JEDDAH, 11 August 2005 — Businesses are suffering a downturn in sales due to beggars and itinerant hawkers roaming the streets. Their presence irritates and discourages customers from entering stores which results in businesses losing profits. Authorities realize this is a continuing problem and have taken direct action against the beggars and unauthorized hawkers.
Beggars of all ages crowd the fronts of malls and shops looking for easy targets. Some beggars have severe deformities but most are perfectly healthy.
There are the people who spread a carpet on the floor and sell an assortment of goods such as candy, sunflower seeds, nuts, and gum. Others walk around sell bootleg DVDs and counterfeit perfumes; one goes so far as to cook French fries on a portable cart.
An eight-year-old Somali girl said she made about SR50 a day, just from begging in front of shops. A six year-old boy said “I make a lot of money. I don’t know how much, my mom takes the money at the end of the night.”
A hawker selling fake perfume makes twice as much by selling bottles that range from SR70 to SR120. One hawker said, “At first people don’t want to buy, but if you keep going after them they come around.” When asked if he had a permit to sell his goods the man did not answer.
Many passersby had conflicting feelings of pity and anger about the beggars and itinerant hawkers. They said that beggars too have a right to make a living; however it’s the manner in which they choose to do so that aggravates many people.
Proprietors have taken the financial risk of opening a business and more importantly have done it legitimately and with accordance to the Kingdom’s laws. They feel that street merchants are taking advantage of the success of these businesses and affect them negatively by their presence.
According to Mohammed Faraj, assistant manager at Mango in Tahlia Street, there are three kinds of street people. One, the beggars that follow the shoppers from their cars to the front of the shop and back, secondly, the beggars that come into the shop and thirdly, the somewhat harmless hawkers that walk by people and only go to those who show interest in their goods.
“These people do affect our business because many customers come and complain and ask us why we do not act,” said Faraj. “We call the police, we call the anti-beggary department, and we even called immigration! But most of the beggars run away and come back again.”
“We care about the safety and comfort of our customers,” the manager of Zara on Tahlia Street said. “Our store has two security guards. If they see a customer being disturbed by a street hawker or beggar they will help them, but all we can do is keep these people away from our store and customers. It is really all up to the authorities and the police to deal with these people not us.”
Beggars and sales people do not only affect major stores, they also lurk around small local shops and supermarkets. Small businesses, which sell food and basic goods, are especially affected as people can find other places to shop for these goods.
“I have owned my supermarket for seven years” said a 40 year-old man who owns a modest local supermarket. “Children begging or selling gum and water come here all the time. Because of them I have lost many customers.”
According to the local police it is not their job to deal with the beggars and street hawkers. “We do not deal with the beggars on the street we can’t arrest them or do much to them. It is up to the Anti-Beggary Department to deal with them,” said a police officer. “That department has a specialized police force to deal with the beggars and hawkers.”
Even though it is up to the Anti-Beggary Department to deal with these individuals, its efforts seem in vain. “We call the anti-beggary department and they do come to get rid of the beggars,” said the manager of Jeddah Mall.
Ehsan Saleh Tayeb, general manager of social affairs in the Anti-Beggars Department in the Makkah region, said “Dealing with street beggars is a joint task that includes the Anti-Beggary Department, the Interior Ministry, and the Passport Department.”
“If they are Saudis then we consider this our fault and take the beggars to charity organizations that can help them,” said Tayeb.
According to Tayeb, foreign beggars are caught and face deportation and possibly imprisonment for their actions. “We are doing what we can,” said Tayeb “any business owner who has complaints about beggars can call us and we will respond right away.”
