If I need to buy something at home– say, for instance, that my phone charger breaks and I need to replace it or I run out of paper towels at home. I have a few different routes that I could take if I need to purchase any of these items: order them online and have them delivered to my doorstep in two business days (thanks, Amazon Prime), or take a short drive to my nearest grocery or drug store. Often times, I’ll compare different brands to see if I can get a better deal, or if I’m lucky, I’ll have a coupon that was emailed to me.

In my mind (and that of many other Americans), there’s a very logical and predictable flow to this process of consumerism. However, there is a much different process of consumerism that I’ve witnessed here in Ghana.

Now, say that you are in need of any of the following items, but this time you’re in Ghana:

Thanks to the industry of “Street Hawking,” you can buy any of these from the comfort of your vehicle while sitting in the rush-hour traffic on your way to or from work. You’ll see individuals, both men and women, and sometimes children, carrying displays of these items and more walking up, down, and even across highways. Often times, the items being sold will be carried in a large container that is balanced on the seller’s head as they walk– something that still impresses me every time I see it.

Negotiating for a different price than what’s asked is almost always expected, so it’s almost like Ghana’s own version of coupons. In many ways, it provides an even more convenient way to purchase than I’ve experienced in the U.S. which is something that has captivated my attention, since we seem to be becoming a culture that is centered around convenience. On the other hand, this style of consuming promotes more face-to-face interaction (something that the U.S. seems to be steering away from) and also promotes people to buy things they wouldn’t have thought to otherwise, especially since this takes place in a space that isn’t specifically deemed for shopping, like malls are.

“Sometimes, people just buy because they’re curious… They want to know what it is that’s being sold,” one of my Uber drivers explained to me on the commute home as a hawker passed my window.

Street hawking seems to perfectly combine the two notions of convenience and face-to-face interaction that aren’t usually every grouped together in American consumerism. Yet, the process seems to be working Ghana and it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.