Tiny chairs a big hit with Expo visitors

• Source: Global Times
• [10:42 June 18 2010]
• Comments

By Shen Weihuang

Sales of small folding chairs are booming around the Expo Park among visitors facing queues of up to eight hours to get into some pavilions.

Roving sellers outside the entrance gates to the Expo Park are selling the diminutive chairs for 15 yuan ($2.2) each. One chair seller told the Global Times Thursday that he can sell at least 30 chairs a day, and that on his best day he sold something like 100.

"To stand for five to eight hours is not an option for me, but it would be a pity to miss great pavilions such as Saudi Arabia's or the UK's, so having a folding chair appeals to me," Wang Moxin, a visitor from Beijing, told the Global Times.

The chairs are also a big hit at supermarkets, despite costing twice as much compared to the street sellers.

A member of staff surnamed Li at the Carrefour supermarket on Gaoqing Road in Pudong New Area, which is one of the biggest supermarkets near the Expo Park, told the Global Times Thursday that sales of the chairs had been "unbelievably good" over the past two weeks.

"Every day, we have to call the manufacturer to send more product, and every day we run out," said Li. "Most of the buyers are middle-aged. They are probably too young to sit in a wheelchair and maybe too old to stand for such a long time, so a chair is their best choice."

However, the chairs are problematic for Expo staff.

"The quality of the chairs is not good at all, so some visitors just abandon them in the park," Yang Qinlei, an Expo volunteer, said. "The chairs are too big for trash bins, so most of them are left on the ground. It's not only bad for the Expo Park's image, but also causes trouble for cleaning staff."