Ledger
One market a day, open to everyone at once.
Every reader plays in the same market on the same day. Your choices are locked in when you play, your day plays out right away, and the final leaderboard locks at 3 PM.
Stand owner or shopper. The market decides.
Tap "Start today's market" and you're handed a role for the day. About 2 in 5 morning players get a stand. Once every stand is taken, or after noon, everyone shops.
Run a stand
Pick what to sell, how to price it, how much to stock, where in the hall to set up, and when to take lunch. Then watch your whole day in about 20 seconds.
Go shopping
You get a purse and a list: something sweet, something savory, and something to take home. Walk the hall, find good deals, and check out. It takes about a minute.
Seven choices, made once.
- Your name. First name and last initial. It shows on your stand and on the food you pick.
- What you sell. There are 68 stand types, one for every kind of stand at Lancaster's real market house, from whoopie pies and Lebanon bologna to fresh horseradish and goat milk soap. Each food can only be sold at one stand a day, so once someone picks it, it shows "Taken" with their name.
- Your price. Bargain, Fair, or Premium. Lower prices sell more. Higher prices make more on each sale.
- How much to stock. Play it safe ($40), Good and steady ($60), or Go big ($90) out of a $100 budget. Leftovers only sell back for a fraction of what you paid.
- Your spot in the hall. Penn Square Doors, the Center Aisles, or the Grant Street Side. Each gets about the same number of shoppers over a day, just at different times.
- Your lunch break. You close for exactly 15 minutes, any minute from 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM. Anyone who comes by while you're gone is a sale you miss.
- Your stand's name, and your email. Leave an email to get on the leaderboard. Check the Ledger box too and we'll email your results after 3 PM.
The weather, the crowd, and a little luck.
Lancaster's forecast
Each morning's market uses the real National Weather Service forecast for Lancaster. Rain sends people to pantry goods and hot lunch. Sunshine brings out flower and lemonade buyers. From November 20 to Christmas Eve, holiday shoppers join in.
Every day is different
Some days shoppers are watching their wallets, some days they're in a spending mood. Some days they want everything fresh, some days nobody minds a big pile. A street fair or some construction can make one part of the hall busier. Your results tell you what kind of day it was.
Restock runs
Sell out and you'll run for more automatically, using your leftover cash and what you've sold so far. Each trip closes your stand for 15 minutes.
Special orders and surprises
A tour bus, a card reader that goes down, a fiddler near your aisle. About 1 stand in 20 lands a special order, like a church ordering pies for next Sunday and paying today. It's made fresh for pickup, so it doesn't touch your stand's stock.
The stand with the most profit wins.
Right after your day plays out, you'll see your profit, your place on the leaderboard so far, and who's #1 right now. More stands open until noon, so your place can move. At 3 PM the board locks and the day's winner is named.
Best stand
Most profit among stands with a name and email. Market-run stands fill out the hall but can't win.
Best shopper
Points for finishing your list, finding deals, money left over, and visiting three different stands.
People's Choice
The reader stands that shoppers bought from most that day.
This week
Most wins over the last seven days, then best single-day profit.
Who ran the best stand.
The first winners will show up here after the market's first 3 PM.
Good to know.
Is it free?
Yes. Market Day is free to play, and you don't need an account.
Can I play more than once a day?
You get one role and one turn a day. A new market opens every morning at 6 AM.
Why do I need an email for the leaderboard?
So we can tell players apart and keep it to one stand per person per day. Playing doesn't need one. Adding yourself to The Lancaster Ledger list is a separate box, and it's up to you.
Can I change my choices after I open my stand?
No. Your stand's day plays out as soon as you open it, so your choices are locked in.
What if every stand is taken?
Then you go shopping instead. Shoppers can play until 3 PM.
Is this connected to Lancaster Central Market?
No. Market Day is a game from The Lancaster Ledger. The hall is inspired by Lancaster's market house and the stand types are the kinds of stands you'd find there, but the stands, shoppers, and stories in the game are made up.