Hail to the Fruit Man

Nothing marks the arrival of summer like the appearance of the fruit man. Every few blocks in Manhattan there seems to be a man with a fruit stand. I say fruit man because I have never seen a fruit woman, and it sounds better than fruit person, but to any fruit women out there, sorry. Anyway, fruit men typically sell a variety of produce for much less than supermarkets charge. Not only that, but the fruit is of the same or often better quality. Do not fear the sketchiness of the fruit man. Make him your friend.

Today I compared a fruit man on the Upper East Side with the Food Emporium on the same block. Here is what I found:

Mangoes
Fruit man: three varieties, $1.25 each
Food Emporium: one variety, $2.99 each

Celery
Fruit man: $1 per bunch
Food Emporium: $3.99 per bunch

Driscoll's Strawberries
Fruit man: $2.50 per 16oz box
Food Emporium: $3.99 per 16oz box

Lychee Nuts
Fruit man: four for $1
Food Emporium: no lychee nuts at all

Blackberries
Fruit man: two 6oz boxes for $3 ($2 each)
Food Emporium: $4.99 per 6oz box

Red Seedless Grapes
Fruit man: $2 per pound
Food Emporium: $4.99 per pound

How do they do it? The fruit man had a better selection of mangoes and even carried things like lychee nuts that Food Emporium didn't. When I'm grocery shopping I always check the fruit stands first - you should too!

Bottom Line: Long live the fruit men (and women?) of Manhattan!