Prime
A day in the life of A second hand clothes dealer
‘I have managed to look after my children even when their father is away’
My name is Immaculate Namanda. I am 26 years old. I stay and work in Bbunga, dealing in second hand clothes for children aged between one month and 10 years. Because I have to get my school-going son ready every morning, I make sure that by 6:30a.m I am awake. I bathe, dress him up and serve him breakfast. I do this on a daily basis.
I also prepare food and tea for my baby girl, who remains at home with the maid. At 8a.m, I take breakfast and by 8:30a.m, I walk my son to his school, which is not far from home. From here, it takes me 15 minutes to get to my workplace. I am usually there by 9a.m.
I then wait and pray for customers to come, but I don’t call out to them as is the case with most people in my business; I find that awkward and forceful. The price varies per cloth. I always have lunch at work at a cost of Shs2,000. At 6:30p.m, I close up and take the luggage back to a store nearby, for which I pay Shs5,000 rent per month.
I started this business with Shs150,000 but I now use Shs400,000 to stock up. I make sure to purchase new stock at the end of every week. What I earn depends on the customer turn up. At times I make Shs100,000 or more per week. In the one year I have been in this business, I have managed to look after my children even when their father is away.
I was initiated into this business by a friend in Owino Market from whom I used to buy my children’s clothes. I then started saving money from whatever my husband left me, with the aim of setting up my own business.
The challenge I face in this business is that when people take clothes on credit, they do not pay on time. Being a roadside business, rain and dust also affect me a lot. I have a dream of putting up at least four boutiques next year. One in town, one in Bbunga, one in Kansanga and one in Ggaba. I believe I will then be able to thrive more than I am now.
— As told to Christine Katende
