Conceal Merchandise When Moving Between Vending Locations

Street vendors moving stock between locations present an easily readable signal: the bags, trolleys, or containers they carry identify them as someone with merchandise worth taking. A Venezuelan vendor on Baggan Avenue, San Juan, was robbed of two bags containing food processors, a blender, speakers, a camera, a tablet, a phone, and other items valued at more than $4,000 when two suspects approached him at 10:30 a.m. — one lifted his jersey to reveal an object resembling a firearm and demanded the bags without resistance. The merchandise itself was the reason he was selected. Unlike a private individual carrying concealed cash, a vendor’s stock is visible by design when in transit: the nature and volume of the bags signals what is inside, and the vendor’s regular route and schedule can be learned by anyone paying attention over a few days. Reducing the visual signal of what you carry, and varying when and how you move it, removes the most obvious reason to target you.

Steps to follow:

• Use plain, unmarked bags or backpacks when transporting merchandise — avoid branded boxes, clear plastic bags, or open containers that display goods to anyone on the street.
• Where possible, break large stock loads into smaller, less conspicuous carries across multiple trips rather than moving all merchandise in one journey that draws attention.
• Vary your transit route and departure time between locations; vendors who move at the same hour along the same road each day create a predictable pattern that can be observed and exploited.
• Avoid carrying all of your inventory at the same time in the same direction; if one load is taken, the loss should be partial rather than total.
• Move in the company of another person when transporting high-value stock; a sole vendor carrying multiple bags in a quiet area is an easier target than two people moving together.
• If you sense that you are being followed or monitored while in transit, walk directly into the nearest shop or occupied premises and wait — do not continue toward your destination with people tracking your movement.