How do locals know which market vendor has the most friends?
Popularity is loud. Friendship is persistent.
Locals notice friendships through casual conversations, shared jokes, favors, and the number of people who stop by without buying anything.
A customer buys tomatoes and leaves.
Another customer stays for ten minutes just to talk.
That difference tells an important story.
The hidden mechanism is social capital. Vendors with strong friendships create value that has nothing to do with prices or products.
People often think markets are places where money changes hands. The busiest exchanges are often invisible: trust, stories, and affection moving quietly between people.
