Commercial activity can be carried out in different ways: through the network, in a traditional establishment or large area, in a market or in different urban spaces. Thus, whoever sells a product on the street is a street vendor.
As its name suggests, this type of seller does not have a fixed place of sale, since it moves from one place to another looking for the largest influx of public.
Particularities of street vending
This activity is normally associated with marginal groups that cannot or do not want to sell their products through conventional channels. The space used for this type of sale is very diverse: metro stations, squares, busy streets, etc.
The goods sold are often trinkets, low-value handicrafts, and illegal copies of clothing, music CDs, or movie DVDs.
Whoever is engaged in street vending usually does not pay taxes or fees. In the customer-seller relationship, the practice of haggling is very common, in such a way that the final price paid by the consumer is different from the initial price.
Of course, this type of sale has certain risks for the consumer: the impossibility of making claims or returns, possible deception or scams, etc. From the point of view of traditional commerce, street vending represents unfair competition. With some frequency, this commercial activity is persecuted by the authorities.
Peddlers, peddlers, manteros and merchants
In the Latin American context, street vendors are popularly known as peddlers. The word peddler began to be used in Spain in the Middle Ages to refer to street vendors. Etymologically it comes from the word jester.
A term currently in disuse to refer to street vendors is that of peddler. In Spain this type of activity is better known as the top blanket and the person who does it is a mantero. The word mantero is used because the merchandise is usually displayed on a blanket, which is done to wrap the objects in it in the event that the police appear with the intention of evicting the manteros.
At present, the people who dedicate themselves to the top blanket in Spain are mainly of African origin.
One of the groups that have dedicated themselves to street trade in Spain are the mercheros. The merchero collective is nomadic and has a way of life similar to that of the gypsies. Its main activity throughout history has been the sale of tin products and costume jewelery through street vendors.
Photos: Fotolia - Luca Lorenzelli / Villorejo
