BANGOR, Maine — The allure of $4 lobsters was cited as the cause of a traffic backup early Friday evening.
Bangor police Lt. Tom Reagan said the lobsters were being sold from the parking lot of a commercial building near the intersection of Broadway and Cumberland Street and that so many people wanted in on the deal that traffic was backed up almost as far as Interstate 95.
Reagan said police were alerted to the backup by a resident of 81 Broadway, who called police after she found herself unable to get into her driveway because of the congestion.
He also said it was not clear to police how news of the sale spread, speculating that it likely was by word of mouth.
The vendor’s name was not available Friday evening, Reagan said. He said no one was charged in connection with the incident.
Saw ads on Facebook for this last night. I’m glad it was a hit! Maybe next week the fisherman will choose a place where traffic won’t back up so bad.
They should come north. No chance of a back up here. Plenty of room, thats for sure. North is North of Presque Isle. Would find tons of customers.
north is north of Bangor…you are talking of the far north lol
Oh you must be talking of the other Maine, where Bangor is north of that north. This wonderful north is the heart of the true Maine. We to eat lobster and lots of it. Send them on up. lol. :^)
I’ll bet if a lobsterman took a truck up north, and did the type advertising the person in Bangor did, they would do well!
best part is, there was NO advertising per se, only facebook posts and word of mouth. and i agree with you, only send 3 trucks instead of one.
Did they attempt to find out more about this story? There have been ads going on on facebook all week long – one of my friends organized this event. The reporter probably could have gone on FB and asked about this to find out more details. They are working on a new location for next week, as the turnout was way higher than originally anticipated.
Instead of complaining why don’t you do as I did and send off a simple e-mail about the mistake. It took me an entire 30 seconds to do so.
Edit: And the article has been fixed. See how a simple e-mail can correct things.
I’m glad you found the time to complain about my comment : )
I have edited my comment as the error was fixed.
I did not complain, you did. Next time send a simple e-mail.
I have had this on my facebook and it was a hit like you said. I am glad your friend did well, my sisters husband sells lobster and makes a fortune off them. I will buy some next week, wish them luck from me
Good job
How do I find them next week ?
Here’s a link to the photo of the flyer. You should try to call or send an email to find out where and when this will be happening next week: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151984572465375&set=a.10151184381970375.791382.626300374&type=1&theater
I thought that Facebook was where all modern reporting came from these days…
I’m not too familiar with that side of Bangor. Approximately, how long was the back up? I read the street info, but not sure how far Cumberland is fromI-95.
It had to be very close to a mile if the backup was getting close to the I.
Thanks for the info! That’s quite the back up!
You’re welcome.
No charges will be filed. For God sake the guy or gal is trying to make a living and all the police department was try to decide if there was a charge. . Is that what this state is coming to? Everything out of the ordinary must be criminal.
I’ve noticed that almost all articles involving a police call say if charges will, or won’t be filed. I would tend to think it’s more to stop any questions from the public, rather than something the cops had to spend time thinking about.
In a town this size, you can’t just pull over on the side of a busy road and set up a business without a permit. I’m not interested in being stuck in traffic because some guy is peddling lobster from the back of his car for a nickel or a dime less then what they’re selling for at Hannaford.
Too bad for you.
Oh you’ll get over it.
This guy has been there for MONTHS and has been for several years (weather permitting), so I’m sure if he didn’t have a permit, something would have been said by now.
He would have been charged…lol.
What are the fishermen supposed to do when the price is 1.35 a pound at the wharf, they need to do something to make a living and selling at the wharf isn’t cutting it after they pay workers and fuel and bait. They are not making anything, but these high and mighty companies are bringing in the megabucks!! It’s ridiculous and something needs to be done soon!!
PLUS THE BONUS!!!!!! MAKE IT SOUND AS BAD AS POSSIBLE. THAT IS AROUND 2.00 WITH THE YEAR END REBATE CHECK MOST FISHERMEN GET. THE PRICE TO THE BOAT WAS 2.25 THIS WEEK MIDCOAST AND NOW HAS BACKED OFF TO 2.10 no rebate
Not all lobstermen get a bonus. The captain my husband went with 2 years ago put the bonus in his own pocket. I am so glad I finally got him to get a land job this year.
We need to step in and limit the size of the catch – this ‘problem’ that the lobster industry is experiencing is called over fishing.
So if the blueberry growers have a banner year does that mean they are over harvesting the blueberrys? Stick to things that you have a clue about.
Picking blueberry’s doesn’t involve killing animals that are otherwise minding their own business.
lots of living creatures had to die to feed the lobsters. outlaw lobsters!
Does that go for over manufacturing too? Maybe that’s why it is all over seas now.
You should stick to complaining about traffic in “your” town , and do some research before removing all doubt.
since when overfishing raise the temp of the ocean? overfishing produces less lobster, not a glut.
Have you seen the prices at Hannafords and Walmart? They are triple what the fishermen are getting paid!
The fishermen need to travel to every Walmart in the country and deliver the few lobsters that Walmart actually sells. People need to understand the distribting any product is expensive. How much more are potatoes in the store as opposed to what the farmer sees.
No, we do not need to give Walmart any more money.
What I would do is get in my truck and drive 12 hours down to the WV./ D.C. area spend the few bucks for a vendor licence and sell the catch for $8 to 12 and make a killing…….people down there would run each other over to get them !
Even if you drive 100 lbs of Lobster 20 miles round trip in a 3/4 ton pickup you have only added .08 cents to the price per pound in gas!
Wal-mart and Hannaford are doubling the price.
If Wellington was still code enforcement he would have been nagging them for a permit. He used to do that to the folks that sold over by the University area in that so called parking lot, or as I called it, an ATV trail. People couldn’t make a living on his watch, he would send someone over telling them to get a permit or else
Seems like now things have shifted to in fact finding someone criminally responsible for backing up traffic
It’s about time the middle class can afford to eat Maine lob-stahs. When I lived there in my youth, poor people couldn’t afford eating them. It’s about time they can. Enjoy people of Maine while you can, the rich are upset because the poor and middle class can now enjoy “their” food!
Before rich folks caught on, lobster was a “poor people” food.
“At the time North America was receiving its first European settlers,
lobsters were abundant, often washing up on shore to form piles up to
two feet high. Since they were so plentiful and easy to harvest,
lobsters were a frequent meal for poor families near the coast. The
disdain for lobster slowly waned over the centuries, and the poor man’s
chicken soon became the rich man’s prize.
”
http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/lobsterhistory.htm
How very sad is your comment. However good it is that people who in the past may not have been able to afford lobster now can at the expense of a great many lobstermans livelihoods. When fishing is poor it is felt throughout the town but a sitution as big as this is will be felt alot further–even internationally.
So if lobsters were a dollar more a pound you couldn’t afford to but them?
Don’t go to Shop And Save!
They still are trying to make a killing on them at the Lobstermens expense!
When was the last time you saw someone buying lobster at the grocery store? I guess I dont understand how putting the price down to the consumer will increase the boat price. The fishermen need to catch less to get more. I think the fishermen are looking at the big piles of lobster they are catching ad are seeing how much they would have made at last years price. They are going to have get used to the fact that if something is a common as potato chips, that is what it is as common as potato chips. No longer a luxury item for the upper class.
I’m all for anyone scratching out a living. You have to love anyone who’s working and not on a government program unless they truly need the help. However- if everyone just decided to do retail business anywhere they please we’d soon have a real safety issue. How would 4 or 5 of Bangor’s largest fire trucks have handled a big blaze in that neighborhood?If the word truly gets out he should be able to sell in a part of town with less congestion.
It sounds like this person has been selling from this location for quite some time, with no issues. I’d be willing to guess he/she didn’t expect the turnout they got. Another commenter is said to be close to this person, and says they ARE seeking another, more suitable location for next week.
The City of Bangor is down about a dozen police officers-they are difficult to find these days. Law enforcement folks in any city spend most of their time not looking for trouble-they have enough on their hands. When they leave people like this alone it can blow up in their faces when business suddenly explodes.Hopefully they find a spot that helps them get the job done. Sometimes these street vendors can actually draw in dollars for area merchants. Good luck to him!
This is a different person than the one selling out in front of Hannaford on Broadway. I believe this past Friday was the first week of this big sale, although I could be wrong. And you are right, they did not anticipate that kind of turnout and are trying to find a more suitable location so that it does not cause that kind of traffic.
I would imagine the reporter asked “Will any charges be filed?” Cop answers “No charges will be filed.” Why are your panties in a bunch?
Well you know PD needed there cut. Lt. Reagan should find something to take care of his time while a work beside worrying about weather this man and woman making a living. The guy and gal where not on EBT cards Tommy. Why don’t Lt.Reagan investigate if Welsh and Reid did the right thing in the Carlson Case. That ought to keep him busy for a week or two. Maybe charges could be filed on them for not reporting this.
Awesome!!! Glad to see people enjoying the product and a fisherman displaying how much of a glut the local market place is experiencing.
NEWS ALERT: Lobsters are $3.99 a lb at McLaughlins Seafood. If you buy them at the grocery store they are $5.99 or more. Personally I would rather buy them at a local seafood place where I KNOW they are fresh rather than a supermarket
Personally would rather drive down to the coast and buy off the dock. Figure if I’m going to have lobster, I might as well make sure the fisherman gets every penny.
these people are selling them fresh from the’ water…in an attempt to make a living. And it’s cheaper for the consumer not having to drive to the coast to obtain them. It’s a win-win. People complaining about the traffic jam were just unhappy because it was Friday and they were in a hurry to get home and start their weekend. I can see both sides.
Candy, it would be alot cheaper for me if I drove 8 minutes to the local see food store then it would be to drive my truck to the coast. To me eating lobster is an event not a meal so I treat it as such. To cheapen the event by looking for the best price would be like getting a tux to go to McDonalds. Also Im not going to pay market price at the dock, Im going to pay what I feel my event is worth, which will be more than market price. I don’t do events often so when I do I don’t worry about the money, I just enjoy the event.
P.S. You ever hear of a scrapple run. That is when you drive from Maine to PA to buy a bunch of scrapple. Then you drive back and fry up some scrapple when you get home. Yes I can get scrapple at Wal-mart but its not just a meal, its an event.
We paid $ 6.59 @ Mosher’s Seafood in Farmington today !!
for hard shell
No… SOFT SHELL !!
if someone were to set up to sell out of their truck would you buy from them??
Absolutely ! Actually, there is a seafood truck that is around on Sunday but we wanted them on Friday…
Just today I remarked while down on Route 1 somewhere near Rockland about the lobster price… $3.60 a pound. Been a LONG time since I’ve seen it that cheap.
come down to Jonesport and you’ll get them for $1.35 a pound at the wharf. it’s rediculous the price of lobsters this year!! Cheaper than hot dogs!! These poor fishermen are hardworking men going in debt for stores to sell 2-3 times what they are getting paid! It’s not right, something needs to be done soon or these fishermen will without this winter!!
The fishermen are not fishing for 1.35. They get a rebate as coop members. The year end rebate will be between .60 and .75 per pound caught. With the amount of lobster hitting the docks i see no difference in dollars earned from previous years. The boys are catching more than ever and the want a price increase???Give me a break….
As to no difference between last year and this, as of the first of August I had caought 5000 lbs more lobster and my gross was the same as last year, Expenses up thougt $10,000 for bait and fuel from April to end of July.
I am just saying that there are real expenses after the product leaves the dock. The public believes that products magically appear at the supermarkets ect. Certain qualities of lobster make it that far. The rest are picked for meat. The meat market is as seasonal as fishing is.
The problem with the lobster business is not a marketing issue. Y ou can find lobster in Dubai as easy as you can in New York.The problem is that the lobster population is exceptionally high right now and like all things that will change with time.
Shame on the fishermen themselves and the DMR for letting the rest of Maines fisheries tank. If that were not the case there would be other ways for the fishermen to save the year in other fisheries. There used to be a time when if you had a bad year lobstering you could go scalloping, urchining, ground fishing, or numerous other fisheries. When limited entry became the hot tool to regulate fisheries you all became specialists. You all have to live and die with your chosen fishery.The system was set up with help from the fishermen it wasn’t forced by government.
Sure hope them dang Canadians don’t find out about these guys poaching their market !
Well if ya come to the hermon snow mobile club on bog rd in hermon next Sunday afternoon you can get a whole sit down meal for 13 bucks including clams and mussels corn on cob slaw and roll they do it every year for a fund raiser for the recreational trails in hermon
i wish i could but i’ll be out of the country, otherwise i would bring the whole family.
AAlso on face book at sled hermon
So, let’s see the lobster boat people are screaming they can’t make any money and are only getting $2.00 a pound for their catch, now a person shows up in a parking lot and some how lets it be known that he/she is selling lobster for $4.00 a pound, and guess what, they had traffick backed up for a long distance! Maybe these lobster men need to find other avenues to sell their lobster, because as I read today there are places selling lobster salad sandwich for as much $15.00 and they are buying cooked meat for $20.00+ a pound, sounds to me that the problem is with this ” middle man” so if a person can pull up into a parking lot and double the selling price by going directly to the public, maybe you guys need to look at the selling process, I would have bet if the person was in the parking lot selling for five or maybe six bucks a pound, I bet he would have still had traffick backed up.
This person took a different approach and sold their lobsters for $4 EACH, rather than per pound. I’ll bet that helped this be a success. Someone needs 12 lobsters, they know exactly how much they’ll be paying, before they even get waited on.
When you cook lobster for meat it takes at least 6# of live lobster to make 1# of meat plus you have to pay to cook them and people to pick the meat cost is aound 17.00. Then you deliver 5# here and there. Show me where the money is on that end….
You sure they weren’t selling Whoopie Pie’s?
Atleast the guy is getting more than selling them to local buyers. I don’t blame him, hope he did well.
I don’t know why there was such a back up. Come down to the MDI area. You can buy cheap lobsters all of the place down here!
Ya drive two hours first from bangor though no thanks
well, maybe we ought to head away from the coast and sell some of ours. (off the boat!)
or, people could put a bunch of orders together with their friends and family and make the drive. How much were they being sold for in Bangor?
$4 for each lobster…not by the pound…..and yes, you should bring them inland and sell them. I saw this $4 each lobster deal on facebook…people shared it on their walls. I think people were doing this for a couple of reasons….one being a good deal, the other in support of the Maine lobstermen/women. Usually most of us working class stiffs can’t afford the prices the grocery stores charge for lobster
Glad that folks were buying tons of lobster and cutting out the middle man, can’t fault someone for making an honest living and he has great lobster. I am just glad I didn’t get caught in the traffic on the way home, I might be singing a diffrent tune if I did:-)
He is a middle man. If the price he paid was 2.00 then he is doubling his money. Shame on you Jimmy for your contribution to capitalism….
From what I’ve read recently I don’t think the middlemen mind being cut out. They are overrun with soft shell lobsters.
I was by there on Wednesday and he was selling lobster for $3.99/lb. then too. Although traffic was heavier than normal for a Wednesday, I’d attribute the jamup to a confluence of several factors: warm weather tends to bring more people out, low prices on a favorite seafood, coverage in the media lately on [relatively] cheap lobster prices, monthly recharge of EBT cards, and Friday is payday for many working people.
He was selling them for $4 per LOBSTER, not per pound on Friday. Since most lobsters sold are more than a pound (not by much, but still 1/4 lb. free is quite the lure) people were saving $ buying them by the each, rather than the pound.
I have to admit, I just noticed the price on Wednesday when I drove by on Broadway, but didn’t notice whether it was per crustacean or per pound.
The ad floating around FB announced the $4 per lobster price was to be only on Fridays. I didn’t see the sign you did on Wednesday, but I would be willing to guess it was per pound.
As long as restaurants charge $22.95 or more for lobster Mac and cheese their will be a glut of lobster. We should all keep in mind that years ago the Maine legislature voted to not make the inmates eat these crustaceans more than 2 or 3 times per week. Lobster needs to become somewhat regular food-in other words- the other-OTHER white meat.
This was posted on facebook for a week.
Don’t have Facebook ……………….. don’t plan to ether
Such a hipster.
FACEBOOK PEEPS
It was posted all over the barter and swap/sell sites on Facebook. I saw it…every Friday at 5pm.
There are only three things I’ve know to slow up the bustling traffic in downtown Bangor. Those being frost heaves, pot holes, and cheap ?????. Never figured it would get fishier than that!
Did the BDN really write this?
Good way to sell under the table. Good move
flash mlob!
Yeah but you can’t use FS to buy off the side of the road. Geez…