I was in Scotland in June 09, and it seemed that everyone I met asked if I was staying for the gathering. So most of the B&B owners, and merchants all over Scotland knew about it. We went early and did not go to the gathering because we were travelling with children and didn't think they would do well in the crowds. As it was, we have a great 10 days seeing much of Scotland, and our family heritage sites. If the merchants didn't make money, it certainly wasn't because they charged too little. I did the math and found I was frequently paying over $10 US for a ham sandwich.