Posted by Caroline Powers on Monday, May 15, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

One of my favorite places in Cefalù so far has definitely been the beach. I find it extremely relaxing to lay in the sun and just listen to the waves. The first time I visited the beach, I was very taken aback by the people walking up and down the beach trying to sell assorted merchandise to the people laying out, so I decided to sit and observe them for an hour. I’m sitting on a bench on the boardwalk near our villa, watching the merchants walking back and forth on the beach below. There seem to be two different types of merchants walking along the beach. I noticed about 4 Asian women wearing long sleeve shirts, pants, Crocs and wide brim hats. They all carried a backpack and a laminated piece of paper presumably describing the different massages they offer. There are also men of various foreign descents wearing similar outfits of long sleeve shirts, pants, and baseball caps. They carry backpacks as well as whatever product they are selling, like colorful necklaces or large beach blankets. I also observed a man walking up and down the beach yelling “Coco, coco” indicating that he was selling coconuts. Each vendor approaches people directly and loudly, saying hello and asking if they want to buy a massage or some kind of product. Many people seem to simply ignore them or shake their head. The vendors occasionally spend a moment more describing and encouraging their product, but rarely can change their minds. The sellers normally get pretty close to people to make their presence difficult to ignore and position their product in the lounger’s line of vision. It seems that another vendor walks by about every five minutes. They approach every single group of people, offering and encouraging their product then continuing on to the next group if they don’t want to buy anything. People who are from Sicily or other areas where this is common are obviously accustomed to dealing with these types of people, as they will either ignore them or give a firm shake of their head to send the sellers on their way. Tourist (like us), however, seem unsure how to deal with them at first, but eventually get the hang of it.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4s1HHgmE7V-dUtVV2tpSWlITTg

I was somewhat surprised that selling items in this manner was allowed, because on many beaches in the United States there are laws regulating this. I have not noticed many people purchasing items from the men, but I have seen some people buy massages from the women. I personally am not a huge fan of this method of sale, as I would prefer to relax uninterrupted on the beach and if I wanted to buy something I would take the initiative and approach the seller.

Follow Up Questions:

1. Is this method of selling items overall effective? What percentage of people actually buy things in this manner?
2. Which other European countries is this common in?
3. Are these people originally from Sicily, or for what reason did they move here?