The Bloomington Community Farmers' Market is adjusting its operations after it opened April 4 by limiting online orders and extending pickup hours, according to a press release from the city.
The market went online to give people the ability to continue to buy and sell products while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. In its first week, customers placed 500 orders within 22 hours, leading to delays at the Switchyard Park pickup site, according to the release.
“ The new system was improvised when the quickly evolving public health crisis threatened to eliminate the market altogether for the month of April,” the release said.
Market staff capped the number of orders that can be placed each weekend at 325 to avoid future delays, according to the release. The market also added staff to help manage traffic and increase pickup efficiency.
Pickup hours have been extended by four hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to the release. Customers can arrive for curbside pickup at Switchyard Park, located at 1601 South Rogers St., during their assigned time slot.
This week’s online shopping period still ends at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.
Customers who were unable to pick up their orders last weekend or had items missing already received refunds, according to the release. Any customer with questions or concerns about an order can email onlinefarmersmarket@bloomington.in.gov.
