| From: | Harpreet Sandhu (harpreet.sandhu@mailbox.ca) |
| To: | Moncton Farmers' Market Association (info@monctonfarmersmarket.ca) |
| Subject: | Suggestion for Extended Winter Market Hours |
| Date: | February 17, 2024 |
Dear Moncton Farmers' Market Committee, I am writing to suggest that the Moncton Farmers' Market consider extending its operating hours during the winter months, specifically from January through March. As a regular customer for the past four years and a resident of the Riverview area, I have noticed that the current Saturday hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. make it difficult for many working families to attend. Many community members, including myself, work Saturday mornings or have children involved in weekend sports activities that conflict with the market's current schedule. I have spoken with at least a dozen other regular customers who have expressed similar concerns. Several have mentioned that they can only visit once or twice a month because of these time constraints, even though they would prefer to shop at the market weekly for fresh, locally sourced produce and artisan goods. I would like to propose extending the winter market hours until 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays. This change would allow people with midday commitments to visit in the afternoon and would likely increase vendor sales during what I understand is already a challenging season for local producers. Other farmers' markets in Atlantic Canada, including the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market, operate with extended hours year-round and report strong afternoon traffic. I recognize that this change would require additional staffing and possibly increased costs for vendors, but I believe the potential increase in customer traffic would offset these expenses. I would be happy to discuss this suggestion further or to help gather feedback from other market patrons if that would be useful. Thank you for considering this proposal. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Sincerely, | |
Read the reply email below and choose the best word or phrase for each blank from the options provided.
| From: | Dana Leblanc, Market Coordinator (dleblanc@monctonfarmersmarket.ca) |
| To: | Harpreet Sandhu (harpreet.sandhu@mailbox.ca) |
| Subject: | Re: Suggestion for Extended Winter Market Hours |
| Date: | February 21, 2024 |
Dear Harpreet, Thank you for your email and for your [Blank 1] patronage of the Moncton Farmers' Market over the past four years. We truly appreciate customers like you who take the time to share thoughtful suggestions that could benefit our community. Your proposal to extend our winter Saturday hours until 3:00 p.m. is certainly worth considering. We [Blank 2] that the current 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. schedule may not accommodate everyone's availability, particularly families with weekend commitments. The feedback you have gathered from other customers is valuable and aligns with comments we have received through our annual survey. We will bring your suggestion to our next vendor meeting scheduled for March 5th. Any change to operating hours would need to be [Blank 3] by our vendor members, as it would directly affect their schedules and costs. We will also need to assess the financial implications, including staffing and facility expenses, as you rightly mentioned. In the meantime, I encourage you to share any additional feedback from fellow customers. If you would be willing to help us [Blank 4] a brief survey to gauge interest in extended hours, that information would be extremely helpful in our decision-making process. We will [Blank 5] you informed of any developments following the March meeting. Thank you again for your engagement and support of local producers. Warm regards, | |
| Blank | Options |
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| Blank 1 | (A) continued (B) interrupted (C) occasional (D) reluctant |
| Blank 2 | (A) deny (B) reject (C) recognize (D) ignore |
| Blank 3 | (A) approved (B) dismissed (C) overlooked (D) delayed |
| Blank 4 | (A) abandon (B) distribute (C) discard (D) avoid |
| Blank 5 | (A) keep (B) leave (C) prevent (D) distract |