Shopper FAQ

These are some of the most common questions The Market shoppers have. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us at +1 (360)452-8568 or by email at questions@pamarket.org

  • The Market is open to anyone who can use some free groceries. So much food is wasted in our country and we have a lot of FRESH food to share.

  • The Market is designed to provide a 2-3 day supply of food during each visit. You are welcome to shop as often as your household needs to have enough food, but most come once a week.

  • The Market membership card is just like other store cards or gym card you already have. Signing up for a Market membership allows your checkout process to be much quicker. Market membership also provides added benefits such as recall and closure alerts, product announcements, and other important info.

    Think of it like your Safeway Club Card, but instead of free gas you get free groceries.

  • Everyone is welcome to shop at The Market, we do not require any information and there are NO qualifications.

    When you sign up for a Market membership card we do ask for your name and contact info so we can reach out to you and share closure info, recalls, new items we received in, and other cool stuff.

    We also like to know how many people are in your household, their ages. This helps us determine how much food we need for The Market and if we need more food for seniors, children, or food sensitivities. Demographic info is also used for our aggregate reports and grant funding.

    One food source, TEFAP, is income based and by becoming a member of The Market you self-declare that you meet the income guidelines.

  • Bring your Market membership card if you have one, if you don’t we can get one when you come in.

    We encourage you to bring your own bags to shop. We do usually have boxes available like Costco and Countryaire and may be able to provide bags if we have them.

  • The first hour or so tends to be our busiest time and often has a line.

    We begin handing out pagers once the parking area is full. Once you receive your pager, you are welcome to wait in your car until it buzzes to let you know a cart is available.

  • Lines are common when we first open and can cause a backup for the first couple of hours. We only have so many carts and can only allow so many people in to shop at a time. We will provide pagers when we are busy and they will buzz when a cart becomes available.

    We don’t have an abundance of parking and when the lot is full, it’s best to come back later if you can.

    Please DO NOT park in the lot across the road or by the other businesses.