A farmers market packing checklist for vendors

The checklist

Tick items as they go in the van. Copy it to your phone or print it; nothing to sign up for.

Night before, then loading order

1. Night before: charge the card reader, phone and battery pack. Count the cash float. Check the forecast and the market’s arrival time.
2. Load last-out first: tent, weights and tables go in so they come out first at the stall.
3. Then display and signs, so the stall is set before products leave the van.
4. Products last, protected from heat and rain, with the fragile ones on top.
5. Payments and paperwork ride with you, not in the back.

Equipment is a list. Products are a number.

Most of this checklist stays the same every week. The product line does not: how many of each thing to bring changes by market, season and weather. That is a separate decision, best made from your own records. Decide how many products to bring.

StallSmart’s in-app checklist covers the products on your Bring List, with quantities from your sales history. It does not manage the booth supplies above; this page is editorial advice. See the phone-friendly product checklist, or use your sales records.

Further reading

Extension services and market associations publish their own checklists, often with region-specific rules:

• Penn State Extension: Farmers Market Checklist
• Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets: Vendor checklist for outdoor market season

Listed for reference. These organizations do not endorse StallSmart.