By Marci Creps
Changes have been made as the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market prepares for its second week using its online store, according to a press release from the City of Bloomington.
The online store opened Wednesday so that market customers could place orders for pickup on Saturday at Switchyard Park, 1601 S. Rogers St. The online market will accept only 325 orders, which it has already reached by Thursday.
During the first week of operation, the market received 500 orders totaling more than $33,000 in purchases. That caused distribution delays during the Saturday pickup. By reducing the number of orders, market organizers hope to improve efficiency of the drive-through process.
More staff and volunteers are also being added to managed traffic and improve delivery speed.
Distribution hours have also been increased with 60-minute time slots assigned by customer’s last initial. The schedule is:
A-B – 8:30-9:30 a.m.
C-F – 9:30-10:30 a.m.
G-K – 11 a.m.-noon
L-P – Noon-1 p.m.
Q-S – 1:30-2:30 p.m.
T-Z – 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Market organizers have also developed a new system of labeling vehicles as they arrive to improve efficiency as well as packing orders when customers arrive to maximize product freshness. That means customers should expect to wait for around 15 minutes upon arrival.
There will also be improved sanitation and social distancing to protect everyone at the market.
Anyone who wasn’t able to pick up orders this past Saturday due to traffic issues or those missing items from their order can contact [email protected] if there has not been an adjustment or refund.
The market will be offering the online version through April. Visit https://bloomington.in.gov/onlinefarmersmarket for more information on the next market.
