I like to shop at farmers markets that sprout in a designated place one special day a week, then disappear until the next time the following week.

But often I missed my chance because the market’s schedule did not coincide with my own.

This afternoon I shopped at the 7 Day Farmers Market that opened in December in a former Pathmark on Lancaster Pike in Wilmington.

There’s no website and no promotions besides the big banner on the store. Still, shoppers are flocking to the store, which is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday.

What you will find is a wide variety of fresh produce, ethnic foods, and dried herbs in bulk,  in addition to the traditional canned goods and frozen foods shoppers would have bought at the old Pathmark.

A number of former Pathmark employees found new jobs at the market and offer friendly, helpful service. Witness Scott, the enterprising and pleasant staffer who rounded up various options in quinoa from the organic and grains sections for me to compare. The  cashier invited me to take a free bag of clementines with me as I exited the store.

I enjoyed the variety of fresh produce, popping a container of hard-to-find Matari mushrooms into the cart. There are mounds of cactus leaves, bushels of beets and such mysterious vegetables as gray squash.

Prices on fruits and veggies trend lower than at traditional grocers. I paid 49 cents a pound for sweet potatoes, compared to $1.99 a pound at Acme. That said, some prices for non-perishables are higher. Costco wins hands down for the least expensive quinoa around.