WTF at the Farmers Market

[JAYSLOL]

So I felt pretty guilty this morning.  I drove the V6-powered SUV that I still haven't traded for something more reasonable yet over to the local farmers market.  The parking lot was jam packed and i got beaten to a parking spot by an enormous black truck.  As i found a new spot i saw the guy leaving that truck and heading to the market.  I didn't think much of it until we left ALMOST AN HOUR later, as i walked past the truck, which was a Ford F350 Lariat 4x4 with a 6.7L engine, i noticed the truck was sitting empty and had been left RUNNING THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME!!!  No wonder the guy had one of those large red fuel containers in the back with a hose and nozzle, i guess he needs to refuel his truck after every time he parks it somewhere. 

[nereo]

wait, he left the truck running for an hour? 
Free truck anyone?? 

Not sure, but I think if you leave your truck running with the keys in the ignition your car-insurance won't make a payout if it gets stolen.  "Willful negligence" or something...

[gimp]

Today's xkcd is relevant.

http://xkcd.com/1559/

[JAYSLOL]

wait, he left the truck running for an hour? 
Free truck anyone?? 

Not sure, but I think if you leave your truck running with the keys in the ignition your car-insurance won't make a payout if it gets stolen.  "Willful negligence" or something...

That wouldn't surprise me, insurance companies love to find ways not to pay out.  But the act of taking the truck even with the keys in it is still theft, and even if i stole this thing, i would blow my budget first time i had to fill it up lol

[tvan]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

[johnny847]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

Even if that were true, I cannot possibly see how letting it idle for an entire hour is more efficient than going through one more start and stop cycle.

[JAYSLOL]

I totally agree that keeping some vehicles running makes sense, police cars are usually kept running during traffic stops etc because they have to power the cops laptop, lights, radios, dash cameras etc.  Tow trucks have to power the hydraulics and flashing lights and it doesn't make sense to keep powering on and off a big diesel motor for stops that are only a few min or less.  But to idle an F350 for an hour just to keep the AC on is pure stupid and there were no dogs/children in the truck that i could see

[SMP]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

Even if that were true, I cannot possibly see how letting it idle for an entire hour is more efficient than going through one more start and stop cycle.

The time - even for big engines - is quite short: For normal cars: 20 seconds, for a big engine maybe 1 minute maximum.

[zephyr911]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

Not for a fuckin' hour. Semis are usually left running because the driver is sleeping in the back and wants climate control. It's a massive waste of gas in terms of energy consumed vs. energy actually used. They've been going to small auxiliary power units (APUs) on more of them to avoid that.

[Gone Fishing]

When you have already wasted $50k+ on a truck, what's another $1 worth of diesel to keep it cool?

[jba302]

wait, he left the truck running for an hour? 
Free truck anyone?? 

Not sure, but I think if you leave your truck running with the keys in the ignition your car-insurance won't make a payout if it gets stolen.  "Willful negligence" or something...

Some policies have an exclusion for theft unless there is evidence of forceable entry or damage to the steering column. It is mostly a response to people having monster car loans on quickly depreciating vehicles which under mysterious circumstances are stolen, stripped, and burned in a field. AKA fraud cases. Without that exclusion, leaving the keys in the ignition is not a denial on its own.

[nereo]

That wouldn't surprise me, insurance companies love to find ways not to pay out.  But the act of taking the truck even with the keys in it is still theft, and even if i stole this thing, i would blow my budget first time i had to fill it up lol

I'm not actually advocating theft - but whenever I see someone go into a store and leave their engine running I always have the urge to move their car to the complete opposite side of the parking-lot or maybe behind the store. So far I've resisted that temptation...

[JAYSLOL]

That wouldn't surprise me, insurance companies love to find ways not to pay out.  But the act of taking the truck even with the keys in it is still theft, and even if i stole this thing, i would blow my budget first time i had to fill it up lol

I'm not actually advocating theft - but whenever I see someone go into a store and leave their engine running I always have the urge to move their car to the complete opposite side of the parking-lot or maybe behind the store. So far I've resisted that temptation...

I actually did do that once to a co-worker, lol.

[MoonShadow]

Are you sure that the truck wasn't a diesel running on heated vegetable oil?  I've seen this before, and if the oil is waste (and therefore almost free) then the aggravation of starting and stopping on bio-diesel might justfy idling for a while, but I wouldn't expect an entire hour. 

[SMP]

Are you sure that the truck wasn't a diesel running on heated vegetable oil?  I've seen this before, and if the oil is waste (and therefore almost free) then the aggravation of starting and stopping on bio-diesel might justfy idling for a while, but I wouldn't expect an entire hour.

Even if it is 'free' (so no costs), it is still unnecessary. And creating polution. This energy should have been used better.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

Even if that were true, I cannot possibly see how letting it idle for an entire hour is more efficient than going through one more start and stop cycle.

The time - even for big engines - is quite short: For normal cars: 20 seconds, for a big engine maybe 1 minute maximum.

For most turbo-charged diesels, it's generally best to allow the engine to idle for 2-3 minutes after a trip to allow it to cool down slowly. If you're idling a diesel more than 3 minutes, you're doing nothing but wasting fuel.

[MaxP0wer]

How do you know it was running the whole time if you were not there?  He could have come back 10 min prior to you, started it up and went to grab something, you see it running and assume it had to have been running the whole time. 

[cripzychiken]

How do you know it was running the whole time if you were not there?  He could have come back 10 min prior to you, started it up and went to grab something, you see it running and assume it had to have been running the whole time.

This is more what I'm thinking - remote start to get the cab cold in the 5minutes he's walking from the last stall back to his car.

not saying it isn't stupid, but just a bit less stupid than others think.

[TheAnonOne]

That wouldn't surprise me, insurance companies love to find ways not to pay out.  But the act of taking the truck even with the keys in it is still theft, and even if i stole this thing, i would blow my budget first time i had to fill it up lol

I'm not actually advocating theft - but whenever I see someone go into a store and leave their engine running I always have the urge to move their car to the complete opposite side of the parking-lot or maybe behind the store. So far I've resisted that temptation...

I have left my car running before (a smaller car, for 5-10 minutes....)

I have a separate key, so I can completely lock my car. I wouldn't automatically assume it was running and UNLOCKED.

[velocistar237]

In some places, you can get a ticket for idling your vehicle more than a few minutes, or for idling near a building's air intake.

[hodedofome]

When I go to the farmers market I make sure to pick out the trendiest/most expensive workout gear I own. I also grab the Bob jogging stroller and try to look like I've been exercising all morning. I roll up in the SUV and everyone just loves me because of my active lifestyle full of clean, gluten free health. Hopefully I'll run into someone overweight so I can look down upon them while I'm there. That always makes me feel good.


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[JAYSLOL]

Can't guarantee that the truck was running the whole time, but when i left my car i noticed that the truck's lights were still on.  I figured that the lights were just on a timer after being shut off and would go out automatically, but when i walked back to my car later i noticed the trucks lights were still on so i walked closer to hear if the engine was running (and it was).  Possible he remote started it just before i saw it the second time, but i've seen quite a few other diesel truck owners who also love nothing more than to idle their trucks that it probably was sitting and running for all that time.

When I go to the farmers market I make sure to pick out the trendiest/most expensive workout gear I own. I also grab the Bob jogging stroller and try to look like I've been exercising all morning. I roll up in the SUV and everyone just loves me because of my active lifestyle full of clean, gluten free health. Hopefully I'll run into someone overweight so I can look down upon them while I'm there. That always makes me feel good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Epic response.  You are clearly related to at least half of the people i saw that day :)

[Bob W]

I love the farmer's markets around here.   Most of them buy their produce at the auction house or wholesaler just like the grocery stores.  They mark it up a lot more though. 

The farmer's markets that required locally grown produce from sellers quickly went out of business.   So yeah, around here it is pretty much a sham.   YMMV

[music lover]

How do you know it was running the whole time if you were not there?  He could have come back 10 min prior to you, started it up and went to grab something, you see it running and assume it had to have been running the whole time.

Or, the driver could have just hit the remote starter while walking back to the vehicle.

Or, the driver could have simply forgot to turn the vehicle off with no intent of leaving it running.

Or, there is a dog sleeping on the floor of the cab and they don't want it to overheat.

[BlueMR2]

In some places, you can get a ticket for idling your vehicle more than a few minutes, or for idling near a building's air intake.

Abandoned idling vehicles get tickets around here.  It's an open invitation to theft.  Leave it idling, have it stolen, and not only does your insurance company just laugh at you, but the police you called for help slap you with a ticket.  :-)

[cripzychiken]

I love the farmer's markets around here.   Most of them buy their produce at the auction house or wholesaler just like the grocery stores.  They mark it up a lot more though. 

The farmer's markets that required locally grown produce from sellers quickly went out of business.   So yeah, around here it is pretty much a sham.   YMMV

I was at a farmers market this weekend, maybe 1/2way through the time (so around noon at a 10-2 market).  The lady running one of the veggie stands calls up someone and tells them to head to the supermarket and get more bananas and tomatoes b/c they were almost out.  I just laughed and kept walking.  I tend to never buy stuff from markets unless the price is better than at the normal grocery store - which there usually is 1-2 items per stand that are priced well and the produce is in good shape.

[nereo]

I love the farmer's markets around here.   Most of them buy their produce at the auction house or wholesaler just like the grocery stores.  They mark it up a lot more though. 

The farmer's markets that required locally grown produce from sellers quickly went out of business.   So yeah, around here it is pretty much a sham.   YMMV

I was at a farmers market this weekend, maybe 1/2way through the time (so around noon at a 10-2 market).  The lady running one of the veggie stands calls up someone and tells them to head to the supermarket and get more bananas and tomatoes b/c they were almost out.  I just laughed and kept walking.  I tend to never buy stuff from markets unless the price is better than at the normal grocery store - which there usually is 1-2 items per stand that are priced well and the produce is in good shape.

Odd how different farmers markets are in other places.  both in central California and now in Quebec farmers markets are required to list which farm the produce is coming from, and for most items they are far-and-away cheaper and fresher than what you can find in any of the supermarkets.  I would feel really cheated if the produce cost more and came from some wholesale distributor 'dressed up' as a farm.

[I'm a red panda]

Our farmer's markets clearly list where the produce has come from.

But one fun secret you know if you worked on the farms in high school; the sweet corn trucks load up and stop to sell at Walmart, the grocery stores, and then come down the the market with what is left.

You can buy the same stuff, and cheaper, at Walmart. And they, being the largest buyer, get first dibs.
I doubt this is true of everything at the market, as lots of the booths are from producers too small to do that, but our Walmart has a huge "local grown" section on select days, and they list exactly where the stuff came from too.

I've never seen a banana at the farmer's market though; we have no banana trees around here.

[Apples]

All true-produce from the same farm goes through multiple distribution channels.  Most small farms also sell to restaurants or grocery stores in addition to the markets they go to.  A few stories from markets:

My DH worked on a farm in high school, and loved working the market.  They had a "special, exclusive" variety of sweet corn they sold; they were the only farm selling this "Love" variety at the market.  Turns out, the variety was just a random numbered variety that everyone grew, this guy just decided to put a name on it.

Also, my pesticide professor in college ran the pesticide program for the entire state.  So she made the certification tests and responded to issues when they cropped up.  Well one guy was at a farmer's market selling Amish goods, and he was Amish, and he said it was "all natural" and "didn't use any pesticides" on it.  Apparently he meant they didn't use any insecticides; they sprayed Roundup religiously on everything.  My professor couldn't convince him that Roundup was actually a pesticide.

So, you know, large stores and distribution chains aren't perfect, but markets have their downfalls too.  Also, many large farms also have their own little market to go to, but you can get their stuff at Wal-Mart/grocery store of your choice.

And +1 to fancy workout clothes people at markets.  Oy.

[Papa Mustache]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

Even if that were true, I cannot possibly see how letting it idle for an entire hour is more efficient than going through one more start and stop cycle.

The time - even for big engines - is quite short: For normal cars: 20 seconds, for a big engine maybe 1 minute maximum.

For most turbo-charged diesels, it's generally best to allow the engine to idle for 2-3 minutes after a trip to allow it to cool down slowly. If you're idling a diesel more than 3 minutes, you're doing nothing but wasting fuel.

i thought it was to give the turbo a chance to slow down so the oil supply didn't end before the turbo was done freewheeling? Educate me if I'm wrong. :)

[MoonShadow]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

Even if that were true, I cannot possibly see how letting it idle for an entire hour is more efficient than going through one more start and stop cycle.

The time - even for big engines - is quite short: For normal cars: 20 seconds, for a big engine maybe 1 minute maximum.

For most turbo-charged diesels, it's generally best to allow the engine to idle for 2-3 minutes after a trip to allow it to cool down slowly. If you're idling a diesel more than 3 minutes, you're doing nothing but wasting fuel.

i thought it was to give the turbo a chance to slow down so the oil supply didn't end before the turbo was done freewheeling? Educate me if I'm wrong. :)

That's mostly a myth.  Those turbos slow down just fine in a couple seconds.

[JAYSLOL]

I thought at some point it's actually more fuel efficient to keep a large vehicle running vs starting and stopping it. Isn't that why semi trucks are always running?  Or he had a child or dog in there and he wanted to keep cool.

Even if that were true, I cannot possibly see how letting it idle for an entire hour is more efficient than going through one more start and stop cycle.

The time - even for big engines - is quite short: For normal cars: 20 seconds, for a big engine maybe 1 minute maximum.

For most turbo-charged diesels, it's generally best to allow the engine to idle for 2-3 minutes after a trip to allow it to cool down slowly. If you're idling a diesel more than 3 minutes, you're doing nothing but wasting fuel.

i thought it was to give the turbo a chance to slow down so the oil supply didn't end before the turbo was done freewheeling? Educate me if I'm wrong. :)

That's mostly a myth.  Those turbos slow down just fine in a couple seconds.

Some high performance turbo-charged vehicles have turbo timers which keep the engine running, usually for just a min or so after ignition has been shut off.  Most of those have been installed aftermarket.  I feel that unless you drag-race your vehicle, you probably don't need a turbo cool-down time.  Especially in the case of that F350, he spent at least 5 min at idle crawling through a parking lot before getting out. 

As far as the farmers market goes, i usually don't shop there for the reasons others listed above, but this time of year fruits and vegetables are mostly reasonably priced from the vendors that actually have farms