Yesterday I went to the train station to pick up AS since I had the day off and was missing him the whole day. It was a rainy, cold winter evening. I parked the car and waited inside the car and I saw many commuters hurrying home to get away from awful cold and to be with their loved one. As I was waiting, I saw this young guy outside the station giving pamphlets to passers-by, you know the leaflets they give out with discount or some advertisement.
As I was there for a while and nothing else to do, I decided to observe what he was doing. He was trying hard to give as many pamphlets out as possible because I think he was being paid per pamphlet but it was so sad to see that hardly anyone was taking it.
For most people who were passing him, he seemed invisible as everyone is too busy with their own life to care about him. I have to be honest and say that I too have passed by so many boys/girls like him who were giving stuff out but as I observed him, I felt sorry for him. Poor guy, I am sure he would wish to be anywhere but there, giving out pamphlets, but then he needs to earn money like everyone else.
I was happy for him when people took the pamphlets but in average only 4-5% of people who passed by took the pamphlets. He looked cold and bored at times but he was doing his best to finish his lot so he could go home too.
In reality, it takes only a second to take a pamphlet but we still don’t stop for that one second and take it. I know we have millions of things on our mind all the time but if someone can make his living by a second you spend on taking the pamphlets then why not spend that one second and help them out. We have nothing to lose but the other person might earn a few dollars because of that. So I decided from now I am going to take any pamphlets they give out. While I was having these thoughts, AS sent me a text:
“I am almost home. Where are you?”
I replied to him, “Hi babe, I am waiting for you outside the station. On the way down please pick up a pamphlet from the guy who is standing at the bottom of the stairs 🙂”
So, when AS came out of the station, he took that pamphlet and walked towards the car smiling.
He asked me why I asked him to pick it up and I said I had no reason; I was just observing him for a while and wanted to help.
If you are wondering what he was giving out, it was a pamphlet for our local gym.
So do you normally, pick up these pamphlets? What are your thought, do share?
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nepaliaustralian 
I HATE to think they get paid per pamphlet – that is completely wrong. We should be paid for our time.
But yes, I have accepted pamphlets out of pity. Then I’ve put them in the bin up the road & I’ve thought, ‘I’m just encouraging them to make more pamphlets to go in the bin’. And truly, I am not settled on what is “right” to do. It’s difficult!
I am not sure how they get paid but I am sure it is not a lot for sure.
In term of environment ,you are right but we can always recycle those papers.
I see it like helping someone right now than worrying about something down the track.
This is really touchy. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have seen them giving up the pamphlets and there are times when I use to get one from them though it is from some beauty salon. I mean, thought it don’t belong to me. Standing there in the hot scourging sun is really pestering and tiresome job to be into. But, sometimes, we don’t have option to go for, so we have to stick with whatever we have.
You are a very kind soul 🙂
Hmm.. you made me thinking gal..
Like many other people I also don’t take any pamphlet, I feel like if I am not going tot read it & going to throw it away or keep at the back seat of the car & then collect the junk, its better not to take it.
Even MX paper at train stations in evening, I stopped taking it because people take it & then throw it away, then it’s everywhere lying on train seats, stairs, train stations.. in everyone’s feet 😦
But I dint realized that just taking that pamphlet or MX newspaper can help that person.. Lesson learned M.. thank you 🙂
Glad I could make you think 🙂
thats a very thoughtful thing to do. I have never thought about it that way and also I hate collecting unnecessary papers, mails, bills so these ads always end up in trash.
I normally hate the junk mail but thinking about it more I understand now that it is someone doing a job. I don’t mind anymore as it takes me a second to put that in a recycle bin 🙂
I always pick those leaflets but I wondered do they really earn on how many they give out.. Many people also take and throw them away.
I am not sure how the payment is made but taking it definitely helps do you are doing a great job Jazz 🙂
Like you I hardly take pamphlets mainly because its in Thai language here but I get ur message and I personally think we should pick them up, mainly to encourage the person who’s distributing and to promote small businesses which eventually contributes to the socio-economic development of a society. Good post here, thumbs up to u as well 🙂
Thanks so much gal. Hope one person at a time but it will still help some people to earn their living.
I do get it! Not to read that but as the way you said to help the person who is standing that long to help him earn! People will never look around for the fact that it is really not possible for we passers to stand and distribute! We read it or not its secondary! but why not we get it from the person who distribute! If the article is not that interesting I will use it as a tissue to dust my hand after eating or I will keep it with me to put it over a wet seat in bus. In fact it help us to scribble when I am bored or all of a sudden I do need to write things that are said over phone, I will just take this pamphlets out and write on it 🙂 🙂
You are such a good person chipmunk. Before I didn’t pick up the pamphlet if it was in language I didn’t understand but now I just take anything just as a help 🙂
Thank you dear 🙂 🙂 that’s the mentality one should have 🙂 🙂 we can’t afford him anything else but we can render the help in some other way right which is right in front of the eyes 🙂 🙂
Hi,
I live in Singapore. During my school years, I also used to give pamphlet in weekends to earn extra buck. It’s a very tiresome job even though it looks like not much of a work because you have to stand for hours, and your hands get very tired after about 1 hour of holding the pamphlet stack.
For me I was paid hourly so the volume I could finish had no effect on my pay but nonetheless, I have to try to finish the whole stack I’m given for passing. As you have mentioned, more than 90% of passers by won’t bother to take one and it’s disheartening as sometimes, you stand there for hours but only manage to pass 10 or 20 leaflets.
It is those kind, passionate and considerate souls, even though very few, helped to keep me motivated to stand for several hours and try to finish as many as I could.
You have done a great job here. You can always trash the pamphlet if it’s of no use to you but will be of great help to the guy. It took you just a second but those few seconds help flyer guys to finish what they have to.
Thank you Ghanashyam. I understand your sentiment because if I was doing that job, I would definitely want people to stop for a second and help me out. Thanks for sharing your story. Take care.
yes, I do. In fact that’s what’s wrong with me. I have a bleeding heart….. can’t say no.
You have such a good soul gal. I do sometimes but not all the time. Now I am taking everything even though I know I don’t understand a word sometimes.