The Psychology Of The Honor System At The Farm Stand
Swanton’s customers and other farm stand customers like paying through the honor system, but why?
In a state full of tasty surprises, count the Swanton Berry Farm, along the coast highway just north of Santa Cruz, California, among the most charming. At this pick-your-own, certified-organic berry field and farm stand cafe on the planted bluffs above a tumbling surf, you can pick or picnic with ocean views — and, if you’re lucky, catch a glimpse of a grey whale and her calf migrating north from Baja. Locals bring out-of-town guests to Swanton’s to swoon over the juicy organic strawberries or blackberries on buttery shortcake, or the scones slathered with tartly sweet, small-batch strawberry-citrus jam.
But what customers seem to love at least as much as the expansive views and good food is Swanton’s old-style method of payment: Step up to the unmanned counter whenever you’re ready, figure out what you owe (scratch paper provided), and stuff the cash through a slot in the honor box. Swanton founder Jim Cochran says his stand has thrived for years on the honor payment system, a style of business he first admired as a college student at his favorite bakery in Santa Cruz decades ago.
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Jerry Roberts
I use to bartend at a place called River Road Tavern in Piscataway NJ and we worked on the honor system.
Customers when they were finished would remind us what they had and we would add it up and collect the money.Of course beers were only 25 cents and sandwich $1.50 then.
June 11, 2012 at 10:00 am