You Can’t Avoid Vendor Fender Benders

I help organize a market for local artisans. Our rules for vendors are laid out clearly on our website, and vendors are required to check off on having read them as part of the application process.

After a number of incidents that boil down to “vendor wasn’t aware of the rules,” I add a pop-up to the vendor application page on our site. In big bold words, it tells vendors that they need to read the rules — with a link — and check off that they have done so to close the pop-up.

We get an email titled, “The link won’t work.”

Vendor: “Every time I go to the Apply To Be a Vendor page, there’s a pop-up that says ‘Please Read Before You Apply.’”

Market Manager: “Hi, [Vendor]. That is an intentional pop-up that helps us ensure vendors have read through the rules before applying. If you keep reading, the pop-up will list instructions that tell you how to close it.”

The vendor decided that it would be easier to email us rather than read the twenty words in the pop-up. You can give people information, but you can’t make them read it!