Q Should controls on street promotion be tightened?
Street promotions have become prevalent lately and are becoming fairly annoying. Since I live in the Mid-Levels, I often go to Central. There used to be a lot of hawkers, selling goods near the Central MTR station exits. These days, I don't see as many hawkers around. Instead, there are street promotions everywhere, especially on the Theatre Lane.
Many of these promoters are pushy, making you feel so embarrassed, it amounts to harassment.
They walk up to you and start asking you questions, sometimes even personal questions that don't relate to their product. If you ignore them, they will walk in front of you and block your way. If you say that you're in a hurry, they'll say it won't take long and continue to follow you until you stop. If you say you are not interested, they'll start stuffing leaflets into your hands. If you turn them down, some say unpleasant things about you.
To be honest, these promoters sometimes scare me. I try my best to avoid them, and I am pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. It seems they are abusing their rights to promote their products. Thus, there is a necessity to tighten controls on these street promotions and protect the public from these uncomfortable situations.
Valerie Or, Mid-Levels