SLC26-W6 | Street Business Diaries: Exceptional and unknown businesses
Women are thriving in businesses these days; the compelling power and ability to attract customers is widespread. On this lane alone I saw over 5 shops where plastics are sold. Come to think of it, is there any home without plastics? Even in classical homes where dishes are ceramics, you can't avoid plastics because there are certain utensils for food preparations that needs them. Before I begin, let me list a few household utensils made of plastics, some of which will be displayed in my pictures below. I have reading tables made of plastics, baskets where I keep dirty cloths, baskets where I dispose of my waste, and buckets where I preserve water temporarily. Even my water tank is made of plastic. Definitely no home can do without plastics.
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If you want, you can talk about the pot and bucket seller.
A close friend of mine took me here, and guess what? I patronised her by buying a waste parker and a cutter. I didn't want to stress this married woman by asking her numerous questions, but a few.
Me: How is business going?
Plastic seller; business is fine.
Me: Obviously, Ma, in this business I know for sure that there is competition. Passing by, I saw a lot of plastic shops, and from my observation, yours is the 5th one. How are you able to combat this competition?
Plastic seller: In every business, there is competition; we can't disregard that fact.
Her brief answer at this point made me switch from English to my local dialect, Ibibio, to enable her to understand more, but funny enough, she didn't switch 😁, but I still maintain it.
Me: In this business, how do you attract your customers? How do you make them stay whenever they patronise you?
Plastic seller: The way I treat my customers makes them come back.
Me: On a small scale as a student, what item do you think I should start with, and what's the capital?
Plastic seller: As a student with little money, you can afford little things like a Parker, buckets, filters and other small items for now, then as you grow in the business, you add more items.
Thank you, Ma, for your time; I really appreciate it.
Video of at least 1 minute
What is the most in-demand exceptional product in your area?
As earlier stressed, there is no home without plastics. In my locality plastic spoons are used on occasions/ceremonies tied around disposable plates stocked with foods. In many homes plastics are used to store water; we have them also in the kitchen, where most vegetables are washed. Cups used for brushing in the morning are made of plastic because they are lighter, so with this, plastics are in the highest demand, even in shops whose businesses are majorly plastics, but due to their demand, they add them to their list of items, and they have a higher customer purchase rate. In comparison with flower vases, though, to some people they hold their own importance, but here in Akwa Ibom, I hardly see anybody come back home with a flower vase, but I have seen many come back with a new item for their bathroom, like a mopping can, etc.
Have you ever bought anything from these stores? Show pictures and videos and show their prices.
For prices of items here, they all differ by shapes and quality, so in this shop I bought only a waste parker, which cost N500 for a small lighter one, and a cutter for cutting things like semolina and putting them on plates. Apart from this, this plastics seller took time to show me all the prices of individual items. With this, I was able to determine which one I should start with and the start-up capital for this business if I should. I was able to take a snapshot of most items individually so that I can recall their prices for the pictures.
Prices In Nigerian Naira
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How do you think these products impact people's lives?
There are a whole lot of ways in which plastic items impact the lives of many people; a home without this item is missing out. Many prefer plastic items because of expiration; they are sent for recycling or most times burnt to free up space. If plastics were not used in this locality, literally no five shops in a single street would be selling them. One of the impacts plastic items have had is in the area of preservation; children are careless with breakables and glasses. Notwithstanding this, these items are delicate even to adults. For my parents in this case, I was made to use more plastic to brush and eat as a kid to avoid ceramic breakage and, as such, preserve our money.
Do you think these exceptional businesses are making a special contribution to society?
Have you been to a street where litter is all over the place? Today in offices and in school walkways, these plastic items are placed, and waste is being dumped rather than littered all over the place. This business also has an affiliation with plastic companies, and broken plastics, instead of being disposed of carelessly or burnt, are forwarded to plastic companies for recycling, as such reducing waste in our society.
| Business name | Divinegrace Plastics |
|---|---|
| Date of Creation | About 4 yrs ago |
| Opening Days | Mondays-Saturday |
| Opening Time | 9am-4:30pm |
| Business Owner | Ma'am DivineGrace |
| Startup Capital | Naira; N2,300,000 Steem Price N11,200 |
| Local Address | Ikot Akpa Etuk Road, Ibesikpo Asutan LGA |
In the end, she told me the prices of all items as I snapped, and she asked a few questions about my education, I exchanged pleasantries and left after purchasing a parker and a cutter.
| Google Map Link | https://goo.gl/maps/ZirxuoF4fEnVa3wL8 |
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| Steem Atlas Pin | //:# (!steematlas 4.91913143 lat 7.96621437 long Divinegrace Plastics d3scr) |
Hello @nsijoro, congratulations on making it to the STEEM TOP 75 list. We’re upvoting a post from one of the authors we selected from this list. Thank you for your valuable contributions to the platform with your successful work.
Thanks a lot
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Hola @nsijoro, te cuento que me encantó tu participación en el reto.
Excelentes preguntas y reseña de tu visita a la calle donde venden estos productos.
Me alegra que hayas cumplido con los requerimientos del reto.
Igualmente elegiste un lugar relevante, porque como lo expresas, el plástico es necesario en nuestros hogares al rededor del mundo.
Saludos y bendiciones.
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