Pedaling their wares
Syed Tashfin
The vegetable sellers, who previously, peddled their limited stock of vegetables to different households; are now using vans which are letting them be more efficient and have a better daily income then the former procedure. Over the last one and a half year, a group of peddlers have been using three wheeler vans, which provide the peddlers with more space and give them the extra advantage to get to as many households they possibly can within a very limited amount of time. "The "tukri" that we used were too small and congested," said Mohammad Jamal, one of the vegetable peddlers. "They were usually very heavy to move around with, and as such, we were never able to make such business, through that mode." Most of these peddlers have been in this business since their twenties, like Md. Delawar Sarder. Delawar did not have a steady income in the past, but now, with the implementation of this new idea, five of his buddies along with him, now enjoy a daily income of at least, Tk. 200. They have a group of very loyal customers, who prefer to buy these vegetables from their own doorstep rather than going to the market. Reportedly, the customers also take advantage of the fact that these veggie items are priced at least two taka less than the market retail price. Most of these peddlers, who work around the Kalabagan area and some parts of Dhanmondi, live in Boubazar, Jhigatola. They have been able to support their respective families with the monthly income that they receive by selling from these portable vegetable stores. "Business have been so good that within the last two months, two of us have already purchased their own vans, so as to cut down on the extra expenditure from renting them." Said Jamal. These peddlers buy their items off from Kawranbazar, daily at 2:00 in the morning. They arrange and stock their vans with the correct combination of these items by 5:30 in the morning. Most city dwellers, who are used to jogging around the Dhanmondi lake during dawn are used to these hard working entrepreneurs. The peddlers disperse around 8 in the morning and go their own ways. Other than from the usual threats from hijackers, extortionists and so on, these peddlers are extremely satisfied with this job of theirs. "Usually we have 20 to 25 items on our vans, and by the end, we are always succesful at selling every single one of these items off before heading back home." Said Delawar. Following the very footsteps of Delawar and his buddies, more peddlers around the Mirpur, Dhanmondi and other areas are adapting the same idea in order to ensure a steady and profitable daily income.
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