedback. Were they acknowledged? Could they get a clear answer? Was paying easy? Did they feel welcome even when they were only browsing?

After trading, spend a few minutes with the team on what worked, where service slowed and what to change. Look for patterns rather than blaming one busy moment. Repeat problems need a change in preparation, training, staffing or layout.

16. Hire people with the attitude to learn

The person you put behind the counter represents your business. Choose someone who takes that responsibility seriously. Product knowledge, packing routines and payment skills can be taught. Look for the willingness to learn them, along with reliability, care and an interest in helping people.

A useful service attitude shows in behaviour: listening properly, asking when unsure, noticing a waiting person, responding constructively to feedback and taking responsibility for a mistake. Assess those behaviours rather than assuming that a confident interview or a long list of jobs guarantees good service.

Describe the actual job before you recruit

Be clear about Sunday availability, the real start time, setup and pack-up duties, outdoor weather where relevant, food handling, customer contact and the work involved. State the training you will provide and explain the pay and employment arrangements accurately. A vague promise of “a bit of help on Sundays” is not a useful job description.

Ask suitable contacts for referrals and use appropriate community, employment or local training networks. A recommendation is a starting point; still assess the person against the requirements of the role.

Look for evidence, not just “I’m a people person”

• Reliability: can they consistently meet the roster and communicate promptly if something goes wrong?
• Attention: do they listen, check instructions and notice what needs doing?
• Courtesy: can they acknowledge someone warmly and remain respectful under pressure?
• Honesty: will they say “I’ll check” instead of inventing a product or allergen answer?
• Willingness to learn: can they take feedback, practise and improve?
• Teamwork: can they hand over an order clearly and help a colleague without losing track of their own task?

Assess relevant skills and behaviours fairly. Warm, attentive service can be delivered in different ways. Keep recruitment focused on genuine job requirements and comply with protections against discrimination.

Fair Work: protections for employees and prospective employees.

Ask practical interview questions

• “A customer arrives while you are finishing another order. What would you do?”
• “Someone asks whether a product is safe for their allergy and you are not certain. How would you respond?”
• “Tell me about something you had to learn quickly. How did you check you were doing it correctly?”
• “What would you do if the payment terminal failed during a busy period?”
• “Can you reliably meet this Sunday roster, including the stated start time?”

Use the same core questions for candidates. Give a short product explanation and ask them to explain it back in their own words. Notice whether they listen, retain the important facts and ask sensible questions. Check references with the candidate’s permission, focusing on relevant work behaviour.

Give them a proper paid start

Confirm the applicable award or agreement, classification, pay and any relevant penalty rates or loadings before work starts. Explain the roster, duties and reporting arrangements. Fair Work’s hiring guidance is a useful starting point.

Budget for paid induction and a supervised start. Do not use a normal working market shift as free labour under the name of a “trial”. Unpaid skills demonstrations have limited conditions; check Fair Work guidance rather than assuming an unpaid shift is permitted.

Fair Work: hiring employees and unpaid work and skills demonstrations.

Teach the job, then coach the person

Before their first service period, show them the products, prices, membership process, allergen information, food safety routines, payment system and workflow. Explain your phone expectations, greeting, queue management and who can authorise a remedy or answer a difficult question.

Demonstrate a task, let them practise with support, then check understanding. Give specific feedback: “Acknowledge the next customer before starting that packing job” is more useful than “Be better with people.” Recognise improvement and answer questions without making someone feel foolish for checking.

Review the first few shifts together. Ask what they are confident doing, what they still need help with and what you could organise better. Expect standards, provide training and follow through. Hiring someone with a good attitude only works if you give them a clear job and the support to learn it.