Farmer's Market Game Review

Farmer’s Market Game Background

Farmer’s Market is a simulation game where you buy and sell produce each day with the goal of producing as much profit as possible. This game is patterned after the sort of tycoon games, though with many unique features.

How to Play Farmer’s Market

Press the blue and white START button on the welcome screen.

On the daily welcome screen players can tap on the GO TO MARKET button to purchase produce. Initially you can store 2 produce types in your stall, with the number increasing after upgrades. Other produce can remain stored in your inventory.

After purchasing produce, press the green and white BACK button in the lower left corner. Then select each of the produce you wish to place in your stand slots by dragging them to the right side of the screen. Next press the blue and white START DAY button in the lower right corner of the screen.

Throughout each day you can select the buttons near each produce type to raise or lower your prices on each.

The upper left corner of the screen shows the current time and how much money you have made.

The upper right corner has a speed button which allows you to switch between playing at 1x, 2x, and 5x. The lower right corner shows your aggregate customer stats for the day.

Basic Gameplay Advice

Produce Choices

You can select to buy banana, apple, grape, orange, strawberry, lettuce, potato, onion, carrot, corn, bell pepper, and eggplant. Initially you can store 2 produce types in your stall, with the number increasing after upgrades. Other produce can remain stored in your inventory even if you do not have stall space to sell it that day.

Arrow indicators show which produce is generally in favor or out of favor that particular day. Green up arrows indicate a positive trend, red down arrows indicate a negative trend, and flat white bars indicate a market more in equilibrium.

Day Types

Before each day players are shown what the next day type will be.

• Bargain Day – Customers are looking for deals. Lower prices sell faster.
• Normal Day – A typical day at the market, steady and calm.
• Crowded Day – Lots of customers are visiting. Expect more sales!
• Spending Spree Day – People are buying more than usual. Profits can rise!
• Festival Day – Special event! The market is lively with visitors and excitement.
• Lucky Rush Day – A rare day! Almost everyone wants to buy from your stand.

Stall Upgrades

Initially you can sell two produce types at a time. You can upgrade the stall and sell more produce types at once, with a larger attraction appeal from a larger stand with a higher sales bonus for offering more goods for sale at the same time.

Completing the Game

Players play through a total of 30 days. If the player wants to quit early they can press the CLOSE STALL button in the lower left corner of the screen to end the game early.

The goal of the game is to earn as much profit as possible while building a solid reputation.

The game end screen shows days played, reputation (out of a maximum of 1,000), stock value, total expenses, total income, and net profit or loss. Additionally, the game breaks down the number of prospective customers encountered along with those who were unhappy, those who complained about pricing, those who were happy, and those who were ecstatic. The welcome screen also shows the peak earned in a single day.

Advanced Playing Tips & Strategy

Stall Upgrades

Try to upgrade the stall when you can afford to so that you can activate the sales bonus feature from selling many items at once.

You always want to sell the maximum number of types of produce possible so that you take advantage of the earnings bonus that offers, even if doing so means your sales are somewhat unbalanced and are focused more on 1 or 2 produce types.

Pricing Strategy

On bargain days you may want to sell at cost or close to cost and just earn off of any sales bonus. On normal days you can sell at around a 7% to 9% premium to purchase price and keep buyers happy.

On days which are crowded you can boost the sales prices up to around 39% above purchase price. Spending Spree Day, Festival Day, and Lucky Rush Day allow even higher profit margins.

As your reputation builds you can lean a bit harder into pricing.

If your pricing is reasonable and foot traffic is normal you can typically sell around 100 of each type of produce each day. If foot traffic is high you may want to stock higher quantities of goods to ensure you last the entire day, as you will get angry customers if you are all sold out before they get to you.

Produce Selection

When you start off the game with limited cashflow you should pick cheaper produce so that you can afford to buy in quantity and hopefully have it last throughout the day.

You typically want to figure out your produce selection so that it consumes almost all of your outstanding money, provided there is not another stall upgrade just within reach. The more money that is spent on produce each round leads to higher potential returns as your pricing is as a percent above cost mark up.

As you gain more cash eventually you can have more savings than you can adequately put into play on that round. If no stall upgrades are affordable you can also buy produce that is out of favor to have it in stock for the next round, as produce does not rot in this game (with the game instead offering a bonus for offering a diversity of goods for sale).

Educational Aspects

This game can be used both to help people realize the value of food, along with promoting healthy eating habits. Players learn how to adjust to changing consumer demands.

Player Age Recommendations

This game is fun for players of all ages.