Market Jitters

Someone told me children are no longer allowed to sell fruit and veges from the garden outside their house. I couldn’t believe it – that would be just ludicrous. Then I thought how tough the authorities are starting to get on stall owners who sell food at Farmer’s Markets and began to think, “Oh, no… it can’t be true.” What is the situation?

Rumours that children wouldn’t be allowed to set up stalls to sell fruit and veges at their front gate have been prominent since the new Food Bill was introduced into Parliament. Those rumours went even further, saying that neighbours wouldn’t be allowed to barter fruit and veges over the fence. The fact is that the proposed new legislation, which replaces The Food Act 1981, excludes “food grown at home for personal or family use”.

So, no need to worry – and bartering with the neighbour is fine as well. As long as the family isn’t using the “kids’ stall” as permanent income, which I doubt any are, our children will continue to be allowed to make a few dollars selling the fruit and veges the family don’t need. And lemon drinks and horse poo, etc! I think it’s wonderful that children get to earn money this way. It’s the first experience most have of selling to the public and teaches children the value of a dollar. It’s also great for the consumer. I recently bought a big, healthy cucumber from a kids’ stall for just a dollar – and I won’t have to remove any clingfilm!

The waiting game

I am an “at-home” mum, but have started supplementing my income doing writing work for various businesses. I’ve been unpleasantly surprised at how long most of these firms take to pay me. How long should I have to wait for payment after forwarding an invoice, and can I add on a penalty payment if my bill is not paid within a reasonable period of time?

Welcome to what seems the commercial reality of not paying until it’s absolutely necessary. Unfortunately slow payment begins a chain reaction among businesses. You don’t get your money so you can’t pay your bills on time either. It’s a scourge and must have a drag on the entire country’s economy, but I can’t see it changing. I think you should be entitled to expect payment within a month of sending your invoice. You may have to extend that a week or two with some big businesses, which have a pay run on one day a month for contractors. It will depend on what day they get your invoice. Make sure they specify a date by which you can expect payment, and that can be as short as seven working days. You may wish to threaten a penalty payment, but I wouldn’t. It is important to value the relationship between clients, and threats don’t sit well with that. A phone call or email is a much better idea, and more likely to elicit positive action.

Do you have a consumer question for Kevin? Email consumer@nzww.co.nz, or post to Weekly Consumer, PO Box 90119, Victoria St West, Auckland 1142