So Your Work Is Bad?

Yesterday, my colleagues told about one of the jobs that she had prior to have permanent work here. She used to work in a factory that requires her to commute 4 hours (one freaking way) daily, for 1 are-you-crazy-or-something year? She did also work as a part-timer in some other factory for some months. And the most challenging work was she had actually worked as a salesperson, whom we could usually find selling items in restaurant, whom you'll get easily annoyed when they approached and memberi salam to you at the very moment when you want to suap nasi masuk ke mulut. Couldn't be more annoying, right?

Least that we know about the rigorousness and embarrassment that they have to undergo, being that kind of salespersons.

The colleague continued; as if she was put on a spell, she was so attracted to a small box of advertisement for a job vacancy. It was saying something about pelatih, rumah disediakan but never ever about selling things. The 'company' was located in Seremban while she was in Rembau. So she asked for a good friend who stayed in Seremban, to check out about the job, 'company' and share the outcome, since both of them were actually sought for temporary suka-suka job.

So went this good friend for a week and she reported that it was actually a good job with a good company. And this colleague of mine, couldn't wait and beg and beg and beg for her parents to allow her to go to Seremban the soonest possible and the parents eventually agreed to allow her to get on a bus alone, to Seremban. The parents trust her good friend and pray hard that their daughter will be in good hands.

As soon as she arrived the 'company' with her good friend, they were taken to a house, later discovered as the house of the owner and immediately told that they were not allowed to to anywhere unless taken to or told so. Food would be given but the cost would be deducted from the employee's salary. And they had to start early in the morning the next day.

The very morning next day, they were taken to the nearby highway Rest&Relax spot and given with a huge super heavy bag containing a lot of religious books and even Surah Yassin. Yes. They were told to carry the bag here and there, to approach as much people as possible from one highway Rest&Relax spot to another to sell as much as possible of those books and kitabs and to never leave the place. Yes. She became one of those 'annoying' salespersons that at least once had approached you when you are about to suap nasi masuk ke mulut.

Listening to her story made me feel sad and bad. I was about to get teary but I have to remain cool at the same time. Macho konon, but it broke my heart listening to all lies that she had to undergo and luckily there was nothing worse happened to her and that she was (and still is) in one piece. She added that there was not a day  that she won't cry and not a day she begged for her parents to come to get her back. She and the other 'work-mates' were told not to go anywhere, not to even balik kampung. She was even once threatened by the 'company' owner "Saya tembak juga awak ni kang.." as she consistently begging him to release her. 

After a while, after pool of tears, the owner finally allowed her to go back to her hometown for a short while. Even that she has to beg him for some RM50, for bus fare. And that was the only pay that she received from the owner for all the books that she had sold, as she was really determined to go back home for good. That was her only chance, anyway.

Later her father came to the owner's house to collect all her belongings and as expected the owner was very angry. Luckily there was no ugly scene but the father was being scolded big time. Thank God that nothing bad happened her and the family after the series of bad experience, until now.

After knowing all these, I still don't know how to react to any salesperson who approached me when I was having my meal. I'm still not 100% OK about it because I think that it is not appropriate and not respectful.  But that is the only way these poor salesperson (if they have the same case like my colleague had) could approach potential buyers and get their attention and their bad-undergoing is just too heart-broken to be ignored.

"Duhai Allah, Kau bantulah kami.."