Nicaraguan Sales Channels

One of the aspects of life in Nicaragua that has surprised me the most since I’ve been here are the many sales channels used that are not present in the US. Sure, there are malls and big supermarkets here just like home. I’ve even seen a few RadioShacks, which I find shocking because I am generally amazed that store is still open anywhere, much less in Nicaragua. Beyond these more common avenues for business to consumer sales, though, there are many other approaches that I find to be extremely unique.

First, one method that I encountered the day I arrived in Managua is that on some of the busier roads, you will see all kinds of people standing in the middle of the street or in the median peddling various goods. There are people with bowls on their heads that have partially peeled fruits for sale. There are people that string car accessories across tree branches in case a driver realizes, suddenly, that his or her car doesn’t have any floor mats and must buy them right there on the road. Finally, there are even people that come right up to the cars to wash your windows if you don’t tell them otherwise. It makes for an awkward transition when the light changes and they are still wiping down the windows.

In addition to the street vendors, there are also pulperías on every corner in more rural towns. Pulperías, from what I can tell, are basically just any tiny mom and pop stores that sell a variety of convenience items out a little window in the front. They have cards for phone minutes, sodas, eggs, sugar, and even ice cream. The last of these has, obviously, become a major problem for me - one store just down the road sells these Fudgecicle-like chocolate ice cream bars on promotion for 3 cords, or about $0.15. I have a bad nightly habit of wandering over there! It’s funny because I remember the first day I told my Dad that I was able to buy phone cards right across the street. I thought of the images it probably conjured up in his mind – of this big Best Buy right across the bustling street where I live. Quite the contrary, I assure you.

While I find the first two examples of unique sales channels to be pretty interesting, the most entertaining of all for me is number three. Any given weekend, I can expect a number of random vendors to drive by on the main road next to our house offering a host of different things for sale. Most often, I hear ‘advertisements’ for fruits and vegetables over the megaphone that most of these trucks have. The men talk so fast that you can’t hear what they’re selling or what the price is – it’s like an auctioneer rattling off the going rate for oranges (naranjanaranjanaranja). My roommate also told me that he’s seen people go by with furniture or, best of all, with huge boulder-like rocks. His quote was something along the lines of “It’s not like I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Yeah, I totally need a giant rock, I’m so glad you came by!’”