How do street vendors work?
Street vendors work under the hot Caribbean sun, tropical downpours and in the midst of hectic big city traffic, is the answer to that question. A large part of the Dominican economy is made up of what’s known as ‘the informal sector’. This informal economy includes employees such as domestic workers and small-scale traders. In the case of the traders, the fact that they are ‘informal’ means that their business is unregistered and unregulated, and not subject to taxation. It is also the way in which a large percentage of Dominican people earn their living. In Spanish they are known as ‘vendedores ambulantes’. Many of these informal businesses consist of little more than a tricycle or cart, often shaded by a colorful beach umbrella. In some cases not even that. The vendors either roam the streets, work from fixed spots on shady corners, or ply their trade at traffic intersections. Street vendors are a colorful part of Dominican life, but for the tourist, the hawkers and hustlers in vaca
