Coping with the economic crisis
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ACROSS the corridors of St. Kitts and Nevis, news travels of businesses and households employing cost-cutting and other creative measures as they strive to stay afloat amidst the economic and financial crises that have swept across the globe.
Small vendors are not exempt from the squeezing effect of these turbulent times. But how are these tray-pushers coping, and what are they doing to stay afloat?
SKNVibes visited a number of vendors who dot the main thoroughfares in Basseterre. And while most readily admit that they experience grave difficulty, they have managed to keep their heads above water.
Alexis ‘Luciano’ DeCosta, a barbeque vendor who operates on the Bay Road just opposite the Social Security building, said that he has been tossed to and fro by the waves of the economic storm. However, because he has the responsibility of taking care of himself and his offspring, he employed a number of strategies innovative to his 14-year-old business. And though he still experiences some difficulty, he gets by.
“Business has dropped a lot since the economic crisis began, but I am always all over the place. If I am here doing business today and there is someplace else to go at 9:00 p.m., I would be there. And if there is something else after that session 2:00 in the morning and I could make that session, I would go there just to make money so that I can feed my children.
“Just last week I have started putting on a few additional items on my menu like shellfish or kabobs, lobsters, conch chowder…every little thing which would make things easier. I just can’t sit by thinking that things will come to you, you have to go and get it.”
Farmer and produce vendor Avella, and her worker Fayola Browne, noted that the market is not what it was a couple of years ago, with the economic downturn and other factors taking a toll on them personally and also on the business. Both exhibited signs of frustration as they described the difficulties they push through daily.
“We are trying our best because right now everyone is saying things are tight. We are trying to sell items at prices which people’s pockets can handle. We have been getting less sales since this economic situation started and it is still dropping,” Fayola noted.
“They said we should plant local, but when we plant the stuff they are left to rot. I had over 1 000 pounds of tomatoes and I donated about 200 pounds to the hospital and the Cardin Home and I still have tomatoes to waste. When I go to the supermarket asking them to buy wholesale from me, they would say that they get their tomatoes from foreign…The same with the potatoes and the other provision,” Avella told this publication.
The issue of the plight of vendors, relative to economic challenges, was addressed by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas during the March 20, 2012 edition of his radio programme, Ask the PM.
There, he made a number of suggestions; one of which was for vendors to look at their market and adjust themselves to suite.
“Vendors are business people…you have to therefore weigh what is happening around you, look at the situation and come up with new ideas to improve your business. You may want to make your tray more attractive. You may want to begin to sell more items that you never sold before, you may want to look at what is it that people most likely are buying from me. What is it that is going very quickly?”
Avella and her worker said they have heeded this advice and have resorted to selling some of their produce such as potatoes and tomatoes at prices which are even lower than the nearby supermarkets.
Avella however stressed that with hundreds of pounds of produce still in her possession – wasting away – and with few retail sales, she fears that her little business may soon close.
Teshawn ‘Saltfish’ Walwyn is popular around Basseterre and surrounding areas providing tasty saltfish balls to his customers. And he has told SKNVibes that his business is just as viable as it was prior to the economic crisis.
But how does he do it?
Walwyn said when he realised the economic crisis storm was blowing over St. Kitts and Nevis, he became more innovative and creative, paying keen attention to the market and the needs of his clientele.
“Sales were better back then but we decided to come out a bit earlier just to get to those persons who would like to get their saltfish balls early. So, if we used to come out at a specific time, we could come out a half hour or an hour earlier to get those sales before things slow down. Also, I would get my relatives to help, so when I go in one direction someone else would go in another. That way we cover more ground. You could say sales are the same as before the economic situation hit. But that is because we have had to step up our game because of that and also because of other persons who are now selling saltfish balls.”
David Ramsey of “The Olive Press” sets up his food stall on Fort Street just outside where BET Soundstage was located, which is considered a prime location but he said it does not always translate into dollars.
“Things before the economic recession were good but now it has been very, very slow. But I cannot complain because this is how I make my living. If I stop I will not make any money. So whatever I make in a day, I have to make do with that.”
While there are those constants on his menu, Ramsay says he tends to change things up a bit just so his customers would have a wider variety to choose from, which he believes would keep them patronising his table.
But still, “It is really slow, really, really slow”.
Produce vendor Thyra – who vends at the end of the street between KFC and Courts – has a rather interesting outlook on the current situation. She says she would neither fret nor complain because, come what may, she would be taken care of.
“I believe if you obey the Biblical principles, then you are bound to succeed. And God also promised that He is not going to take His children’s heritage and give it to anybody else. And so every time I come here to sell, within my heart I know that I am blessed. I know that His word must prevail and so I do not intend to join in with those who say it is rough and it is tough because the Bible tells us the cattle on a thousand hills are His. And if I am living according to his principles, then He is obligated to take care of me and I have found that to be true.”
The plight of the vendor is understood by Prime Minister Dr. Douglas as he has explained. However, he elucidated that just as others have tightened their belts and tapped into their creativity in order to weather the economic storm, small vendors must do the same.
He advised that they should:
• Join forces and form cooperatives and purchase their necessities in bulk;
• Become more organised and properly locate themselves “rather than being scattered on the sidewalks”; and
• Make whatever adjustments are necessary to make the journey through this difficult period as seamless as possible.
But is this enough?
