Diligently 'carrying Tet' for customers
(Baonghean.vn) - In the last days of the year, people who transport ornamental plants for Tet are still taking advantage of every hour to work in the hope of having more money to buy Tet. This year, purchasing power is lower, so there is less work, so every "ride" is more precious to transporters.
For more than an hour at the customs roundabout in Vinh City, Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Hung Binh Ward, ran back and forth to the customer gathering points.peach and kumquat for Tetto listen. Just waiting for the customer to agree on a price for the tree with the seller, he always asks a familiar question after nearly ten years in the profession: "Where is your house, I will bring the tree back for you...".
Mr. Dung is a freelancer, so every year, during Tet, he takes his cyclo to flower and ornamental plant shops in the city to transport plants for customers. On the vehicle, he always has ropes and splints ready, so when the customer calls, he will immediately run to pick up the plants, tie them tightly to the vehicle, cover them carefully and bring them to the requested address.
“I have been doing this job for more than ten years, it only lasts for about half a month so I have to take advantage of it to have some money to buy Tet. But this year the number of delivery orders has decreased significantly due to low purchasing power. In previous years, I received about 10 trips each day near Tet, but this year there are only 4-5 trips…” - Mr. Dung shared.
Not only the number of trips has decreased, but the workers also have to compete with each other, because every time a successful order is closed, there are 3-4 transporters asking to transport the tree. They even lower the shipping price to hope that customers will hire them.
Mr. Le Van Bao, Hung Dao commune, Hung Nguyen district said: Every Tet holiday, I go to Vinh city to transport ornamental plants. This job looks simple but not everyone can do it, the risk is very high. Especially when accepting to transport expensive plants, I dare not take my eyes off the road for a second. The most frightening thing is when there are many people, traffic jams, if I accidentally collide and damage the plants, not only will I not be paid but I will also have to compensate the customer...
According to the workers, the price of transporting ornamental plants is very diverse, usually ranging from 100,000 - 300,000 VND in Vinh city, depending on the distance as well as the high quality of the tree, negotiated with the customer. If the area is in Vinh suburbs or neighboring districts or buying in large quantities, the buyer often rents a crane to ensure safety, the price ranges from 500,000 - 2 million VND/trip.
Transporting ornamental plants is currently one of the most hired services during Tet. If you are diligent, arrange the time and travel distance properly, the worker can easily earn millions of dong per day. Even if the tree arrives home safely, still ensuring enough flowers and fruits on the tree, the homeowner is willing to pay the transporter more. This amount of money is completely worth the effort they put in, because to have such "clean" sources of income, the worker must also stay up late and wake up early, always ready when customers need at any time, including transporting in the cold and rainy nights of the past few days.
