Dwayne McLeod/Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporters

Higglers inside the May Pen market in Clarendon are hopping mad claiming that vendors who ply their tradeon the streets in the town are taking away their profits.

The higglers say they are operating at a loss as they have to pay a daily fee to stay in the market, even though profits are not forthcoming. "We inside a di market naw mek no money, but still wi haffi pay market fee every day," one said. The higglers each have to pay $100 per day for their spots.

The disgruntled sellers explained to THE STAR that customers rarely visit the market, as they make their purchases from the higglers on the streets. "Some people don't even know seh we in ya so cause dem buy everything from off a di road," one of the vendors said.

The vendors say they have made several attempts to bring their plight to officials, which have yielded only promises and little action. "We try fi talk to di mayor and show him seh wi really a suffer and dem seh dem a go bring everybody inna di market, but all now wi cyaa si dat."

Acting mayor at the May Pen Parish Council, Councillor Florette Stewart, who was acting in Milton Brown's absence, said she was aware of the vendors' concerns.

She said the mayor has had several meetings with them and there are plans to register all the vendors and get them inside the market. She, however, explained that this plan was delayed because of repairs being carried out in the market. "We're trying to fix some of the sections that are dark and that have leaks. We're trying to correct them so we can get everyone inside. We want to make them comfortable, so they will want to use the market," she said.