Street vending

What can you do with ear muffs, glow in the dark star decals, and clothespins? Sell them!

The selection of items that vendors choose to sell on the sidewalks is pretty remarkable. One guy might lay out fleece neckwarmers and pencil cases on his rug. Another guy might peddle nail polish remover, sunglasses, and leggings on his bicycle stand. One guy might set up a tent with belts, compact mirrors, and slippers on a folding table, and in the tent next door you might find notebooks, toilet paper, and underwear.

It's not exactly clear how they decide to sell what they do. (Do they have (or know someone who has) access to individual packets of Vitamin C tablets in bulk? Have they figured out that people are always going to suddenly need a fingernail file or bottle opener? Is there a time of year that leggings* are in high demand?), but the wares sold in the more permanent  librerias and "old mall" storefronts generally consist of the same type of (random) selection of goods: pens, barrettes, wrapping paper, and mittens. 

Someone asked me recently if I was able to bargain with people. I saw bargaining happen all the time in Mexico, and it was something I was never really comfortable about. I haven't seen anyone bargain for a better price in Chile - not even in Cerro Alegre, which is where the cruise ships dock for the day in Valparaíso. So, no. No bargaining. No heckling. I like it. 

*Well, yes. There is a time of year when leggings are in high demand. I saw them everywhere when I first arrived, but now that I need them they are nowhere to be seen. I might have to go to the mall. Excuse me, el mall.