Bizarre Things Sold on the Beach

Duperelki
If you’re looking for a new job why not become a beach vendor in Europe? Now seriously, in the past 4 months I have been offered some pretty funny trinkets on the beach. There is a word for these trinkets in Polish, which is “duperelki”. Duperelki means something you don’t need.

Getting your Attention
At first I hated all the shouting; “Sunglasses!”, “massahee!” (also known as a massage), “coconuts!”…. then I started to wonder why these beach vendors decided to sell their specific item. Was there all of a sudden a demand for bubble making machines, or mouth whistles on the beach? In most places these beach vendors are illegal and they just sell what they can get their hands on. Most of the items they sell are are truly “duperelki”.

Weird or practical?
I decided to keep a list of all the unique products and services beach vendors offered for sale. Some of the items are just plain weird others make sense, like cold drinks… The odd items must sell because the vendor would not be walking up and down the beach all day in the heat if people weren’t buying them. Here is a list of interesting things that have been offered to me during my travels:

  • Fishing rods
  • Squishy tomatoes
  • Green lasers
  • Drugs
  • Bed sheets
  • Stress balls
  • Massages
  • Stale coconuts
  • Temporary sticker tattoos
  • Hair braiding
  • Beer and drinks
  • Fake brand name bags
  • Cheap souvenirs ie Eiffel tower
  • Sunglasses
  • Bubble making machines
  • Mouth whistles
  • Hats
  • Jewelry
  • Umbrellas
  • Sarongs
  • Fruit
  • Glow in the dark mini helicopters
  • Battery operated dancing cows
  • Kitchen aprons
  • Giant plastic lighters
  • Plastic bracelets
  • Wallets
  • Coconut oil
  • Mangos
  • Peanuts
  • Henna tattoos
  • Fake pearls
  • Magazines
  • Shells
  • Flowers

I find it fascinating that beach vendors bake in the sun all day while we complain about spreadsheets and photocopiers. If I was a beach vendor I would sell sunscreen. The pale tourists would be easy to spot. What would you sell if you were a beach vendor?

Photo by: Sailor Coruscant

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