In the midst of a pandemic like the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that has come with lockdowns, job losses, work-from-home policies and other restrictions, people probably might not be thinking of how to get a new phone, the latest shoe, bag or a shirt.
This has been the reality for many, as they rather expend more on essential items like food, beverages and perhaps medicine.
In an assessment of how the shift in people’s purchases has affected businesses that deal in non-food items, Citi Business News engaged some traders in parts of the capital Accra.
“Everything is not going on well. Prior to the partial lock-down, I could sell about 20 pairs of shoes in a day. But now, I cant even sell three or four pairs. so, as you can see, COVID-19 has really affected us,” Ebenezer Mensah, a trader in one of the Accra’s busiest markets told Citi Business News.
“All these purse are selling at GHS 5.00 each, but no one is buying. These handbags go for GHS20.00 each, and there is no one to buy,” Beatrice Mensah, a trader also lamented.
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, in the latter part of 2019, the virus has been spreading very fast around the globe. It has claimed over three hundred and fifty thousand lives globally, out of over six million cases, although many more have also recovered.
Almost every country across the globe has recorded some cases, and Ghana is no exception. Currently, the country has recorded over 8,000 cases, with over 2,000 recoveries, while over 35 people have succumbed to the disease.
The impact of the disease has been severe, as it has changed the way people live, communicate and work. Its disastrous impact is already biting hard as no sector in the global economy has been spared. The aviation industry is the worst hit, as restrictions on flights have meant that only fewer people are travelling. This has had a ripple effect on trade and the hospitality and tourism sectors, with some hotels in Ghana already laying off workers.
Dealers in non-food items such as clothes, phones, shoes, bags among others, have also not been spared the debilitating impact of the pandemic. This group of workers fall under the informal sector, which has nearly 90 percent of Ghana’s workforce.
The informal sector already suffers from underemployment, bad working conditions and low wages with majority of them living with high income insecurity.
Prior to COVID-19, non – food items were highly patronized by Ghanaians; but the story has changed as they were not even part of the list of essential items considered during the partial lock-down.
According to some shop owners, sales took a huge dip during the partial lock-down. For some, it picked up to about 30% after the partial lock-down was lifted.
“Now, sales are better and we are making some profit. When we came back from the lock-down, it was very slow. For instance, at the end of the day, I can make about GHS1,100 or 1,200 on a one thousand cedi bail of clothes,” Michael Oppong, a trader said.
But most people are still feeling the effect of the pandemic on their businesses since some restrictions and safety protocols still remain.
Madam Beatrice Mensah, the Chair Lady for the Kantamanto Used Cloth Sellers Association, said business may be slow for as long as the ban on public gatherings is still in place.
“Business has come to a standstill. It isn’t the same before and during the pandemic. Even prior to the lock-down, business was very slow. But it is the same after we came back. There were also some rumours making the rounds that the used clothes carry the virus, and that also contributed to the slow nature of the business. We can make sales of only GHS30.00 sometimes when we come to the market and this is affecting us,” she said.
“…Also, the ban on social gathering has also affected a lot of people because they no longer go to church, weddings and parties, and so they don’t see the need to come and buy new clothes and bags as they used to. That has also affected us greatly,” she added.
Her claims were reiterated by Ofori Mensah, a shirt seller.
“Well, business isn’t booming as before. First, we could sell a lot of things and make more profit. But since we came back from the lock-down, things are different. The market has slowed down. We want to tell our customers that we are back and we still have goods. The clothes we have are very nice but we don’t have people to buy them. So we want to tell everyone out there to come to Kantamanto and buy shirts from us”.
Many of these shop owners are however hopeful that business will return to normal when every existing restriction is lifted.