How to cope with 97 degree heat during outdoor market?

[Feelin' Soapy]

I'm preparing for my 2nd market ever next Saturday and the forecast is for a high of 97! Along with my soaps, I'm selling lotion bars.
Any suggestions how to manage keeping my lotion bars from melting down? Last time I had 5 baskets offering different fragrances displayed on a 4-ft table. I can put out one of each as a sample and keep the rest in a cooler, but that will leave my display looking pretty bare.
Will the soaps be okay out on display, or should I keep many of them packed away as well? I do have a canopy to provide shade, 97 is pretty toasty even in the shade!
(And you folks from places like Arizona and Nevada where it's in the 100s, please don't laugh. We're just not used to this in Portland!)

 

[impish]

So, what did you do? How did it go?
Couldn't offer advice as I've never sold soap in the heat, or anywhere.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

So, what did you do? How did it go?
Couldn't offer advice as I've never sold soap in the heat, or anywhere.

Thanks for asking, but the market is next Saturday (the 26th). I'm about half serious about skipping it, but it's only once a month, so I do hate to miss the opportunity, especially after working hard to prepare for it. If I do it, the lotion bars will definitely have to stay in a cooler (wish I could fit in one too!)

 

[Ford]

Hi, could you put freezer packs. Under a light covering. And place your bars on top. You would replace periodically. With others in an ice chest. ??

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

I'm preparing for my 2nd market ever next Saturday and the forecast is for a high of 97! Along with my soaps, I'm selling lotion bars.
Any suggestions how to manage keeping my lotion bars from melting down? Last time I had 5 baskets offering different fragrances displayed on a 4-ft table. I can put out one of each as a sample and keep the rest in a cooler, but that will leave my display looking pretty bare.
Will the soaps be okay out on display, or should I keep many of them packed away as well? I do have a canopy to provide shade, 97 is pretty toasty even in the shade!
(And you folks from places like Arizona and Nevada where it's in the 100s, please don't laugh. We're just not used to this in Portland!)

When I had gone to Oregon I couldn't believe how intense the sun is' much more then my CA Desert' hard to believe but true.

Hi, could you put freezer packs. Under a light covering. And place your bars on top. You would replace periodically. With others in an ice chest. ??

Sounds like a good Idea' it would keep the soap cool.

 

[KimW]

There was an old market blog - not sure of site - that said they used a big supply of gel ice packs, and frozen vacuum seal bags filled with water packed under and around their products for very hot days. They also brought along a carpet for the ground, or some other covering, to help alleviate the rising heat from the parking lot surface. I'd think that if you're on grass, you'd be cooler not covering the grass. They also told their customers not to leave the products in their car or they would melt. Even so, if someone raised a bit of a stink about a purchase melting, they would replace the item...so maybe something to be mentally prepared for.

To keep themselves cool, they used the gel packs wrapped in a cloth and then around their necks, and small pans of water to stick their feet in for a few minutes here and there for a quick cool down. Another thing they did was to make sure they had a partner, or someone committed to coming to relieve them at a certain time, so they could take at least one break to find some a/c somewhere and get really cooled off. Oh - and hats and shades. I've never done a market when it was really hot, but I grew up in a hot climate and all of these make sense to me. I'll add that a small usb powered fan might be nice for you as well.

oops - I see @Ford posted a nice concise reply before I was done typing my little novella!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

You didn't mention how early you start. If it opens at 7 AM, I would put out a proper display. Then when it starts to get hot (78°F for lotion) but not TOO hot, put all the "perishables" in a cooler under the table. I hope you get a shady spot! GOOD LUCK!

TIP: It's important for you to stay hydrated so you don't get loopy. Be sure to have a gallon of your favorite drink handy to keep you going. Water is great.

ETA: There's no shame in closing up and leaving early if the heat gets to you. Most customers around here are out shopping early and market traffic slows down around 11:00 AM.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

@Ford Freezer packs are a good idea. I can put them under some samples, then sell bars kept in the cooler.

@Peachy Clean Soap Yes, the midsummer sun can feel brutal. And since we might have a high of 68 one day, then 98 a few days later, it's hard to get adjusted to the temperature.

@KimW Lots of good ideas in there. Thank you! My spot is right in the middle of a parking lot. No trees, no grass. I like the carpet idea. Easier on my feet standing for a long time too.

@Zany_in_CO Hours for the market are 10am to 4pm. I asked if they might be changed due to the heat, but no dice, at least for this month. Closing up early is not an option because we are instructed not to take down our booth until after 4. I can't imagine anyone will be out shopping in such a hot afternoon. That's part of why I'm considering just cancelling for this month.

 

[Becky1024]

Keep your products in the shade and out of the sun as much as you can.

Put a minimal amount of each product on the table (my benchmark is 3 soaps of each scent) and keep the rest packed away under the table or close by so you can replenish the table quickly.

 

[TheGecko]

The heat doesn't bother me so much and the constant up and down temperatures...58F one day, 88F the next...never sure how to dress so I keep a sweater on my chair and a short-sleeve shirt in my desk drawer.

Some really good suggestions, so not a lot to add. Keep your soap out of direct sunlight. Maybe a small sign noting that have plenty of Lotion Bars, they are just on ice because of the high temps. Kind of surprised that the market hasn't moved to 'summer' hours. While the beginning of June has always been iffy, late June has pretty much always been warmer.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Hours for the market are 10am to 4pm.

Ouff! Those hours are in the heat of the day! It's insane that the market manager won't allow you to pack up if you need to! In his/her defence, they are probably liable to pay the rental for the venue and needs all the vendors to pay their fair share.

BTW, 2 weeks ago, a neighbor and I each had a 2-day garage sale. It was 97°F the first day, Friday. I know I can't take that kind of heat, even though we were both in shade sitting inside our garages. So, I told her I was going to quit at noon and go inside to get out of the heat. She determined to stay open until 3:00, had few people and no sales. Plus, she felt totally drained on Saturday and quit at noon even though the weather was nicer and traffic was steady.

Golfers often play 18 holes in hot weather. It takes about 6 hours. There was the time when DH and I were golfing with another couple in 103°F heat. We were unable to get an early Tee Time and started play at 10:00 AM. I quit after 9 holes. The others were determined to soldier on. I went to the clubhouse, ordered an Arnie Palmer and sat down to wait for them. Imagine my surprise when the 3 of them walked into the clubhouse after playing one more hole! I laughed out loud and congratulated them for exercising good sense.

My point is, some people manage to take the heat; others do not. In any case, it's dangerous to be out in 97° heat for 6 hours during the hottest part of the day -- even if sitting in the shade of a tent placed in the middle of a concrete parking lot. To me, that's the worst possible scenario. If you decide to go ahead and do it, I would follow @KimW's advice:

...gel packs wrapped in a cloth and then around their necks, and small pans of water to stick their feet in for a few minutes here and there for a quick cool down. Another thing they did was to make sure they had a partner, or someone committed to coming to relieve them at a certain time, so they could take at least one break to find some a/c somewhere and get really cooled off. Oh - and hats and shades.

I would also make up a sign that says "Back in 20 minutes." Put it on the table and take a break. Hopefully you will have some place with AC close by.

 

[Misschief]

I'm preparing for my 2nd market ever next Saturday and the forecast is for a high of 97! Along with my soaps, I'm selling lotion bars.
Any suggestions how to manage keeping my lotion bars from melting down? Last time I had 5 baskets offering different fragrances displayed on a 4-ft table. I can put out one of each as a sample and keep the rest in a cooler, but that will leave my display looking pretty bare.
Will the soaps be okay out on display, or should I keep many of them packed away as well? I do have a canopy to provide shade, 97 is pretty toasty even in the shade!
(And you folks from places like Arizona and Nevada where it's in the 100s, please don't laugh. We're just not used to this in Portland!)

I'll be experiencing the same thing next weekend. Our forecast high for Sunday is 100F. Thankfully, our Covid restrictions have relaxed somewhat and some craft vendors are being offered spots indoors. (Until now, only food vendors were allowed in indoor markets; all crafters and artisans were only allowed outdoors.) One of the organizers, who's very aware of my products and how heat can affect them, offered me a spot indoors next week. I'm taking it.

That said, yesterday was pretty warm; I made sure I had one of my side walls up to keep the sun off my products. My hand lotions were kept on ice in a cooler with only the sample jars on the table with a small sign letting people know that I had more in a cooler. Everything else fared pretty well. I did notice that containers that had black lids felt fairly warm (double walled containers) but noting was in direct sunlight.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

So I made the decision this morning to cancel doing this month's market, telling the mkt manager I could not commit to being there until the required 4pm. He told me that in light of the unusual early heat, I was welcome to stay only as long as I felt comfortable. So I'm on again. It will be a short day -- probably only until noon or maybe 1pm -- but better than skipping it. A good compromise for now, and we'll begin "summer hours" next month.

Thanks so much for all your helpful suggestions. I've got some carpet pieces to insulate from the concrete, a couple of coolers, and lots of gel packs getting ready in my freezer. Stay cool everybody!

 

[amd]

I'm preparing for my 2nd market ever next Saturday and the forecast is for a high of 97!

I just did this the first weekend of June, we had temps pushing 100.

Will the soaps be okay out on display,

Yes, the soaps will be fine. You might want to watch for some sweating, but it's easy enough to explain to the customers.
I put out my lip balms for half the day of the first day... it was just too hot. I decided I would rather sell the heat stable items (soaps, lotions, scrubs) then worry about the customer carrying around in the heat, putting in a hot car, etc. So I packed them up and didn't bring them on the second day.

I think it's better to setup and sell what you can to build up a customer base. I've had customers start with a single bar of soap and now everything in their bathroom from shampoo to lotion is all made by me. Most people are pretty understanding, and will appreciate your dedication to giving them a quality product.

 

[earlene]

I wish I could send you all some ice packs. I get a monthly delivery packed in frozen ice packs. Usually 3, but this month it was 4. I left this month's packs in the styrofoam box they came after removing the medication for refrigeration. It wasn't until 2 or 3 days later that I emptied the box and the bottom ice pack was still frozen.

I think the cost of mailing wouldn't make it worth it, though. You can get the same thing from ULine and Webrestaurant, if you ever want to have a bunch of them.

 

[lucycat]

I usually just don't take lotion bars when the weather is hot. I think they just add a heaviness and stickiness when testing in hot weather that isn't appealing.

If you do markets on concrete consider purchasing the foam floor square tiles that interlock together. They really help on cushioning and you can make a "rug" the size you need. The ones sold for children's play areas are inexpensive and the backside grey if you don't want primary colors. They help a lot on concrete.

I do an outside fair on Labor Day most years. I like to take a washcloth, wet it, put in a ziploc bag, freeze and then add to my ice chest. A frozen cold washcloth can really refresh mid-day. I do better with an insulated glass with ice and water rather than a water bottle that warms up. Consider what will make it easiest for you to drink enough water to stay hydrated and plan for it.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

Weather forecasts for this weekend are all predicting temps in the 100s, some as high as 107! I just cancelled doing the market on Saturday. Since it doesn't open until 10am and gets hot quickly, I would spend more time setting up than I could work the booth. Very disappointed, but I believe this is a wise decision.

On a side note, we live in a brick house that heats up like an oven. It was 89 inside the house at 10 last night! So after many years of saying it just doesn't get that hot in Portland, we're looking into installing central AC!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

All good suggestions. My favorite purchase for summer heat has been a rechargeable fan. I found it on Amazon. I like the ice pack idea for any product that may be affected by the heat.

 

[AAShillito]

I would also bring non water drinks- Gatorade . If you are sweating alot in the heat or just your body temp is going up, water alone won't cut it. And you will cramp up at night and feel really awful the next day. It's currently 115 here and we just went thru even higher record temps. It's too hot to even go outside for more than a few minutes currently safely. I made soap yesterday and I always mix lye outside bc of my birds and leave it outside to cool. This time I mixed outside and put in my laundry room when the fumes stopped.

 

[cmzaha]

I did markets all year round in Southern Cali so during the summer it was hot. First I did not sell Lotion bars, but sold them as a solid lotion in jars. I made up at least 2 sets of sample jars using little 1 oz jars so I could rotate my samples in my ice chest. All my lotions were kept in the ice chest including my regular lotions. Remember lotions will heat up in plastic bottles quickly and you risk killing your preservative. So I also had 2-3 sets of lotion samples to rotate. While Gel Ice packs are great they will not keep your products cool all afternoon unless you are buying commercial-grade packs such as you can buy from restaurant supply for catering purposes. They do not always last all day in the heat either. I also put a warning on all jars that the products were heat-sensitive. As for whipped butters, I simply did not sell them in the summer months.

Headbands filled with gel beads that can be soaked in cold water, like we used when riding on the bike work great around your head and so do some of the cooling neck scarfs/towels. Also take a water spritz bottle filled with ice when you leave the house, by the time you need the cool water the ice has usually melted or you can easily add in water if it is too cold. Spritzing with cool water can be a life saver in 100ºF + weather.