Hello Karen & All,
I sell most my honey through a retail market so will comment. There are not
set rules when selling retail.
There are factors to consider.

1. Forget what honey is selling for in stores and figure what you have
invested in your product and price accordingly.

1.a If another beekeeper is selling local honey at the same event you are
selling at or from a store your customers frequent you may be forced to
price close to their prices to move your honey. Most times if you ask the
beekeeper he/she will agree to similar pricing

2. If you have a limited supply of honey you need to concentrate on smaller
sizes. If you have barrels to move (in my case) then you want to get as much
of the twenty dollar bill the customer has pulled out to spend. The 12 oz.
bear is the smallest size I sell. If I sold a 8 oz. bear then  those would
most likely be my best seller instead of the 12 oz. In today's environment
people seem to be buying the lowest priced jar on the shelf.

3. To increase amount of honey sales eliminate the smaller sizes ( if you
have the honey to
sell)  and you will see the end of day money amount increase.

3.a. Which also will make people use the honey faster which increases the
customers honey use *in my opinion*. A one or two ounce bottle is not enough
honey to get a repeat customer in most cases.

3 b. Move away from the glass queenline jars and go to a plastic squeeze
queenline and find a lid which will let the jar sit upside down without
leaking.  Many of the snap lids will sit upside down without leaking and are
priced under  those which are double the price. I have found the snap lids
from drapers & betterbeee will sit upside down and not leak.
People will use a higher amount of honey from a squeeze jar which will sit
upside
down  Mothers are not afraid to put the squeeze jar for a child to use. A
small child with a glass queenline jar and a knife can cause spills.
GLASS queenline looks better on the shelf and for display in honey shows but
what you are trying to accomplish ( at least I am) is repeat customers
through increased honey use.

I once drew silence at a National Honey board event when i was asked what I
thought was the single best thing which has improved my sales of local
honey. I think many times they ask me knowing my answer will many times
shock people.

I replied Large packers!

I explained because even though large packers try to get the color right on
their product the taste can very greatly from batch to batch. Color can be
made close but when semi loads are arriving daily from all parts of the U.S.
flavor changes ( let alone from overseas)


Customers want the same great "Clover" or Missouri "Wildflower" taste with
each jar. My customers are very observant and when the "Clover' honey has
some wildflower mixed in they know and  tell me on their next visit.  I try
very hard to collect as close to a pure clover honey as possible. A
wildflower honey *after* the clover has stopped blooming.

I was pressured from off list to comment. Many might not agree with my
opinion above but take one or two of my methods from above and try for
awhile you might be surprised.

bob

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Access BEE-L directly at:
http://community.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-LSOFTDONATIONS.exe?A0=BEE-L