Self-service markets that work

Photography and reading about something that can only happen in the closest-to-utopia community I’ve ever known.

We are in the French-speaking canton of Vaud, Switzerland. And in this story from the fall of 2021…

Dennett was surprised that many markets around here leave stuff unattended, such that people take goods freely and pay by depositing notes and coins into a box or directly through an app in their phones.

Most of the time, these are small grocery stores selling goods produced on farms: fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk products, flowers, honey, and the like.

It turns out it’s not just one producer here and one over there. There are plenty of them in the countryside. Come with me on a ride and get to know some examples of these self-service markets, which work because there is honesty and trust -as simple as that.

Buying from local stores not only helps their economy directly but also most often entails products of higher quality, just like when you produce your own veggies in your garden:

In this new article, I share with you some of the many other free-service shops. Because the one in the above story was just one of many!

With a lake as the setting

With a stunning view of the valley and a lake, in this free market, you can get some cheese produced right on that farm:

Can you recognize that lake in this story?

In a big farmhouse

Here’s a quite big one, right in the room of a farm -and my mountain bike in the first plane:

In this farm, they sell many things, just as indicated in the chariot that welcomes you outside:

Two special shops along a quiet water stream

Next to this quiet water stream, these people are selling jams and other products:

Also, along the same stream, another family recycles threads to minimize waste. They craft towels, soap pockets, handkerchiefs, caps, bread bags, trash caps, shoes and cloths for babies, etc. that you can buy right there:

Honey and flowers

This family produces honey; they sell this produce and also the primary material for it, flowers:

As you see, you can pay with coins/notes, through an online system, and even with your debit card!

Here’s part of the flower-rich garden:

Next to a centuries-old abbey

This one is in the very center of a medieval town built around an old abbey:

And a weird truck with book-brick walls just happened to be parking there this day:

If you are curious about the abbey-turned-town, that’s Romainmotier from this other story:

Here I bought some liquid yogurt right during the biking outing I did specifically to prepare this story:

Here taking the yogurt and paying:

You can see they also have some local kinds of cheese. They in fact had several other stuff:

Cheers as I drink my yogurt and keep riding!

Why these free-service markets work

Just like they take care of all public buildings, artwork, and infrastructure for entertainment, sports and recreation:

The Swiss have this thing that surprises you. Kindness, tradition, honesty, tolerance and openness, all at the same time. With such attributes on sellers and buyers, the thing just works out.

www.lucianoabriata.com I write and photoshoot about everything that lies in my broad sphere of interests: nature, science, technology, programming, etc. Become a Medium member to access all its stories (affiliate links of the platform for which I get small revenues without cost to you) and subscribe to get my new stories by email. To consult about small jobs check my services page here. You can contact me here.