SLC27-W5 | A One-Day Street Journalist: The Struggle Of Street Hawkers

^{Me in front of the kiosk}

While I walked the street of this city, every single business place amazed me, especially the ones by side walks, you may be thinking ohh this creates visibility for their businesses and passersby will patronize them, there is so much struggle of those business owners that what you assume, they have to wheel those goods they sell to their usual spot (a place where well know customers will easily find them), in this spot on a major road vehicle moves at very high speed, the cold from those breeze, the intensifying heat of the sun that scorches them when the ray shift it's angle of depression, most time they stand for hours not seeing sales, this is worse for seller selling goods that are long lasting and seasonal like clothes, shoes, belts etc, because it takes many months for the same customer to patronize again. Using dollars as a comparison, some don't see up to a dollar in the past 6 hrs.

^{wheelbarrow to convey goods}

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What places did you visit, and what types of hawker businesses did you review?

Clothing vendor on the sidewalk

^Batch

I met a few vendors on this roadside. I approached them and asked how business was going without even talking about making a review, and then I told them that I need all these activities to be recorded. Some felt very reluctant, telling me their business is not outstanding. I don't actually know the other rationale behind declining me reviewing their place, but I had to respect that. Even after further explanation, several of them told me they have made sales and wouldn't like to stress themselves. Truly business is very competitive and challenging here. Lastly, I found a young man selling clothes on the roadside; he seems to be in his late 20s. He made an open kiosk for himself by the sidewalks so that while he hawks his product down with his wheelbarrow, he can position himself for customers to easily locate him.

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Have you ever bought anything from these stores? Show pictures and videos and show their prices.

^{compare the account number and the one he pasted}

I asked about his business and if he has made any sales today, and he told me he made a few sales and that since then he hasn't made any sales. I felt for him because at this independent youthful age, it's very demanding for him as he hustles to feed and take care of his younger siblings; he is not married.

Cloth businesses are mostly seasonal, so I asked which other business he has that can support this. In the video, he said he has none, but he has other business ideas if he has the capital. Fortunately for him, he has driving skills; most times when logistics services are needed by companies, he works part-time with them.

I supported his business with a little token of N1000 for his time; definitely every hawker out there deserves better. Their profits are not substantial and are very incomparable to the thousandfold scourge they receive.

He deals mainly with T-shirt and they vary by sizes

Goods	Naira Price	Steem price
Small polo	N7000	57.18
Medium polo	N8000	65.35
Big polo	N10000	81.69

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How do they face sidewalk occupation, eviction or police harassment?

^{me and the seller}

Plaza is popular place in Uyo, I could remember on June 2025 this place sidewalks have been so busy with sellers by the roadsides, they most times leaving their stands, hold the hands of passerby walk a few meters with them just to convince them to buy something they don't intend to buy, it was very competitive, sales where made each day at least N10,000 per day but something very tragedic happened to all this side vendors, they were warned many times never to sell here, and thinking it was a joke, this time the government, mobilized police officer, with some tax force to harass all of them, their goods were all taken off, many return to a square zero, loses where so much, that even some people became ill because of the shock that their goods were all taken. Fortunately for him he was lucky to escape with his goods

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What are their biggest challenges and hopes for continuing this business?

^{clothes side discpline}

Looking at the pictures, his clothes are well up to standard. I asked myself, what if he set up a better place and started up this business? Definitely, his business may still experience some challenges, because according to what he said, cloth businesses are seasonal; it can take an individual 2 months or more before purchasing a new cloth, especially with the economic situation of Nigeria. Families focus on getting daily bread rather than looking very flamboyant, though every young man, like me, would love to look good, but I don't need to stock up my wardrobe with so many clothes, and the little I have I tend to handle carefully. The major challenge here is getting sales, knowing that other competitors are also doing the same business.

^{Side walk way}

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Like I said before, during the hours of this review I haven't seen any customer patronize this street seller so I had to give him a token to add for his lunch, seeing @ekatirina, @alejos7ven and @mariyaafrin join this challenge will be very encouraging to me

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My IPFS Video is below, Enjoy watching it!!!

Steem-atlas Link	//:# (!steematlas 5.0344417 lat 7.921205 long DaddyP Luxury Wear, Oku Street, Uyo d3scr)
Google Link	https://goo.gl/maps/W7qN4euvSjY31q947