Any town or city has at least a few vendors, and larger cities have a great many. Such peddlers are mobile retailers, selling water, snacks, trinkets or other small, cheap goods to passers-by. The street vendor’s trade is similar to the merchant’s, but on a much smaller scale. For obvious economic reasons, street vendors are found where the crowds are: market squares, main streets, near palaces and court buildings where they circulate through the crowd or set up shop in a comfortable corner; they may also travel door to door. Vendors provide convenience. That is, they sell a drink of water or a skewer of grilled fish here and now so that the customer doesn’t have to run home and back. Cities are small and money scarce, so profit margins are thin in a very competitive environment. Nevertheless, the work is ultimately easy and can be done by children, the infirm and the very old, often part-time to supplement other household incomes. All one needs is a small store of goods (often bought from a supplier each morning), a little equipment (say, a large waterskin and a few cups, a brazier and a little wood, or just a tray or blanket on which to display wares) and a willingness to sell aggressively.