Saudi Gazette Elderly women have been selling their goods on pavements in harsh conditions in different parts of the Kingdom for long. Popularly known as ‘Hajjas' they are often seen sitting outside schools, shops, and Mosques with their little kids. Pedestrians and shoppers can find numerous items ranging from children's stickers to plastic toys, sweets to snacks, women's clothing, cosmetics, crackers and other miscellaneous items. They may lack high school and university degrees in marketing and accounting, but they do possess many positive qualities that make them good saleswomen. And, although they are deprived of the luxury of working in grand shopping malls, they manage to keep thier spirits high. They are friendly, talkative, cheerful, and you often end up buying things - sometimes out of need and sometimes out of pity. They give you lots of prayers too, for a long life, for wealth and health, and so on. They may have a relaxing attitude but behind them lies extreme poverty and hardship. Despite it, they patiently tolerate the harsh weather, long working hours, and unpleasant working conditions. They put up with all these nuisances because their children and families rely on their scanty income at the end of the day for food and basic necessities. Al-Watan daily spoke to some of these saleswomen to inform them of the new law that permits only women to work in lingerie shops, and not surprisingly, many of them had never even heard of the feminizing law. Umm Ibrahim laughed and said, “It looks like we were far ahead of these laws since many women, including myself, have been working as saleswomen for over two decades. I am compelled to work to feed my children and the little ones wait for me late into the night until I return home with their daily allowance. My husband is disabled and is unable to provide for us. I work two shifts, mornings and evenings and sometimes my eldest daughter comes with me to help. I sell prayer rugs and prayer garments for women and my daughter sells cold drinks and snacks.” According to Umm Ibrahim, one advantage of working on the sidewalk is that she doesn't have to worry about shop rentals.“I could never afford to pay rent every month for an official shop or store. The sidewalk is free of charge and even though my profits are at a bare minimum, at least we make ends meet,” she said. Another Hajja, Umm Rayan, unrolls her rug out on the sidewalk and displays her goods only in the evenings as she spends the day hours tending to her young children and shopping for items at wholesale prices, which are to be sold later in the day. “Sales are painfully slow and I barely have enough money at the end of the day for a decent meal for my family. I wish the city mayoralty would provide us with normal, clean, and air-conditioned shops and cover the rental expenses for us. I can't even afford to buy preferred and well-known brand names in chocolates and candies as I don't have enough money for it. I have to buy cheap ones which are inferior in taste. I set up my rug with goodies from the afternoon Asr prayer and I stay there until after Isha prayers in hopes of making some extra sales. During the summer, work is particularly challenging because the days are hotter and longer, and Isha is not called until around nine o'clock pm. Hessa who owns a stall at an open souk told Al-Watan that she was not aware about the laws that mandated business owners of lingerie shops to employ women or even about the Hafiz program. “Although it is sometimes tough, I am happy with my work. I know my regular customers by their names and my customers are not limited to women only, but many men and children crowd around my stalls too, looking for treats. And besides, I can conduct my business without having anyone chasing after me for rent payments,” said Hessa. __
