Letters: SC Farmers Market nickel and diming on parking

A recommendation by the Legislative Audit Council caused the S.C. Department of Agriculture to levy a parking fee for this year’s Midlands Plant and Flower Festival at the State Farmers Market. The department says visitors should never be charged a fee to visit the market, but since the festival was billed as a special event, that thought just flew out the window.

This event is certainly not a festival; it is nothing more than a flea market for plant vendors to sell their wares. My question is this: Why am I charged to park to buy a plant, tree or shrub, but I’m not charged to park to buy a watermelon, peach or apple. From now on, I’ll be spending my dollars at local garden centers, where I’m not charged to park to buy.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Letters: SC Farmers Market nickel and diming on parking."