Market vendors battling drop in business from COVID-19
Vendors in the Bourda and Stabroek markets have been vocal about the hardships they continue to face as sales decrease due to the implementation of COVID-19 measures by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
On Tuesday, they heard that these measures will be in place for another two weeks.
While the demand for fruits and vegetables seems to have skyrocketed, vegetable vendors in the Bourda Market say that the sales they make on a daily basis tell a different story. “Business slow up a lot,” one vendor lamented, explaining that she has even dropped the price for some of her produce in a desperate attempt to attract sales.
Another vegetable vendor explained that for her, the problem also lies with the customers, who she claims have been complaining about the lack of money to purchase her produce. “People nah gah money yunno, so at some point yuh gah understand that is everybody suffering, nah just we,” she said.
A fruit vendor on the other side of the market highlighted that even though the demand for fruits and vegetables may have increased, stationary vendors will not necessarily benefit from the high demand, but those who are able to offer a delivery service will. “Remember people [are concerned] about this COVID thing you know, so people gon buy from the people that gon drive and sell because they don’t have to come to town,” she explained. She noted that she, like many other vendors, had to drop the prices of her products by half. “All like this hay was $200 for one, now it selling for $100”, she pointed out.
At the Stabroek Market, a variety of complaints rang out from stall owners about decisions made by the municipality that have affected their sales tremendously.
One grocery store owner remarked that people are not coming into the market to make purchases and this is causing her business to suffer. “There are days I go without selling anything,” she said adding that she had to decrease the large quantity in which she bought some products. “Before [the curfew], I would sell a slab of cheese in a day or two. Now [with the curfew], it does tek me days to sell a half slab of cheese,” she disclosed.
Another stall owner complained that the ‘strategic’ closing of the majority of the gates to enter the market has caused her sales to plummet drastically. “Dem close all the rest of the gates except them two heh and it causing me business fuh go down because people ain’t walking this side, people walking till on the other side and buying things from that one side,” she explained.
Stall owners have also complained about the stall rent that they still are required to pay. “We still got to pay stall rent and we ah barely open. Nobody nah come fuh buy and them people wah lock up whole day still gah pay $19,000 in rent every month. So it hard.”
Meanwhile, shoppers have flocked to the Arcade situated next to the Stabroek Market, with seemingly no adherence to social distancing protocols outlined by the MoPH. Vendors there indicated to Stabroek News that since the increase in COVID-19 cases, they have attempted to enforce guidelines of their own.
“Sometimes we tell people to stay back, don’t touch we produce and suh, but people does retaliate and cuss we,” one vendor complained.
Fishermen also spoke of experiencing hardship ever since the guidelines were introduced. “Is like people forgetting the benefits of fish,” one fisherman joked. The fisherman, who was at the time selling about 15 fish for just $500, explained that as a youth, it is hard to make ends meet without going the illegal way and despite the market constables attempting to make him and his colleagues believe that they have no place selling in the market and the effects of COVID-19, he is still trying to work to make a living. “The constables them is come to try move we from hay and tell us we ain’t belong hay and suh… with COVID-19 and everything things slow, but I rather this than go out on the road and thief”, he declared.
On April 4, a curfew for the city of Georgetown was declared which initially called for all markets and street vending operations to cease on April 3 at 7:00 pm. However, farmers, wholesalers/ retailers were permitted to ply their trade at the two markets mentioned above on Fridays only. With the nationwide curfew now in effect, vendors are now permitted to make a living for themselves between the hours of 7:00 am and 4:00 pm.