Line-standing" service booms
On the morning of the 10th day of the first lunar month (ie February 26), from early morning, many gold and silver shops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were bustling with laughter. The line of people stretched from the sidewalk to the roadside on the Day of the God of Wealth. A noteworthy image, many young students patiently waited, but not entirely to buy gold for themselves.
Waiting in front of a gold, silver and gemstone shop on Tran Nhan Tong street from 3:30 am, Mr. Nguyen Dung (Van Mieu, Hanoi) smiled when talking about the reason for being present early.
I'm queuing but not sure to buy. If someone needs it in the morning, I can give up the position. The price depends on the time of negotiation" - he shared.
I stand by to get tickets, then hand them over to customers" - Hoang Nam, a third-year student at a university in Ho Chi Minh City, said while still holding the serial number. Nam said he was asked by an acquaintance to queue from 5 am to receive gold and silver buying stamps. The fee for each turn is 150,000 VND.
Just get a ticket, or complete a small product purchase transaction and you're done. On average, one morning you can do 1-2 turns" - Nam shared. For students, this amount of money is equivalent to a light day of overtime work.
On social networking groups, it is also not difficult to encounter the advertisement: "Need someone to queue to get a number to buy gold/silver to illuminate the God of Wealth. Cost 120,000 - 200,000 VND/turn".
Most of the people who accept are students or freelancers. The job does not require special skills, just time and enough patience to wait for a few tens of minutes to several hours.
Nguyen Lan Anh (a student in Hanoi) recounted: "My friend invited me to go from 4 am. At first, I just thought it was for fun, then I saw someone paying, so I accepted it.
Why do tenants line up?
Not everyone can skip their morning work to wait in front of gold and silver shops. For busy people, hiring students to queue helps save time but still keep "luck" at the beginning of the year.
Mr. Pham Tuan Anh (My Dinh) said: "I just need a ticket, I can come on time for the transaction. Hire someone to wait early to save effort.
In addition to convenience, the psychology of being afraid of running out of orders and goods on the God of Wealth Day also makes many people actively "book" in this way.
For students, this is an opportunity to earn extra income at the beginning of spring. Many people see hiring queues as an interesting experience. "The atmosphere of the God of Wealth spirit is very different from normal days. Crowded, bustling, waiting is not too tiring" - Minh Tu - a student in Hanoi, said.
However, many people also admit that this job is seasonal, depending only on one day of the year.
Sharing with Lao Dong reporters, Mr. Nguyen Trung Anh - Chairman of Ancarat Precious Metal Company - said that the phenomenon of customers asking others to queue and get product purchase tickets is no longer rare in the God of Wealth seasons.
Currently, we still ensure that people can buy Than Tai Van Phuc silver, Bac Su Tu gold and own it right at the store. Especially with the method of each person only buying 1 specific product, we will limit speculation and help everyone have the opportunity to own lucky items on this special occasion" - Mr. Nguyen Trung Anh shared.
According to business representatives, to control transaction order on peak days, many stores apply the form of sorting numbers, issuing vouchers and limiting the number of purchases. Customers are required to compare information when transacting, in order to limit the situation where one person makes multiple purchases through other people's vouchers.
