Mr Lai, a festive stall owner
Bad weather and the poor design of stalls have created unfavorable results for owners of Chinese New Year pinwheel stalls outside the A-Ma Temple in Barra.
The site of the pinwheel stalls, which also sell incense and other CNY-related products, is one of the traditional destinations in Macau during the season. Their operating period usually begins on the day before CNY and finishes on the seventh day of CNY – February 25 this year.
This is the second year Mr Lai has invested in a CNY stall outside the A-Ma Temple, and he told the Times that business in the Year of the Goat is not going his way.
“This year’s business is really poor. I only got my investment back in the afternoon of the second day of CNY (February 20). I started profiting on the first day of CNY last year,” he said. “To be frank, there are fewer people coming here this year. Of course, there are people who came to worship the gods and offered incense. But there are really not many who came [to the stalls] to shop.”
Mr Lai noticed that many of his customers were from Macau and Hong Kong, with most of the foreign or mainland tourists just browsing. “[Foreign or mainland tourists] got a feel for the CNY holiday sentiment [by browsing]. But they would not buy anything. First of all, they think that it is troublesome to take back home a pinwheel. Second, they would not have the time to worship and offer the incense.”
He explained that visitors who came in with a tour group have very little free time – usually no more then 10 minutes – to visit the ancient temple. “They have to spend at least five minutes to buy the incense and they won’t have the time to squeeze into the temple to offer it. Therefore, they would rather just browse the goods and experience the New Year atmosphere,” he said.
Moreover, one of the difficulties Mr Lai faced this year was the weather. Despite all the stalls having rooftops, goods were still dampened by rain since there were not extra facilities to shield them from the occasional heavy downpour. He also pointed out that unleveled terrain around the stalls has led to rainwater flowing toward them, creating large puddles. He claims to have lost a cart of goods to rainwater already. Mr Lai said that he is not certain whether he wants to participate next year.
Ms Lam, owner of another stall, said that they have earned back their capital, but cannot profit much because of the rainy weather. Like Mr Lai, Ms Lam has lost several carts of goods to rainwater.
One factor she believes will affect business is the position of her stall. While Mr Lai’s stall is located near the entrance of the Maritime Museum, which he said is not ideal, Ms Lam’s stall is closer to the A-Ma Temple bus stop and the main street, which she said is more convenient for potential customers.
Having already lowered prices, Ms Lam said that that they are not going to have another sale to clear their products. She said that, aside from the weather, the fact that many tourists would buy incense instead of pinwheels is something that affects their business. This is unlike the locals, who will usually buy a pinwheel to take home.
Ms Lam hopes that the government can redesign the stalls for next year and slightly elevate them from the ground to prevent damage from rainwater. She also thinks it would be helpful to add a larger shed to the front of the stalls.
The Times also spoke to several tourists and residents, and found that pinwheels do have more appeal for the locals.
Mr Chan, a resident who visited the stalls yesterday, said that he goes to the area every year. However, he decided not to buy a pinwheel yesterday and will shop on the very last day. He thinks that the pinwheels are slightly expensive this year and wants to wait until the last day to get a special price. The local resident also noticed that there are fewer people in the area this year.
Ms Teng, traveling from Chengdu with her husband and two children, said they found the pinwheels interesting. She said that they do not have Canton-style pinwheels in their city and wanted to buy their children one of each.
Ms Liu, another mainland visitor, said that she is more interested in buying incense because it is inconvenient for her to take the pinwheels back home.
Injuries and fires at the firework areas
The Fire Services Bureau has handled two fires close to the designated firework area, near NAPE in Macau. They were caused by grass and rubbish bins being burnt nearby. Meanwhile, the Macau Red Cross has provided treatment to 60 people suffering from minor burns or scratches in the firework areas. The number of injuries this year is lower than in 2014, with 75 people injured and five sent to hospital for treatment last year.
Ice cream seller not affected by weather
The Times spoke to Mr Wong, owner of the Mei Dik ice cream cart, which is usually seen stationed outside the A-Ma Temple. He said that over the CNY period business was “pretty good” despite the rain. However, Mr Wong noted that there were few people visiting the temple, and he did not hear people lighting firecrackers inside as frequently as they usually would. He also said that the weather this year has been satisfying for him because it is warm. “There was a year when it was very cold. For us, it’s always good to have the sun coming out,” he said.
Firework stalls suffer from heavy rains
Other CNY businesses affected by the rain were the firework and firecracker stalls at the two designated firework and firecracker areas, which were open until last night. It is reported that owners of multiple stalls have complained about disappointing results, with some of them deciding not to bid for a stall again next year.
One of the owners said that the unstable weather conditions have reduced the number of visitors in the firework areas. He said that business is far worse than last year, and has decided to cut prices to clear the goods even if it means losing money.
Another owner said that around one-third of his goods were damaged by the rain. They hope that the government can improve the design of the stalls and the drainage systems in the areas.
Some also estimated that they have lost more than MOP100,000 because of the rain.
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