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The objective of this article is to develop premisses about the role of street consuming within a context of urban consolidation. Based on a survey carried out in July 2005 in five concentrations of popular commerce in Northern Metropolitan Lima, I explore the changes in groceries consumption at street markets among residents coming from working class neighborhoods exposed to supermarkets and large scale chains. Results suggest that street consumers tend to be socio-economically segmented, where those who are better situated socio-economically tend to purchase less and less frequently. Nevertheless, street trading is still thriving, still able to resist the competition from modern commerce business.