Stealing from self-service stalls: now fruit grower fears for Hardanger’s reputation

Positions along Hardanger roads are built on honesty and trust. Last weekend they were robbed, both for money, apple juice and baked goods.

Apple grower Kjetil Lerfall in Alsåker in Hardanger is concerned. Every day of the season, fill the booth at County Road 550 with homegrown apple juice. People who stock up are invited to drop money in a box or pay with Vipps.

He himself doesn’t follow everyone who picks up goods from the stall. Lerfall trusts people and expects them to pay.

It went well, until last weekend. So the safe with today’s turnover was stolen.

– Damages Hardanger’s reputation

– We review the post once a day. Most people pay with Vipps, and there are mostly only a few hundred crowns and change in the box. It’s the breach of trust that worries me. Damages Hardanger’s reputation. Some appear to have occupied post after post along the fjord in search of money and goods. It’s sad to experience the experience for those of us who run the self-service stands, says Lerfall.

At the beginning of the season, he also sells cherries and apples at the stall.

– Does this show that you trust people too much?

– I don’t expect that. Stalls are an important element on the road, especially for tourists, and have brand value for Hardanger. We will try to continue, says Lerfall.

Worked systematically

A week ago, on Sunday night, several small producers around Alsåker, Utne and inland Sørfjord reported to the police that money and goods were missing from the stalls. The police believe that someone has taken systematic action. In some places only money had disappeared, while in other places both money and goods had disappeared.

Torild Skiaker Mælen runs Hardanger Gjestegård in Alsåker, where the perpetrators had also stopped at the self-service booth.

– We discovered the robbery on Sunday morning. The shed is quite a distance from the house. We don’t always follow who’s buying, and at least not at night. It was disappointing to find out someone was robbing us, says Mælen.

With it, the thieves took the safe with a couple of hundred crowns, 10 juice packs of three liters each and some baked goods for sale. Total value a few thousand crowns.

A good biintekt

– We receive many comments from passersby who appreciate the offer and the goods we have. Now we’re sorry, but we want to trust people. That’s why we chose to continue with the sales booth, says Mælen.

This is the third season that Mælen has made street sales, but it is the first time they have been exposed to theft.

– We sell apples, apple juice, pastries, jams and apple juice. In fact, it’s a nice side income and, moreover, a slightly romantic element along the way, says Mælen.

Janneke Johansen in Vines Gard og Hytter, which is closer to Utne, sells plums from her own farm and eggs from her own chicken coop. With her, it was the safe that disappeared.

Johansen fears that the perpetrators will break a tradition and characteristics that are more important to Hardanger than the perpetrators themselves understand.

– The simplest robbery in the world

– It is the easiest case in the world to steal from the stalls, if someone wants it. We trust that people leave money when they stock up. This is part of the cultural capital of Hardanger. Now someone has broken trust, says Johansen.

For Vines Gård og Hytter, he was only talking about small amounts. The eggs were left in the shed and the plum season ended.

– There are those who say that we should expect goods and money to be stolen from us when we are so stupid that we trust people. I don’t agree with that, says Johansen.

– If this had been Germany, then …

She is proud of the tradition that surprised many foreign tourists. Among other things, a story is told about a German who exclaimed:

“If this had been in Germany, people would have taken the money first, then the fruit, and then the whole stall.”

– It is also said that the last time there was a robbery, it took a while before many small producers dared to take out the merchandise again. I hope it doesn’t happen now, says Johansen.

Hardanger Sheriff’s Office Superintendent Øystein Torsnes says it takes three to four years between each time police are notified of a theft at drive-ins.

– We believe that the case is serious precisely because it is a scheme based on trust between farmer and client. We want to maintain this relationship of trust, and therefore seek a whore in the case, says Torsnes.

– Some idiots are destroying

To Hardanger Folkeblad, Torsnes said last week:

– The system really works fantastically well until some idiots come and destroy!

Also in Sogn there are several self-service fruit and vegetable stalls. One of them is run by the Blaaflat farm in Joker Ljøsne on the E16 through Lærdal.

They have fixed lockable boxes where people have to pay for the fruit. Also, they use Vipps.

– Cash cannot be withdrawn, so we have not experienced the money disappearing. But we have some waste, that people stock up on fruit without paying. We believe the loss is no greater than the fact that unserved sales are still more profitable than if you had serviced positions, says Ine Nyseth, who runs the farm together with her husband Harald Blaaflat Mundal.

Almost all the fruit produced on the farm is sold at the self-service stand. These are apples, pears, plums and cherries.

– Sad to hear about the raid on Hardanger, but we can’t let it stop us, says Nyseth.