It operates in San José under a unique self-service system in which trust between customer and seller is key. Your browser does not support iframes. “Deposit your money here. Thank you for your purchase. Thank you for your 'Honesty.'” The message, painted on a sign inside a fruit and vegetable kiosk on Route 11 at the Ecilda Paullier exit in San José, sets a buying and selling standard that is probably unique in Uruguay, or at least very particular.
The "Honesty" stand operates on a self-service basis. Customers who go to the stand find a selection of organic fruits and vegetables packed in nylon bags. Each bag bears a label indicating the product name and price. Customers choose what they want, then calculate how much they owe based on what they take and deposit the money into a piggy bank secured with two padlocks. No salesperson intervenes in the process.
Washington César Neto is the founding owner of the business that has been operating for a year and four months. The 35-year-old man, originally from Rocha but based in San José, began working in a field as a laborer and in December 2015, on an unused piece of land within the property, he began to grow zucchini. The stand sells only organic fruits, vegetables and eggs.
D. Battiste
Also, some lemon trees in a garden at the back of her boss's house began to produce more fruit than the store could consume. Even more than they could give away to some neighbors, as they usually did. The first idea was to sell the merchandise to local supermarkets and greengrocers, but production exceeded Ecilda Paullier's demand, and an acquaintance suggested opening a stand that "served itself," because he had seen it work in other parts of the world.
With some wood and a sign that identified the place as a fruit and vegetable stand, Neto set up a humble kiosk where he sold organic zucchini, lemons and eggs. The idea, which at first seemed destined to fail, caught on with the local residents and during December the business continued successfully and sold out the harvest.
“With each new sale, I became more and more excited because people responded well. That's when I realized it was worth producing more,” Neto told El Observador. It was at that moment that his cousin, Edgardo Velásquez, joined the project, and they began planting other varieties: chard, beets, bell peppers, squash, arugula, basil, spinach, tomatoes, grapefruits, plums, melons, grapes, and more. All organic because, according to Neto, it's something customers asked for, and he decided to respect it as part of the trust on which his business is based.
More than clients, friends
In Honestidad, $200 can buy a bunch of chard, a kilo of tomatoes, a bunch of arugula, half a dozen eggs, a melon, a bunch of basil and half a zucchini. In a supermarket in Montevideo, with the same amount of money, you can only buy a bunch of chard, a kilo of tomatoes and half a dozen eggs.
“My intention with these prices is for people to take the merchandise and not compare it by price. The ideal is to sell in abundance, so that instead of selling a bunch of chard for $40, we can sell 10 for $20,” Neto explained. He added, “I want to help a little. There are people who feel honesty is a help; families who need those prices.” The kiosk sells between $500 and $700 worth of merchandise daily.
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In “Honesty” the consumer deposits the money into a piggy bank.
D. Battiste
Naturally, Honestidad hasn't been free of theft and abuse by some customers, although Neto assured that there have been "very few unpleasant experiences." Once, the piggy bank where people usually deposit their shopping money was broken. On another occasion, one winter night, a group of criminals took over the entire stand. "They even stole the torn flags; that was an act of malice, not necessity, which is why some neighbors tend to take things," the producer recalled.
The most common thefts are those in which a customer carries more products than they pay for. Neto isn't usually concerned about these situations. "The responsibility falls on the person stealing, not on us. We try not to let it affect us, because we have to get up the next day to continue working. If we leave three melons, someone thinks it's okay to pay for one and take all three—that's the life of that person," he said. And he added, laughing, "When we have a bad time, we try to plant two more plants to recover."
“When we have a bad time, we try to plant two more plants to recover.”
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'Honesty' in the world
In several European countries, especially in England and the United States, there is a system of fruit and vegetable harvesting that works on a method similar to that of Honesty. This procedure turns consumers of fruit and vegetables not only into customers but also into day laborers.
Every day, people are allowed access to orchards, farms and greenhouses where producers grow different fruits and vegetables organically. There, visitors walk around and harvest the products they want and put them in a basket. At the entrance there are signs indicating the prices and at the end of their tour, people leave the money for what they take.
News: elobservador
Video: elobservadot tv
