A day in the life of a vendor

By Margaret Kamba

Gone are the days when many of us have had to wait for a monthly salary. It is clear that without a side hustle, ends just don’t meet. So here and there we get a few things to sell by the side because even that one dollar goes a long way.

This is why many even in formal jobs make sure to get company vehicles which they use to ferry one or two people from point A to point B for that extra cash. Did I hear you talk about the wear and tear of the vehicle? The attitude is that will be taken care of by the company after all its their vehicle. For that reason you find there is always a huge bill going towards vehicle repairs in most companies because the one entrusted with the vehicle feels they must make extra cash through it.

The streets these days and for many years really have therefore been full with hustlers who not only use WhatsApp platforms to market their products but take to the street selling their wares. They do this either from their cars or simply setting up shop or walking up and down the streets. This is the new normal.

It is either chocolate bars, jiggies, maputi, maheu, biscuits, peanuts, madora, potatoes, oranges, clothes and shoes just to mention a few.

The strategy in all of this is to play a fool because it is you who knows where the shoe is pinching you. Noone knows where you got your produce and why you are there selling. If you allow the other person to discourage you, it is to your peril.

The dress code here is mostly the t-shirts, caps or hats, slopes or anything else that is free because as the sun rises and sets, it gets too hot for anyone’s liking.

There are various set ups, some with huge umbrellas for shade, others with nothing and out in the open where the sun scotches like hell. This is why the freezits are selling like hot cakes now as they provide that false sense of cooling effect and perhaps energy if not quenching the thirst.

At the end of the day the mixture of the various travellers, motorists and vendors breeds chaotic scenes which most often than not leaves the places filled with litter.

Occasionally you see City Council officials picking up litter to try and make the place clean but it seems like a losing battle.

Here and there you see women cooking sadza under trees to provide their various customers with well deserving meals during the day.

Many are the stories that these men and women share when you talk to them but it boils down to one thing which is making money.

Stewart Gore says this hustle is not the same as sitting at home.

“I come here at Westgate to sell my produce. I simply park my car and different customers who may be motorists or pedestrians by pass and buy. It is not the same as sitting at home because you take home which pays school fees for the children and the rentals.”

Josephine Ngwenya who also sells soft drinks at this place shared her story.

“I spend the day walking up and down. Different customers buy at any given time. Some days there is low business but you are assured of money daily.”

Natasha Zengeya disclosed that even here curtails are there and one has to have a thick skin in order to make sales.

“You can find someone feeding you with false information about police raids or setting you up, just to make sure you move from the place because you are providing the same product at a lower cost.”

Godfrey Jera says vending requires patience.

“When you know that people are different and want different things then you are good to go. You can never please everyone. One person wants this while the other wants totally the opposite.Without patience the trade goes to waste.”

So many are the cat and mouse raids with the police but you still find the streets full the next day.

In town it is even worse as the wares are displayed on the pavements where people walk.

In other countries such as the People’s Republic of China, some streets are reserved for night vending for various men and women to sell. Such innovations allow the local authorities to raise funds for whatever it is that is required at the same time for the locals to earn money. Perhaps we could also try this.

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