Periscope
Street promoters face company scrutiny, arrest
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¡§You are doing your job and I am doing mine. You are ordered to clear the obstruction, but I am ordered to stay put here,¡¨ Ah Keung argued. Finally, the
officer gave him one more ¡§last chance¡¨.
Unlike Ah Keung, some street promoters abuse the loophole of the law.
Jonathan Lee Chung-hin, a 17-year-old credit card promoter, said they could be prosecuted for an obstruction offence if they placed something on the ground. ¡§So we tie the banner, table and other things on the railings or place them on top of other things. In this case, officers cannot charge or blame us.¡¨ He said that was actually ¡§playing with words¡¨.
Some of his colleagues, however, did not know the trick and were arrested for putting those promotion items on the ground. They were sent to a police station. All their banners and tables were confiscated.
¡§They had to find someone to bail them out. And they had to appear in court one month later. If they pleaded guilty for causing an obstruction, they would face a fine of at least $200,¡¨ he said.
Mr Lee¡¦s colleagues finally were released on bail of $500 each and were fined about $300 each after admitting the offence of causing obstruction.
Street salespeople also face pressure from potential consumers. Mr Lee said hehad been scolded by pedestrians before. ¡§In one occasion, a pedestrian used foul language to tell me off.¡¨
¡§I now just approach people who need the service. If they really are not
interested in our products, I will not follow them anymore,¡¨ he said.
Although street promotion work is full of pressure and risk, many young people still take the job as it does not require high academic qualifications and it is a way to make quick money.
¡§Some friends tease me for being a street promoter,¡¨ Ah Keung said, adding that they told him to quit the job because he was already a university student. ¡§ But I don¡¦t care. It is better than being a salesman inside a shop, who can just earn about $6,000 to $7,000 a month,¡¨ said Ah Keung who made a monthly salary of more than $12,000 during the past summer.
