Street Vendors in Jamaica
Who Are They? What Do They Do?

Street Vendors in Jamaica - Snow Cone (Sky Juice Man)

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

If you are from Jamaica, or have ever been to Jamaica, then it is a guarantee that you have encountered a higgler. Not sure who a higgler is? Higglers, as we call them, are street vendors. I'll be telling you a little bit about who they are and what they do.

You will always be able to tell if someone is a street vendor or not. A street vendor will loudly call out the things they sell, usually adding a little flair. A simple "Get your slippers here" is not the Jamaican way and street vendors in Jamaica are great at coming up with rhymes and jingles to encourage you to buy their products.

You will find them a lot in every major town of every parish and even in rural areas too. It's common for you to see them with wooden handcarts filled with clothes and other products, or items hung on the side of buildings.

Here are some of the most common items found being sold by street vendors in Jamaica:

1. Clothes
2. Shoes
3. Handbags
4. Other accessories like socks, masks, jewellery, scrunchies, and many more
5. Vegetables and ground produce like corn, cabbage, tomatoes, callaloo, plantains, yam, and many others
6. Fruits
7. Phone cases and chargers
8. Seasonal items like back to school supplies, mother's day, father's day and Valentine’s Day gift sets
9. Toys 
10. Insect repellents
11. Cleaning and laundry supplies such as bleach, disinfectant and liquid soap.

Street food is quite popular here and that and a host of other items can be found across the island.

Some use food trucks or jerk pans, grills, a table, or walk around selling sandwiches, snacks, baked products or juices from plastic containers, bags, buckets, or igloos. These are just a few of the food items you might find on the street:

Bad Dawg Vendor

1. Jerk foods - chicken, fish, pork, chicken neck or chicken back
2. Soup - mostly pumpkin, red peas, chicken foot, or conch. You may also find a few persons selling ital soup, which is a soup made of mainly vegetables and ground produce and absolutely no meat or salt.
3. Traditional pastries like coconut drops, peanut drops, grater cake, and gizzadas.
4. Hot Dogs and egg sandwiches
5. Burgers
6. Popcorn
7. Chips (fries)
8. Fish and festival or fried breadfruit
9. Porridge - hominy corn and cornmeal are most common in the mornings
10. Teas of various kinds and a steaming cup of coffee

Soup and porridge stands are very popular in the mornings when people are rushing to get their day started. Uncle Joe is one such person, you can watch our video with him here:

Watch Video!  Meet Uncle Joe | Expert Soup Vendor

In the rural parts, street vendors in Jamaica can be seen selling:

1. Sugar cane
2. Peppered shrimp
3. Curried crabs
4. Roasted peanuts
5. Ackee
6. Vegetables and more

Street vendors are a life saver on long road trips across the island. When you've left the busy towns and you are need something to eat or drink, there is always one when you least expect it where you can purchase the stuff you need.

Street vendors are also very popular at schools. If you've forgotten a book, need a pencil or sock, even lotion or a snack you can definitely by it at the school gate. Some schools try to regulate the vending as much as possible to make sure the children are safe while at school.

Is Street Vending Legal In Jamaica?

While street vending itself is not illegal in Jamaica there are rules and guidelines that each vendor must adhere to like:

1. Getting registered - each street vendor in Jamaica is required to get registered and receive a license from the parish municipal corporation. 
2. Pay a yearly vending fee
3. Only operate in the specific locations that have been approved by their municipal corporation.

While it is quite simple to get registered, many persons choose not, and because of this, they tend to always be on the lookout for officers of the municipal corporation who have the right to take certain actions if they find these vendors in breach of their guidelines, especially selling on sidewalks and in other areas that have been declared as no vending zones.

Some of these actions include:

1. Confiscation of their goods, which they will have to pay a hefty fine to retrieve.
2. Being prosecuted
3. Those who are registered may have their vendor permit revoked if found in breach.

You will find that in areas where the vending guidelines are not being followed, some major setbacks can be quite dangerous. When vendors fill the sidewalks and streets with their carts and other items it leaves no room for pedestrians to navigate safely.  Forcing them to walk on the streets where they are in danger of being hit by oncoming vehicles.

It also causes congestion on the streets as some vendors use the designated parking spaces, leaving motorists to park on the sides of the roads that are already too narrow.

So Why Are There So Many Street Vendors In Jamaica?

You will find street vendors of all age groups, the majority coming from inner-city communities. Many of whom never completed high school or got any qualifications that would allow them to be gainfully employed by many business places. There are a few who are quite educated and street vending is just another means of gaining additional income while they complete their studies. 

Also, street vending is very lucrative for many. From time to time, you will even find small children selling sweets and chocolate to help send themselves to school. This of course is illegal.

While there are a few mishaps, Jamaicans, in general, are very grateful and appreciative of street vendors. There is nothing as sweet as making that 2 am run down the street to grab some delicious jerk chicken.

Other Pages Related To Street Vendors in Jamaica

You will also find these pages quite helpful as well:

• Fun Jamaican Road Trip
  
• Exciting Jamaican Personalities
• World Famous Jamaican Jerk

Return to Jamaican People from Street Vendors in Jamaica 
Return to My Island Jamaica Homepage from Street Vendors in Jamaica

References & Sources For Street Vendors in Jamaica

1. New vendor regulations for MoBay take effect October 1, https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/New_vendor_regulations_for_MoBay_take_effect_October_1  
2. Vendor Registration and Fees | Local Authorities of Jamaica, https://localauthorities.gov.jm/services/vendor-registration-and-fees

Street Vendors in Jamaica - Written: March 3rd, 2022

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