A large number of such women sell low quality products, especially herbal cosmetics and sexual stimulants, at cheaper rates at temporary stalls on both sides of streets, mainly in Souq Al-Badawi in downtown Balad.

These women often confront security officials with abusive language and even dare to attack them in their bid to escape during periodic raids, Al-Watan newspaper reported.

According to market sources, these women are very clever and employ every possible trick to sell their products.

They manage to attract both male and female customers by undercutting retailers in the area. Women customers buy mainly duplicate cosmetics, polish items and other accessories. These vendors also sell various types of herbal sexual stimulants to their male customers.

On a tour to the area, anybody can see a large number of shoppers in front of each of these vendor’s stalls.

“Most Saudi women customers want herbal cosmetics that we had prepared at home,” says Mariyam, a vendor. She expressed her displeasure over the common attitude of treating them as illegal vendors.

“We are making available herbal cosmetics that are not available elsewhere in the market. Most of our male customers are coming in order to buy herbal sexual stimulants. We offer prescription of these stimulants confidentially to our customers,” she said while claiming that many customers have reportedly solved their sexual problems after buying the products.

Fatima, another vendor, was selling a special type of herbal stimulant pill. She said customers know that these pills are only available at such stalls in Balad, particularly Souq Al-Badawi.

“My daily income from sales of the product is quite sufficient to support my family of three sons as well as to pay my rent,” she said.

Muhammad Al-Akhtar, a salesman at Souq Al-Badawi, said these street vendors are posing a big headache for businesses in the souq.

“These stalls are located along the roadsides in front of our shops. They manage to lure a chunk of our customers,” he said, calling on the municipal authorities to take strict action against these illegal vendors.

Sami Nawar, head of the Historic Area Municipality, said that there has been a big increase in the number of African women vendors in the Balad area.

“They are reportedly selling many low-quality cosmetics from unknown sources, a practice prohibited in the Kingdom. It is very difficult for officials from the municipality and police to catch these illegal vendors. Many municipal officials have had to face verbal abuse and are even assaulted by these women when they carried out raids in the area,” he said.

Nawar noted that the municipality in cooperation with passport officials and members of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has been conducting raids in regular intervals to put an end to this practice.

“But these women still pose a big threat to legitimate businesses in the area. Hence, we have plans to intensify raids to eradicate this practice forever,” he said.