Jeddah’s residents have expressed concern at the increase recently in the number of stalls which have begun to spring up randomly on the sidewalks, disturbing the smooth flow of pedestrian traffic and the lack of regulation in many markets and shopping centers across the city. This is having a negative impact on customers.

With Jeddah witnessing an influx of tourists and people from surrounding towns and villages who visit the city to do shopping, many vendors have been placing their stalls and carts in front of shopping centers causing tremendous inconvenience to shoppers and chaos and congestion on the streets and entrances leading to the shops.

“I came to Jeddah from Allayt village with my family to do some shopping for Eid, but when I went to one of the markets near the Bicycle roundabout, I was shocked by the large number of stalls and carts blocking the walkways making it difficult for pedestrians to pass,” said Saeed Mozil.

Moshif, another shopper, demanded that officials of the Jeddah Municipality come and see for themselves the number of unorganized stalls that violate regulations.

“These stalls bother customers. Not only do they block the pathways but sell expired food products which could be harmful to the health,” added Khaled.

The produce on the stalls varies from fish to sweets and different types of juices. Some stalls also have animals such as cats and small dogs for sale at unusually high prices.

The advent of Ramadan coinciding with the summer vacation draws large crowds to major cities of the Kingdom including Jeddah. It is also the peak season for business and vendors, especially with no regulated venues, often take up positions outside large shopping centers enticing customers to buy their goods.