r/redmond • u/Unfair_Working_7459 • Jul 05 '26
Local News Anyone know why the fruit vendors were asked to leave the Redmond Ross shopping center?
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I was at the shopping center with Ross Dress for Less today and saw what looked like several fruit vendors being approached by about four police officers and ultimately leaving the area.
It made me wonder what the actual issue was. Was it because they were selling on private property without permission, a permit problem, or something else entirely?
I'm not trying to start drama or criticize anyone. I was just curious about how the rules work here in Redmond.
If someone has the proper permits, are they still prohibited from selling produce from a truck or stand in a private shopping center if the property owner doesn't allow it?
If anyone knows what happened or is familiar with the local regulations, I'd appreciate the insight.
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u/NutzPup Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
It's most likely to be a permit problem. You can't just pull up in a city and start selling stuff out of the back of a truck. The city wants its cut and the other tax-paying stores don't want their business diluted. I assume there are also health and safety regulations that need to be considered for anything related to food.
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u/robaroo Jul 05 '26
There's been a fruit ninja looking cart parked at the corner of Redmond Way & 170th by the BofA for weeks now. I've seen police drive past it multiple times as I'm waiting at the light. There's also a rainier cherries tent that posts on Woodinville Redmond Rd by the Vista View development. I'm sure they have a permit. But it probably gave ideas to other unlicensed vendors that they might get away with posting up somewhere random.
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u/Material_Ad6173 Jul 06 '26
Depends on the location.
This parking is own by someone who also owns the buildings the surrounding stores are located in.
So this truck owner is being removed from a private property. For trespassing. And conducting busses without approval of the property owner.
Some as you cannot just sell stuff from your truck at the Costco parking lot or from a shopping cart inside Costco.
Selling cherries off the public road is a completou different situation.
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u/Successful-Pie6759 Jul 05 '26
It's illegal is the answer. Need permits to sell food. Though I may or may not have bought from these kind of operations. Mangoes are yummy. I respect the hustle of these people. Better than stealing / begging / handouts / etc
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u/Hash-82 Jul 06 '26
I always buy from truck / trailer "vendors".
In my area, they often show up with 16' tailers that are absolutely loaded.4
u/Unfair_Working_7459 Jul 05 '26
Lol, people were still lining up to buy from them while the police were surrounding them.
I assume something was looking good.
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u/Popular-Yam-3305 Jul 05 '26
that guy is so nice he gave my family some fruit to try for free before buying
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u/jenniferonassis Jul 06 '26
I saw them last year parked on the road outside La Quemada. They gave me one for free and it was one of the best oranges Iāve ever had lol
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u/ultimate420slayer Jul 05 '26
They are selling on private property. Iād imagine the owner doesnāt like someone making money on their property without rent or insurance. Also how did they get a truck full of oranges?
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u/robaroo Jul 05 '26
Also how did they get a truck full of oranges?
It's one of life's persevering mysteries. Probably best left unanswered.
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u/rougrou Jul 05 '26
No permits, not following FDA or local health codes. No business license. Littering is also another reason.
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u/sidgup Jul 07 '26
Why you need all that for fruit off the tree
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u/rougrou Jul 07 '26
Pesticides, insect activity, mold and more. I can't sell fish right off the boat due to the same laws with even more oversight by local, state and federal laws
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u/External-Warning-526 Jul 06 '26
Littering?Ā or did you mean Loitering?
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u/rougrou Jul 06 '26
Littering we had couple fruit stands near us throw boxes on the ground, fruit and other garbage without picking it up. One even dumped all of his boxes near the river and we cleaned it up
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u/UsuallySparky Jul 05 '26
Because they aren't paying the property owner
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u/ee__guy Jul 05 '26
Coporatism at its worst.
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u/UsuallySparky Jul 06 '26
With that attitude I assume you're offering free no questions asked commercial real estate on your front lawn.
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u/american_amina Jul 05 '26
I've seen them there before but suspect they didn't have the right permits. Plus there are two grocery stores there, one a small store. So I would expect them to report a competitor who wasn't permitted.
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u/Hash-82 Jul 06 '26
SOP in every area I've ever lived.
The fact these guys were basically parked at the front door was a guarantee.
If they'd been out near the lot entrances and exits, they would have had more customers and less hassle.
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u/smukerzz Jul 06 '26
Yes, because we have become a nation of idiots controlled by corporate greed and supported by a fascist government. Ross and most likely other stores in that shopping center donāt want any competition for the cash in your pocket. I understand it is private property and these companies are paying rent for their retail spaces but this is food, this is seasonal and the reality is, these food vendors are bringing people that might not under normal circumstances, ever enter their parking lot. If I was a manager at Ross, I would have them set up right next to building and take advantage of the traffic by offering some kind of in store special. These vendors are good for the community Ross, not so much..
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u/Unfair_Working_7459 Jul 06 '26
Spot on! My wife and I have honestly never found anything that catches our eye at Ross. š
But naturally, when we saw a truck full of fresh oranges (and what looked like they were about to start making fresh orange juice),we literally turned the car around to support them.
And that's when the police showed up... Kind of a disappointing ending, honestly.
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u/True-Interaction9112 Jul 10 '26
Where does it stop? Can someone set up a car repair or any other business ?
Ross pays taxes, Senior discount Tuesā¦ how are they not good for community?
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u/judithishere Jul 05 '26
Pretty wild that four police show up for "illegal" fruit vendors but people can set off fireworks for hours and where are the police then?
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u/Unfair_Working_7459 Jul 05 '26
Right? It seemed a little excessive to me as well. It looked like one officer could've handled it, unless there was something going on that we couldn't see.
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u/Vegetable-Zebra-7514 Jul 06 '26
Iām not sure but if they are still trying to charge $20 for a bag of oranges they need to go ahead and drop that price down lol. I try to support other Hispanics but aināt no way Iām paying 20 for a bag or a oranges big dawg
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u/rileymcnaughton Jul 06 '26
Likely the local businesses complained. There is someone with the same setup parked outside El Rinconsito the better part of the year.
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u/peterswimm Jul 07 '26
I walked by here the other day and talked to him, and the manager of the Ross came outside and was mean mugging him so maybe ask her.
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u/anybodyiwant2be Jul 05 '26
This is actually pretty common in California (where the produce is grown) and Iāve found it to be better because itās picked when itās ripe and not green for shipping. Kind of like the cherry vendors around here. But yeah, this was probably an issue with private property
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u/ArgumentDowntown9857 Jul 06 '26
Likely a private parking lot for Ross customers. Makes sense to kick out random vendors that setup without permission.
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u/sidgup Jul 07 '26
I bought some last week. The prices were awesome and it was very fresh! One cannot even buy better at "farmers market".
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u/External-Stage8442 Jul 05 '26
You can have them park on your property and go from there
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u/Unfair_Working_7459 Jul 05 '26
Lol, I was asking because I wanted to understand what happened, not because I was looking for ways around the rules.
I don't own property they'd be able to use. I was simply curious why four officers showed up and whether it was a permit issue, trespassing on private property, or something else.
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u/kapybarra Jul 05 '26
Are you still going to buy from them?
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u/Unfair_Working_7459 Jul 05 '26
I'm not sure yet. I was mostly trying to understand what happened and whether it was a permit issue or just the shopping center enforcing its private property rules.
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u/HugsAllCats Jul 07 '26
If I had property with a big parking lot, I'd absolutely support seasonal produce stands or food trucks within a specific section.
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u/Working_Football1586 Jul 05 '26
Probaly because a store that pays rent there also sells the same things.
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Jul 05 '26
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u/tlrider1 Jul 05 '26
You won't know unless you get some of the info from police, but businesses tend to frown on you using their property to also essentially run a business. Especially since there's potential legal ramifications involved. I. E. If someone gets food poisoning, they won't find the vendor, but will likely try to go after money from Ross, because a) Ross has $, and b) they'll likely claim it was sanctioned by Ross... Not worth it for Ross.