How do you start out selling this stuff?
I’ve actually been doing this for about two years. I used to work in a shipping company after graduating with a marketing degree. After doing that for eight years, I got bored so I quit and started working as an extra for movies, adverts and lakorn (Thai soap operas). At the same time I started selling stuff at event venues like Muangthong Thani, Rajamangala or National Stadium for concerts and sports events. It’s only since the protests against the amnesty bill that I’ve started doing this on a daily basis. It’s very popular as people really love to show their political viewpoint.
How do you start your day?
I live near Fashion Island Mall in Bangkapi. I leave home about 9am and catch the bus to Wat Sriboonruang Pier to take the express boat into the city. I get off at Pratunam Pier near CentralWorld then choose a spot to head to, like Silom, where there are many office workers who love to buy this stuff.
Which are the best sellers?
Definitely the whistles. They are only B20. Then wristbands and headbands. I don’t really go to sell at the big events on Ratchadamnoen Road—the items for sale there are really excessive. The protesters are looking for new things like earrings or rings. I don’t try and sell them because it’s pretty expensive. I normally buy the items from Sampeng.
Have you ever gotten in trouble doing this?
A lot. Mostly with the mafia and municipal police, though. The worst place is in the Ramkhamhaeng area. The municipal police will ask you to pay B300-400 to sell stuff. They’re smart, though; they get the other vendors to collect the money for them.
Do you earn good money doing this?
At the start of the amnesty protests, things went very well. I could make as much as B10,000 a day. But now everyone has whistles, and headbands, so my income has dropped to B2,000-3,000.
Do you go to sell at the red shirt protest site?
No, I don’t. I don’t like their political ideology. I knew at the beginning that they were swindlers. I heard that people who went to sell stuff over there couldn’t make much money. The protesters, who are mostly elderly people from upcountry, don’t buy. They just gather to listen to the platform. I even went to join the protest on Nov 24 at Ratchadamnoen Road, not to sell because I wanted to show my solidarity. Still, I heard that my friend made B50,000 in sales that day!
You’re benefiting from this turmoil; do you want it to end?
Of course. I don’t want to sell this stuff. I see people are more patriotic because of this protest as they show that they really love this country. But I love to see people get together for sports events not protests. I want our country to be better than this.
