Table 7.

Narratives and photographs on the theme ‘food vendors’ services and social qualities’

Accra	‘Sometimes you get to the food seller and the food will be cold and when you ask her to heat it for you, she will insult on you. This doesn’t show respect and you leave and not go there again’ (Female, 13–18 years, lowest SES, A41).
Ho	‘The way they talk to you, ‘Please, what are you buying?’ or ‘Please, thank you.’ You will be very happy then you will leave there glad. Even with how they will show their appreciation, you will want to go back and buy from there’ (Female, 13–18 years, lowest SES, H14).
Nairobi	‘There is one that I buy from, the first day he/she talked to me nicely and that is the reason why I buy from there’ (Female, 19–49 years, low-middle SES, N4).
Accra	‘There was a time a woman was roasting plantain that was nice but the woman selling the food, she was dirty. When I looked at the fingers, it didn’t attract me… So I didn’t buy it anymore’ (Male, 50 years and above, low to middle SES, A25).
Ho	‘(I consider) how they take care of the surroundings and how they take care of the food, when you go and eat, because you will enjoy the food and also feel the sweetness in the food, you will go there again. This will even pull customers to them’ (Female, 19–49 years, low-middle SES, H23).
Nairobi	‘She makes sure that she has washed those (vegetables) for you in clean water, for me it’s about cleanliness if you see me going somewhere it’s because of cleanliness’ (Male, 50 years and above, lowest SES, N39).
Accra	‘She is good to me because at times when I don’t have money, I go there and explain to her and she gives me food stuff to go and cook and when I get money I go back to pay her. This helps me a lot and makes my eating easy for me’ (Male, 50 years and above, lowest SES, A28).
Ho	‘I know she does it for me, I don’t have any issue with her, and so I am able to get things on credit’ (Female, 19–49 years, low to middle SES, H27).
Nairobi	‘This shop belongs to my neighbour we have known each other for many years and we have brought our children up together you can see that girl I send her there I like there because if I do not have she can lend me’ (Male, 50 years and above, lowest SES, N12).
Accra	‘They do the grinding nicely for you and the millers always have a smile on their faces when I go there. On some occasions I may not have the amount they charge for grinding but they do not turn me away. They take the things I have and grind it for me’ (Female, 19–49 years, lowest SES, A38).
Nairobi	‘It influences my eating because the man selling there is, he knows how to cut, when you go to purchase cabbage, you can tell him the size you want, and he can cut big ones or small ones’ (Male, 19–49 years, low to middle SES, N28).