NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Straw Market Association President Rebecca Small said straw vendors are filled with anxiety as they attempt to negotiate with the government to maintain part-time shifts they have found to be more profitable post-pandemic.
Small said vendors have a meeting with Minister of Works Alfred Sears this week.
She explained that a recent survey revealed that up to 95 percent of straw market vendors in the Bay Street and Cable Beach locations preferred to work on rotational shifts which are three instead of five days per week.
Small said: “In my letter of communication with Minister Sears, we said straw vendors always felt 500 shops in one market or one location was always too much for vendors to make a reasonable salary.”
This comes as officials in the straw market say many vendors are trying to get back on their feet financially after the blow to their budgets offset by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Small said that the competition in the straw market is tough and having half of their 500 vendor capacity working on each day increases the probability of everyone getting a share of customer patronage.
She spoke about a complaint made by one of the vendors working in the lesser frequented zones of the market.
“She said Ms. Small you know I ain’t make one dollar? I would go home and I would scream, she say my children was in private schools prior to the pandemic, she said, prior to the pandemic she had to remove everyone out of there […] because she said she could no longer pay.”
Small adds that during the pandemic many vendors closed their stalls or had to move back in with family members with tourism taking one of the biggest economic hits, and even now, as the economy regains its fiscal posture things are still not ideal for all members.
However, she explains that they have managed to make more incrementally and many vendors attribute it to the fact that competition is staggered through the three-days-a-week system, which has resulted in vendors making more money in a shorter period of time.
“We didn’t know before that the vendors would have benefited off the rotations and only those persons who may be on the wood carving side and the middle isle, they want the market opened up seven days a week because they want to come seven days a week.
“[…] 231 vendors did the survey 220 vendors say please leave it on the rotation […] but the 5 percentwho don’t want the rotation are the ones who will benefit whether they work seven days or three days.”
The straw vendor president explained that when everyone is working, some areas tend to see more business than others; however, vendors have been able to expand their sales space into unoccupied stalls and increased sales.
Small told Eyewitness News that vendors have expressed that they are willing to still pay their full week’s rent of $35 for the three days that they will be working because they believe that they will be able to make more money continuing the hybrid model.
“When half of the persons there everybody say, Ms. Small, you may not make what you want but ya could go home you could pay your bill ya could get something for your family to eat […] but if they open up this market fully, God help us.”
As the government prepares to open the night market with the cruise port which will see the ushering in of the resumption of the five day work week for vendors, Small said that vendors are
“The vendors they told me they said Small we ready to go on the news we ready to march and what really bothers me there is a small percentage in that market want that market to open up, they want to be able to come to work every day.
“The market is opened up seven days a week but because we are on this rotation, the rotation means for persons through these isles on the east and west side because we on rotation […] my income would be better because now I could spread out […] but if we all come to work then the next person on the side of me, the shops are only three by six.”
Small said they after submitting a letter to the Minister of Works they have received his note of receival and plan to meet with him next Wednesday to make requests based on what the majority of vendors have expressed that they want.
