Today I have learned many new things. Firstly, I found out that people who I had always avoided are actually quite great and secondly I, once again, realized that the sun always comes out after the rain...For the past few days I was quite sad due to the unknown future which is unfolding in front of me only with tiny baby steps and moreover, due to the fact that I am quite incapable. Therefore the happenings of today really boosted my self-confidence, that of as a person and as a seller.
Selling on the streets can be quite challenging. Firstly, you need to overcome the embarrassment- yes, you are just a street seller, you are sitting on the pavement, you don't pay taxes and you have no idea how much you will earn by the end of the day. The police might come to arrest you, or in the more unlucky scenario, take all your stuff and money. People can be rude, and the best business could start just in time when you need to very badly go for a pee. Of course, if you are selling outside of your country, and outside of Europe, that can have both it's positives and drawbacks. You do tend to attract more customers, and police cannot really touch you, however locals might be jealous of your luck, people steal from you, and it takes time to find the right 'spots'.
I overcame the embarrassment quite quickly since I used to work in retail and I'll tell you one thing; people do not appreciate you at all. The amount of time the customers can offend you or even hurt your feelings becomes uncountable.
So, the day D came and I knew the lack of finances forced me to go for the streets. I had my husband's handmade stuff (which is by the way the toughest job to sell since you value your own work more than it is probably worth) and I was doing quite alright selling it. In fact after three days I have almost nothing to sell anymore. So even though I'm quite incapable of making handmade things on my own, I am on the other hand a good businesswoman. It's all about the smile, about attracting people, connecting with them and then not being too pushy. Actually, you cannot push them at all into buying something. It is better to just chat with them and either they'll return later or, in the best case scenario, will buy your stuff immediately.
What surprised me most was a Chinese guy buying one of the more expensive necklaces for his girlfriend. Candidly, I was never too keen on hanging out with Chinese. Firstly, I hardly understand they accent and that proves very difficult when communicating, and secondly, most of the time they are in packs. Therefore socializing with a Chinese means socializing with the whole group, and that I find difficult. Therefore when the boy asked me if he could sit next to me, I didn't know what to expect. Not so much from him- he seemed very polite- more from me. So I was just the usual me, chatty and sort of minding my own business. However, when other Chinese were passing by, he started talking to them. They were, of course, interested more. He posed not only as my translator, but as my PR too. I have to admit, tonight changed my perception of these people. Yes, they do tend to group, but they are most helpful people, very friendly and calm. I know that I might sound racist however this is not at all what I meant. I was just simply never attracted to an idea of befriending people who I don't understand. But then, don't we always fear (and that means also avoiding!) things which we do not know? So, thank you Cho for breaking one of my biggest prejudices :)
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