The Adaptation of Sustainable Shopping
Dana Youssef
May 6 2021
May 6 2021
Egypt’s biggest flea market, Wekalet el Balah, has been struggling during the recent events of the pandemic. However, a rise in online second hand apparel sellers may be saving the market.
Sellers in Wekalet el Balah have experienced difficult work conditions since the pandemic first struck in 2020.
Wekalet el Balah contains the largest flea market for used clothes in Egypt. It has been operating daily for many years with shops that are passed on over family generations.
However, like many occupations, being a vendor in the flea market became a struggle with the appearance of the CoronaVirus.
According to Mostafa Amin, a young man who took over his fathers shop 10 years ago, the customers have become very few and a lot of the vendors came out of 2020 in debt.
In fear of the virus, many people had stopped leaving their house unless completely necessary and completely avoided going to excessively crowded places, like Wekalet el Balah. And as a result, the vendors there have experienced a significant slump in their earnings and have grown frustrated.
For that reason the vendors grow excited to see customers and stand outside to encourage them to come to come shop from them rather than any other vendor. It’s always a goal to reel into the most amount of customers possible.
Ramy Bishoy, an outspoken angry vendor said, “people think we make like 300 pounds per day when in reality, I can't even charge my electricity card for 75 pounds. Sending my kids to nurseries would cost me 1000 pounds per month, how much do they think I make?”
In response to the pandemic and the quarantine, some people, knowing that others were likely to avoid going to the crowded flea market, began buying a number of pieces from wekalet el balah and selling them online for profit.
Both Ramy and Mostafa said they were aware that a majority of the customers still visiting the flea market have been buying a number of items and selling them online. And it didn't bother them.
“They’ve created a business from our supply and that just means that they’ll be coming back to buy some more,” said Mostafa.
One of these online sellers is Yara kazem who is one of two founders of an instagram shop for second hand clothes called Funkify.
“What we try to do is to make Wekalet el Balah more accessible for people that don't want to go there. They want to buy thrifted clothes but don't want to go necessarily to the place that sells them. We’re like the middle men between Wekalet el Balah and the people that like to shop online,” she said.
Seeing as how more than half of the Egyptian population has already been exposed to internet access, and that E-commerce sales in Egypt grew by over 150% in 2019 the switch to online is likely to appeal to the society and its different sectors.
Social media users have also started encouraging others to go shop in Wekalet el Balah by posting videos and reviews on social media. This has helped raise awareness of the concept of thrift shopping, whether it be online or on ground.
Fashion blogger Maria Atef turned to her audience on the social media platform TikTok and said, “I encourage all of you to start thrift shopping because first of all, it’s a such a fun experience, you’re shopping sustainable, you’re saving money, and you’re helping the vendors there.”
Now, looking up the word ‘thrift’ on social media, causes a long list of online sellers to appear, all with different styles of clothing.
The rise in coverage has raised awareness of the sustainable motive behind shopping second hand clothing. Which is a positive impact considering that textile producers generate approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions as seen in the data visualization page.
Regular online thrift shopper Laurette Lebbad said, “We hear so much about global warming and how the environment is at great risk so I think thrift shopping is the least an individual can do to help. Plus it's a lot cheaper.”
As awareness is raised, it wouldn’t be surprising to watch the resale market grow in Egypt like it is in western countries like the United States, where it generates a revenue of about $17.5 billion each year.
Sellers in Wekalet el Balah have experienced difficult work conditions since the pandemic first struck in 2020.
Wekalet el Balah contains the largest flea market for used clothes in Egypt. It has been operating daily for many years with shops that are passed on over family generations.
However, like many occupations, being a vendor in the flea market became a struggle with the appearance of the CoronaVirus.
According to Mostafa Amin, a young man who took over his fathers shop 10 years ago, the customers have become very few and a lot of the vendors came out of 2020 in debt.
In fear of the virus, many people had stopped leaving their house unless completely necessary and completely avoided going to excessively crowded places, like Wekalet el Balah. And as a result, the vendors there have experienced a significant slump in their earnings and have grown frustrated.
For that reason the vendors grow excited to see customers and stand outside to encourage them to come to come shop from them rather than any other vendor. It’s always a goal to reel into the most amount of customers possible.
Ramy Bishoy, an outspoken angry vendor said, “people think we make like 300 pounds per day when in reality, I can't even charge my electricity card for 75 pounds. Sending my kids to nurseries would cost me 1000 pounds per month, how much do they think I make?”
In response to the pandemic and the quarantine, some people, knowing that others were likely to avoid going to the crowded flea market, began buying a number of pieces from wekalet el balah and selling them online for profit.
Both Ramy and Mostafa said they were aware that a majority of the customers still visiting the flea market have been buying a number of items and selling them online. And it didn't bother them.
“They’ve created a business from our supply and that just means that they’ll be coming back to buy some more,” said Mostafa.
One of these online sellers is Yara kazem who is one of two founders of an instagram shop for second hand clothes called Funkify.
“What we try to do is to make Wekalet el Balah more accessible for people that don't want to go there. They want to buy thrifted clothes but don't want to go necessarily to the place that sells them. We’re like the middle men between Wekalet el Balah and the people that like to shop online,” she said.
Seeing as how more than half of the Egyptian population has already been exposed to internet access, and that E-commerce sales in Egypt grew by over 150% in 2019 the switch to online is likely to appeal to the society and its different sectors.
Social media users have also started encouraging others to go shop in Wekalet el Balah by posting videos and reviews on social media. This has helped raise awareness of the concept of thrift shopping, whether it be online or on ground.
Fashion blogger Maria Atef turned to her audience on the social media platform TikTok and said, “I encourage all of you to start thrift shopping because first of all, it’s a such a fun experience, you’re shopping sustainable, you’re saving money, and you’re helping the vendors there.”
Now, looking up the word ‘thrift’ on social media, causes a long list of online sellers to appear, all with different styles of clothing.
The rise in coverage has raised awareness of the sustainable motive behind shopping second hand clothing. Which is a positive impact considering that textile producers generate approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions as seen in the data visualization page.
Regular online thrift shopper Laurette Lebbad said, “We hear so much about global warming and how the environment is at great risk so I think thrift shopping is the least an individual can do to help. Plus it's a lot cheaper.”
As awareness is raised, it wouldn’t be surprising to watch the resale market grow in Egypt like it is in western countries like the United States, where it generates a revenue of about $17.5 billion each year.