Hundreds of thousands of billions in sales that sellers are 'tired and hungry'

That is the feeling of street lottery ticket vendors as the year ends and Tet approaches. Besides their inherent wishes, street lottery ticket vendors are also worried that their commission has been reduced for a whole year.

'I've been in prison until I'm old, but the lottery company hasn't taken care of my rights'

64 years old, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (from Binh Dinh) has been selling lottery tickets for 34 years. The Lunar New Year of Giap Thin 2024 is the 6th consecutive Tet that Ms. Huong stays in Ho Chi Minh City to sell lottery tickets. She said that since she suffered from a herniated disc and varicose veins, she has tried to sell lottery tickets during Tet to save money for a re-examination.

"I have been selling lottery tickets for 34 years now, contributing a lot to the lottery companies. I sell all year round, even on holidays, but the lottery companies do not care about giving me health insurance cards or bonuses. In general, when I get old, I get nothing," Ms. Huong sadly shared with us on January 30.

Selling lottery tickets all day and night

Ms. Huong said that before 2004, the lottery company gave mid-year and year-end bonuses to street vendors. But from 2005 until now, the companies "have not given a single penny."

According to Ms. Huong, in the past, the commission of street vendors was increased every 10 years. But later, the commission not only did not increase but also decreased, while the rent and daily expenses increased. The most recent period, from February 2023 until now, the profit of street vendors from 1,200 VND/ticket has been reduced by agents to 1,150 VND/ticket (common level).

Earlier, on the afternoon of January 8, at a lottery agency on Tan Son Nhi Street (Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City), we met Ms. Dinh Thi Dung (52 years old, from Quang Ngai) returning from selling lottery tickets. Before I could ask, Ms. Dung poured out a string of pent-up resentment: "On holidays and New Year's Day, lottery tickets are always sold out, not allowing street vendors to rest. Lottery ticket sellers bring so much profit to lottery companies, but why don't they have health insurance, and why don't they have bonuses on New Year's Day?...".

Citing her own story, Ms. Dung said: "I have been selling lottery tickets for more than ten years, selling until I am old, but the lottery company has not taken care of my rights. The days I go out to sell, I have money, but the days I am sick and tired, I am hungry. I am always out on the street, if I get hit by a car, I have to take care of myself, no one else will."

After many years of selling lottery tickets on the street with her daughter, Ms. Dinh Thi Dung desperately hopes to get health insurance from the lottery company.

Returning listlessly to her rented room (next to the aforementioned lottery agency) after a long day of wandering around selling lottery tickets, Ms. Le Thi Diep (53 years old, from Quang Ngai) also joined in the conversation: "We just hope that the lottery company will give us health insurance. You know why? We go out every day, even at night, so we don't know what the risks are. Not only us, but all the girls who sell lottery tickets also hope for the same thing. Anyone who sells on the street and is recognized by the agency must have health insurance, in case of an accident or illness. As for buying and selling, it's natural that we sell a lot and get a lot, and sell a little and get a little."

That afternoon, although time was limited because she had to continue selling lottery tickets, like Mrs. Dung, Mrs. Diep still had many concerns: "Every year we apply for health insurance but why can't we get it? We think it's absurd! On holidays and Tet, people get to take a break, but lottery ticket sellers are stuck on the road. We have to go all the time, even though we're in pain, we don't dare take a break, because if we get the lottery tickets that day, no one will sell them to us."

'I cried because the lottery ticket was not returned'

Every day, Mrs. Dinh Thi Dung sells more than 400 lottery tickets. I exclaimed: "You sell a lot!". Mrs. Dung explained: "We have to go all the time. Every day is like that, we wake up at 5:30, go sell at 6 until the lottery time, then come home to take a shower, have a quick meal, and then go again until 9 or 10 at night. Our legs hurt and swell a lot, but because we are poor, we have to try."

A rented room of lottery ticket sellers in Ho Chi Minh City

Some of Ms. Dung’s roommates added that sometimes they don’t even have time to eat. After the lottery is over, they take the lottery tickets to continue selling, sometimes coming back late at night.

"Let me tell you, we always think about lottery tickets. We spend so much time on the street that our heads spin. I and many street vendors had to get IVs due to exhaustion. Some even fainted and had to go to the emergency room," Ms. Dung confided.

The pressure of making a living has made Ms. Dung feel like a "lost soul" many times. For example, there was a day when a customer bought 3 tickets and she couldn't remember whether they had paid or not. But she didn't dare ask, for fear of offending the customer, and the next day they wouldn't buy again.

In reality, almost everyone who sells lottery tickets on the street encounters risks: selling on credit and then having some people default on their debts, being tricked into exchanging fake winning lottery tickets, losing tickets... "This job has many risks, it's not like you can keep all the profits for every ticket you sell," Ms. Dung concluded.

Sharing their experiences in selling tickets, some "lucky" people said that they have to be diligent, travel a lot, and invite people to buy when they meet them, but they also have to have... tricks. Ms. Le Thi Diep revealed: "Nowadays, business is difficult, I have to try my best to persuade customers to buy. For example, I say: "I've been going out all this time but sales are so bad, please support me with a few tickets or I'll keep the tickets. People think it's a pity to let me keep the tickets, so they buy them."

Hearing Ms. Diep say that, Ms. Dang Thi Hoa (63 years old, from Binh Dinh) spoke up: "But that's the truth, I'm not lying. I'm selling poorly, begging people to buy, I'm not cheating."

Ms. Hoa can only sell 200 lottery tickets a day because her legs hurt. Ms. Hoa confided: "Street vendors like me sometimes feel very sad, sometimes they are bullied by customers for no reason. We start selling at 6am, sell all the lottery tickets and go home, if we can't sell all the tickets, we cry because the lottery tickets are not returned."

The Deaf and Mute Girl and the White Bag

Ms. Dung's daughter (named Chung) is deaf and mute from birth and has been selling lottery tickets for 6 years now. Unlike her mother, Chung only sells 180 tickets per day.

Every day when she goes to sell lottery tickets, Chung usually carries a white bag that she bought herself. Seeing that I was curious, Chung went into her rented room and took a blue bag that the lottery company gave her, and showed me the hand-sewn seams on both sides of the strap. Chung shook her head, mumbled for a moment, then hugged the white bag with a satisfied look.

A fellow agent with Chung explained: "What he meant was that the lottery company gave away such a bad basket, so he used his own basket to be safe!"

It is known that lottery companies often give away handbags, raincoats, and hats to lottery ticket sellers. However, many street vendors and some lottery ticket agents say that these gifts are of poor quality and easily torn.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/khi-ve-so-o-dinh-tieu-thu-tram-ngan-ti-doanh-so-ma-nguoi-ban-met-moi-la-doi-185240207230848228.htm