Ok, one last glance at the map, one quick bathroom break at a gas station, one more turn of the road, and finally, finally, you’re there! Are you early? Make the most of it! If you brought your camping stove or mini grill (if the grounds allow you to use that and a place for the hot coals!), you can whip out that bad boy and start a tailgate party! Pull out a couple chairs, lounge back, drum a little, whatever! :) Keep an eye on the clock though, because about a half hour before the gates open, you’ll want to pack back up to drive in and unload. You don’t want to be holding up everyone else ;)
While you’re waiting, dig out your photo id and your camping reservation. A sign-up sheet may also be visible for work duty. If you are early enough to snag a fun job, the work period can be a great way to meet others! It’s usually no more than a couple hours altogether, and it’s really helpful in keeping the self-sufficient festival running. Pssst! The tear-down job might offer you an extra night!
Remember that most festivals aren’t going to allow you to have your car parked right beside you. Some let you drive in to unload, others make you drag everything in bit by bit. If you know the situation ahead of time, you can be prepared by having something to make the trek a little easier. Those nifty luggage dollies you see the airline and legal folks pulling behind them are great; they fold up small and are surprisingly strong. My large cooler (similar pictured) has sand-capable wheels on it with a collapsing handle; I would need a second set of hands otherwise!
This thing is so cool, you can actually double it as a dollie! Just load up some stuff on top of the cooler, then strap some bungee cords over your load. Hey - when you're trying to make as few trips as possible, you're going to take EVERYTHING into consideration!
One of the reasons for being early or on-time is to scope out the best spot. That’s the first thing you’re going to want to consider. Are you a sun-worshipper or a tree hugger? Sunny spots are more central and away from bugs (but hot!); shady spots are more secluded and more in tune with Nature. The other thing is for you festival-going merchants; they usually have their own designated area.
The other reason is kind of a given: you want as many daylight hours to calmly set up camp. I can’t remember how many times I’ve had to set up in the dark! The “Fred Flintstone” grumbling my dad used to parody rings in my ears just thinking about it! Are you going to designate the major jobs, or is everyone chipping in equally? I’ve found that it works well either way, depending on the group. Once you are set up, you’re going to want to step back and admire your site. (And remember, your site would be even more admirable and picture-worthy if you string up a banner or something to designate your Coven or group!) Relax a while, pop back a cold one and wave at other campers as they start to meander throughout the grounds.
Depending on the festivities planned and at what time you’re all settled in, you may want to start getting lunch or dinner together - your first grand feast on a job well done! Food is such an inherent part of community; wars have been settled over a good meal and drink. Please refer to my Fine Dining in the Wilderness section for ideas on alternatives to hot dogs and beans!
So now that you’re all settled, you have a full belly and you’re finally starting to reap the rewards for all that driving and planning... now what? Well, if you’re at a festival, there’ll either be postings or a herald letting you know of the different activities you can participate in. Grab a pad and pencil and jot down what you’d like to do, it’s location and time. Otherwise, gather up your group and go for a quick hike through the little village that is popping up around you and meet your new neighbors. If you’re on a conventional vacation, stop by the visitor’s center and grab up some brochures. There’s plenty of valuable coupons you’ll want to snag there, as well!
NEW: Since we run a
record label now, we've joined the ranks of the festival vending scene. A few things we've learned and I'd like to share with you:
- NEVER vend alone - bring a buddy! Ron and I are successful, because there's at least two of us running the booth. This allows us to trade off watching the table while the other makes a dash to the privvies, gets some food, checks out a performance or presentation, plus it guarantees someone is always watching our stuff. Theft is fairly unlikely, especially at Pagan festivals, but don't assume everyone follows that code of ethics.
- always pick a spot AWAY from the major drumming areas and loud presentations, but close enough to be seen from those same areas. Most of what you're selling is YOU, not your products, so you need to be far enough away to be able to talk to your customers. Also, get an idea where the most amount of people are going to congregate to view the performance, and allow yourself a safe distance. People who drink a lot have a tendency to crash into whatever is near them, including your booth! Another great spot, if all the good ones are taken, is near the privvies. Everyone has to answer the call of nature at some point in time! Just be sure you're down-wind!
- set up your booth RIGHT AFTER you set up your tent, and you SHOULD ALWAYS get there early! Most of your selling will occur during the day, when people first get there, when the cash is burning a hole in their pockets. We've seen sooo many bands and other vendors lose out on sales, because they set up after the majority of people have already made the bulk of their purchases. We stay open until the last performance of the evening, or when it becomes obvious people are no longer interested in shopping with anyone (which is usually when it's pitch-black and people are starting to pass out just any ole place!)
- also, be aware sales will slump during major acts and presentations, but people will still wander, so always be on the ready. And for Gods' sakes, do not sit there looking bored! It gives the impression you're not having a good time and could care less about being there in the first place! If it's a major down-time, look busy and SMILE! Reading the paper or napping is not the impression you want to be sending out! If you need some time away because your ass is getting sore, your ears are starting to ring or you just want a good stretch, that's what your buddy is there for.
- this always happens to us, so I think this is a good time to mention this. Merchants need to eat just like everyone else, but please don't continue to munch while customers are present. If you snuck away to grab a sandwich and a customer showed up just as you were about to take a bite, go ahead and take that bite but put the food down. Say something funny like "Ack! Ya caught me!", tuck the food away and wipe your mouth. Just as napping and reading gives off an uninviting impression, so does chowing down, because you can't answer a question when you have food stuffed in your mouth! Sorry, but you'll just have to wait a little bit longer, because your job is to give the customer her undivided attention!
- have an ashtray and a garbage can next to your booth, and have some paper towels or a rag on hand. Smokers are constantly on the lookout to butt out their cigarettes, and if you have an ashtray, they just might make a double-take at your booth! Even if you're hugely against smoking, you're making an effort to prevent litter by providing an ashtray! When people shop, they need both hands, so they need to have a space to set down their drink. Having something to wipe down the condensation (and small spills) from their drink prevents your table from getting ruined, including the stuff on it. NOT offering this to people has them wander elsewhere, plus it can make it appear you're either highly judgmental or not the happiest of hosts of your rural abode.
- provide LOTS of light for people to shop! It gets awful dark at night, and it also attracts people to your booth over someone else's. A good idea is also to have a flashlight available for customer's use, allowing them to focus in on small details, since some people's night vision is just plain bad. This goes for indoor vending as well, because venues turn all the lights off, except for the stage itself. Be creative with the lighting, using scented candles, on top of lanterns and such, and have the lights facing AWAY from your customers as much as possible.
- when the sun sets, bugs love your lanterns. Try to keep them away from your merch as much as possible. We have a vending tent that we can hook the lantern on top, allowing the critters to fly merrily around abovehead (similar pictured), instead of flailing all over the table, making for a very uncomfortable visit at your station (not to mention, it's just plain gross!)
- speaking of merch tents, to HELL with the screened-in ones! They're a bitch to set up, and they keep more bugs in than out. Find one that works like the chairs (like scissors), and you'll only need one extra hand to get it up. They run anywhere from $40-100, so watch for a sale.
- remember that dew accumulates AT NIGHT as well as in the morning, whenever there's a drastic shift in temperature! This will affect any and all paper you have out, including books. The books we sell, we have them covered in plastic, except for the one on display (it's going to get flipped through a thousand times anyway). Large baggies will suffice if you don't have a shrink-wrapper. Also, any display cards and whatnot that you want to use again should be covered in plastic or a display card/tray.
- always have free stuff to give away, be it stickers or a bowl of chocolates, but make sure it has your logo on it. You're welcoming people to your "home" to shop, so be as hospitable as possible! :) I saw one lady having a tea party right there, selling her homemade brews, giving people a chance to chat while they browsed. Awesome idea!
- sell a variety of stuff, and be creative with your display. If you only have the same type of item, you'll quickly lose the buyer's interest. Also, if what you have is on the pricey side, count on many less sales. One woman was selling georgeous hand-made tomes for BoS use, but they were waaaay too expensive, starting at $50. She went home without selling a single item, because no one could afford what she was offering.
- wheel n' deal, but not until the last day. We sell CDs, usually for $10 a piece. On the last day, we're likely to flip to 3 for $20 deals, buy 2 get 1 free, that sort of thing. Just be sure you're not drastically cutting into your profit, and don't severely undercut other merchants - they're not your enemies! ;)
- get a credit card machine of some sort - you'll get more sales! We use an old-school swiper, because many places out in the boonies won't pick up a signal, even with our Treo! Just remember to turn in those slips promptly, so the buyer won't forget about that purchase and call the credit card company.
- think ahead of time about what is standard fare at merch booths. You can count on everyone selling candles and incense, so come up with something you always wished was available but never see! Trust me, when you bust out the unique items, you can count on selling a lot!
- if you're selling clothes of some sort, think critically for a second. Perhaps you're a svelte 20-something, but not everyone is. With shirts, the biggest seller size-wise is XL we've found, so stock up on that size. Also, be sure to have a couple XXL and XXXLs on hand as well (in the most popular styles, of course), as Pagans, like everyone else, come in all shapes and sizes. Also, think of unisex products, like beautiful wraps and jewelry.
- on that tangent, think what items a CAMPER needs, like stakes, natural sunblock and hygiene products - that sort of thing. Also, consider selling ice-cold, bottled water if it's really hot! (Just so you know, $8 a bottle is NOT a fair price!) And, every festival has potential for rain, so selling Pagan-y umbrellas and ponchos ain't such a bad idea! On that note, every festival has a potential to get REALLY cold at night, so having long-sleeve shirts, hoodies, skull caps and such, even in July, is a good idea!
- leave out a sign-in sheet for customers to receive emails from you, so they will hopefully visit your website and shop with you year-round. (You do have one, right?) We're creative by having a contest for a prize pack, consisting of a little bit of everything we have to offer. People love getting free stuff, and entering contests even more. Just be polite and don't spam the hell out of the people who signed up!
- finally, be prepared for people who just love to argue about anything, and will stir up shit if you disagree with them. Sometimes, I swear it just makes those jokers feel good to always be right! Be as neutral and as polite as possible, even if your customer is a drunken bastard that really needs to take a chill pill! Just smile and nod, and they'll eventually go away. Remember what mom always said about not saying anything? She really was right! If you really wanted to make an effort, find one thing on their person you truly do like and say so. It will deflect their angst into a topic they're happy to go into detail about, and you just might win them over on a sale! (It's happened to me a number of times!) Also, NEVER talk shit about someone at the festival, because it WILL get back to them eventually!
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