Shop owners tag luggage to turn a profit
- Source: Global Times
- [09:50 June 23 2010]
- Comments
A sign advertising luggage storage services for visitors Tuesday hangs at a shop near the Expo Park's Gate No.6 entrance on Shangnan Road. Photo: Ni Dandan
By Ni Dandan
Independent shop owners near the Expo Park are making a small fortune by storing visitors' luggage for the day, despite the fact that the service is offered for free inside the park.
Three shops just outside the Gate No.6 entrance on Shangnan Road have been taking advantage of the opportunity made available to them by the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai since organizers have prohibited nearby hotels from providing the service for the remainder of the six months out of concerns for public safety.
"We started offering to store luggage for people after many visitors asked if we could look after their things," a shop owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Global Times Tuesday. "Most of the people have already checked out of their hotels and don't want to drag their stuff around with them at the park all day."
The middle-aged man said that the safe-keeping of a regular-sized luggage will cost customers 10 yuan ($1.50) per day, while larger suitcases are priced at 15 yuan ($2.20) a day.
"Because we open late until 11 pm every day, the visitors have found it very convenient to leave their luggage with us," he added.
Though the shop owners do not have the required permit to operate the side business, they said the profit turnover, some 1,000 yuan ($146) a day, makes the risk worthwhile. After seeing many other bags stored inside the shop Tuesday, a visitor surnamed Lan from Jiangsu Province said that she felt safe about leaving her belongings behind.
"Lots of people are keeping their things here, so I think it will be alright," she told the Global Times Tuesday. "Besides, I don't really have much of a choice; I don't want to drag my stuff through the park, and my hotel said they could not hold onto my suitcase for me."
Another advantage for visitors going through the shop owners is that they need not remove liquids and other products banned inside the park from their bags.
Four locations near the Gate No.3, 5, 7, and 8 entrances are made available to visitors wanting to store their luggage for the day, but with few signs advertising the complimentary service it seems that not everyone is aware of their options, said park staff Tuesday.
"Most visitors only decide to drop their stuff off here after stumbling upon us," a staffer working at the luggage storage near the Gate No.7 entrance by Changqing Road which opens until 8 pm daily, told the Global Times Tuesday. "So, we only get about 20 visitors a day."
Meanwhile, at the location near the Gate No.8 entrance close to Houtan Road, which allows visitors to claim their bags as late as 10 pm, visitors flow is steadier with some 200 people stopping by daily, according to staff Tuesday.
