Speaking to The Standard, a butcher Ousman Jallow said: “Business is very, very dull. It used to be good but not these days. I think it might be that the season is ending that is why things seem to be so dull. During the start of the tourist season we have received many customers and registered good sales. As the season ends business has gone down drastically”.
Isatou Jammeh, a palm oil and vegetable seller enunciated that “lack of customers and poor sales” has been a “very big problem.”
“Business is not working. I used to take a loan from palm oil producers at D10, 000 and resell it here at the market. Now I am not doing that because of fear that I would not be able to pay back looking at the nature of business here.
Kabba Jatta, 73, who has been in the market for 39 years vending fish, said that he is minded to stay in the market despite dismal sales.
“It is better for me to continue doing this business than sitting at home because this is where I earn my livelihood even though business seemed unstable. Sometimes business is good and at other times it is poor, but that is the nature of business itself. You cannot register good sale every day,” he said.
However, the overwhelming tale of woe is not universal across the market as Mommodou Bah a fruit and vegetables vendor said: “Business is working steadily and fine at the moment. Customers are coming out steadily and fruit sellers are also many in the market now. And everybody is earning what he or she should from their sales.” Expressing similar sentiments, Fatou Sidibeh, also a vegetable seller described business as “not bad at the moment.”
By Alagie Manneh
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