> This is a city where nearly any deli or corner-store has a We're Hiring sign

But then Andre would need to work for somebody else and with somebody else, on somebody else's own schedule.

If you're amoral and see having a criminal record as a cost of doing business, then selling stolen merchandise on a street corner lets you be your own boss on your own schedule, which, as we on HN know, lots of people are willing to give up a third to half of their paycheck to achieve.