Those of you, who are following my posts know I like to attend different fairs and always taking photos so I can show you what I've seen. A lot of people don't have the privilege I have, plus tradition is different everywhere, so it's good to see what other countries are offering to their citizens and foreigners as well, as we have a lot of tourists during summer.
A couple of decades ago, when these fairs started to get more exposure and we got quite a few during the summer, I remember coming home with a good few products. We went to these fairs to look around, without a clear intention to buy anything, but once we were there, temptation won and we bought a few things. It was never a waste of money, or a hasty, impulse buying, we're not the type, but it felt good to come home with a little something, let it be edible or a souvenir.
These days I go to these fairs and know before I get there, that I'm not going to buy anything. Not because there's nothing I'd like, but because most things are overpriced and not worth buying. The value you get for your money just not worth it.
The good thing is, the municipality is selecting the vendors, limits them in a way so we get a couple of vendors of each type and quality is important too. You don't see people selling cheap Chinese garbage and handmade, limited series, craft products you don't see everywhere are available.
However, this comes at a price. The municipality says they are protecting crafters, local producers, giving them the opportunity to sell their products, but the rent for such spaces is so high not everyone can afford it. Those costs are transferred to the buyers, obviously, but they need to take into consideration that they may not make a profit, or won't even cover costs.
These lovely brandy bottles are always available at almost every fair. The variety is absolutely amazing, you stop in front of the stall, even if you're not drinking, but when you see the price, you move on as quickly as you can.
Last year I bought two bottles, because I wanted to send one to the UK. Customs said hell no, I can't send liquids, so the lovely peach and pear brandy ended up as a gift for someone else from Germany.
If you look at the bottle and label, you see they made an investment in design and costed them money. The result looks great, a gift like that won't bring shame on you for sure, but would you buy it for yourself? I don't think so as you can get the same quality cheaper, if you know where to look for it. After all, you drink the liquid inside and not the bottle.
The artisan chocolate photo is from 2018, the gingerbread is from 2021. I can assure you, those products cost double at least now, if not more.
As an adult, you know your capabilities, you have your budget and if you overspend, you know the consequences. Things are not so simple when you have kids though.
Last year I saw a young mother with three kids entering the market. What do you think the kids did? As soon as they saw the gingerbread stall, they ran over there and started to choose which one they liked. Poor mommy tried to reason with them, saying "we discussed this at home, that we won't buy sweats", but good luck with that as one was screaming louder than the other. I don't know what she did as I preferred to walk away, to not see how she dealt with the difficult situation.
Inflation is getting worse and worse, energy costs are going up due to drought and the Iran war, purchasing power is weaker and weaker and so on. It's simple math, not rocket science, you can guess the end result of this game.
Most are just window shopping these days and the number of those who are buying is less and less. I'm glad I'm not in their shoes as it's painful to see sales decreasing.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
