Street Vendors

Sometimes you have to make light of an annoying situation, or try to find the bright side of something stressing you. 

For me, lately driving around Lusaka has become stressful. 

I don’t know what it is but this year it seems traffic has gotten much worse.  There are always people walking everywhere, or selling things. On the sides of the road, across the road, buses darting here and there, people driving on the shoulders to avoid the traffic or even across empty lanes and turning into the school because no one is coming and the kids might be late and there is a long line of traffic and they are aimlessly following the car in front of them but then they get caught and pulled over for reckless driving and the officer says he will impound your vehicle and you now have to find a way out and go later to the office downtown and miss your bible study for breaking the law, and then apologize to the officers and admit your fault but ask for pardon...ummm.... never mind.  

So yeah traffic,  its really bad, but the street vendors sometimes give you something to look at, or laugh at. 

At many of the stoplights and intersections all over Lusaka, there will be people standing by your cars with very normal and very random things to sell. And these guys can be very annoying but also very good at their job. They know if you only half way glance at their item through your sunglasses that they MIGHT have a customer. 

Rubber Car Mats or a Christmas Tree anyone? 

There is the “tourist” section where you can buy all things Zambian, Our “friend” Lazarus stands near the mall with his Zambian shirts and flags and hats selling to cars that stop or pass by and waving and saying hi to those of us that just drive by regularly and have chatted. 

Then you have the guy with the tomatoes and onions and avocados.

Or the apples and oranges. Then the standard newspaper salesmen and saleswoman and those selling the prepaid talk time. They are everywhere EXCEPT where you need them to be first thing in the morning between 6 and 8 am taking the kids to school and no one is to be found. 

There are the housewares, electronics, antennas, dog collars, jumper cables, toilet bowl cleaners, plungers, roach killer, pencils, and the list goes on and on. Pillows, hat racks, laundry baskets, lamps...

It truly is sooo random.

Turkeys, chickens, kittens and dogs. Yes, they will stand at your car window when you stop, holding up puppy dogs, one in each hand just pleading for you to buy them. 

Many times the dogs have been stolen themselves or are carrying diseases. 

Then closer to town there are men who are selling clothing. Pants and skirts. They buy from the used clothing bales that are opened up and laid out on the ground to sell in the market and then come out a bit from that area and let customers window shop.  Or more accurately they hold them in front of every car window that they walk by.

The hilarious thing about these guys is they stretch out the waistband as they pass looking for the size of the person that would fit the clothing. If they think they find a match they will linger longer at the window. I saw a cute skirt today and so rolled down my window to ask about the price. 65 kwacha. You have to talk and decide fast because normally mid-transaction the traffic starts to go and you will be honked at for holding up traffic while you window shop. and rightly so. 

65, I said no thanks. Then he said ok 50. no thanks. My offer was 30. Then he throws the skirt through the window at me and said ok take it. I grab the waistband to see ( since there are not sizes marked in some of these items) and realized no it probably won’t fit right. Then I handed it back, he grabs the waistband and says, no...look it stretches!  Yes, it does but just because something stretches and you can “fit” into it doesn’t mean that it “fits”. A truth I am afraid many people have yet to figure out.

A few days ago Caleb wanted me to buy him some sunglasses with his money. I told him I wasn’t sure where to get ones for kids, thinking about stores that sell them. He said well all you need to do is drive somewhere and then the guys with all the sunglasses stuck into the foam board that they hold will come up to your window and you can get them. 

That boy is a genius! I had forgotten. It’s something (not exactly sure what, but) when your kids idea of where to shop is from these vendors. 

So I was driving through town today and found a guy with sunglasses. So I bought them. Very simple and cheap! He said 25, I said 10 knowing that I would pay 15 if I had to. He said 15. Deal. Sunglasses bought in less than a minute. I love bartering. The power is with the buyer, I love that!  Especially if it’s not something you need then its just a bonus if you get what you want at the price you want. 

But the main thing I was thinking as I started this post was that sometimes its nice to have a little fun with these guys. 

So, the sunglass man comes to the window ( most always the windows are rolled up for safety ) and I am WEARING sunglasses. He tries to convince me to buy and I just smile and point to my sunglasses on my face. 

The cell phone holder guy comes over, I hold up my phone and show him, I’m good. Already have one buddy. 

The man with the fruit. I have just come from the grocery store, so I hold up my bag of apples to the window, got it covered. 

So today there was a man holding a cheap knockoff of the game scrabble in one hand and a tummy tightener with a picture on the front of a woman in an aerobic leotard  (remember those) with leg warmers and big 80’s hair. (Scary!) 

 He came over and held up the tummy tightener. Hmm...why not the scrabble game? 

So I looked down, patted my tummy and said, “I’m good thanks."  

About half the time they get the joke and smile,  the other half they don’t. 

Either way I drive away a little less stressed by the traffic and vendors laughing either to myself or literally out loud.