Tissue Paper $1 for 3

"Sir, do you want to buy tissue paper?"... I was shocked by the approached not because of this incident as it happens around us almost everyday, it was a lady at late 30's who was trying to sell the packaged tissue paper to me while I was on my way back home after my weeekend "househusband" shopping. I can feel she is so desperate to sell her tissue paper, but still, i rejected her...

During this economic difficult time, it seems getting more and more disable, senior citizen even middle age guy walking around the hawker center, food court, bus interchange to sell the packaged tissue paper. Putting the legal issue aside, I think that just a way of making a living, it's a willing buyer & seller situation. However, it will gradually become a social problem when it's out of control.

Selling tissue paper can be consider as a "retail business" with a minimal cost, no rental & license fee are required. You just buy the cheap tissue paper from the hypermarket or grocery as your initial cost, the price different with your selling price is your margin. It sounds simple, but it's a kind of hard selling strategy and strong competition within this "industry". There are numerous tissue paper seller in a hawker center especially in the peak period. It won't be easy to sell when public are so well trained to reject the approach.

I fell pain everytime I saw the ah ma, ah gong walking around the crowd to sell their tissue paper, some are standing whole day long in the interchange and hope for the better sales. It's such a satire on the current society when seeing ah ma trying their hard sell while the young generation are having thier big feast. Even though the government is trying hard to improve the benefit and life of the older generation, the extend is not comprehensive enough to cover all the people who really need our help.