The 'ang Moh' with the Pushcart

FF Fashion

Fri, Dec 12, 2008
The Straits Times
By Cassandra Chew



They are young, brunette, bubbly and bold.

They pounce on shoppers, grasping their wrists and propositioning them with: 'Can I show you something amazing in 10 seconds?'

Meet the new breed of 'Caucasian hawkers' who have been manning pushcarts at malls such as Suntec City, Tiong Bahru Plaza and Bishan Junction 8 since March last year.

These fast-talking foreigners sell everything from Dead Sea bath salts and cosmetics to hair curlers and aromatherapy packs. They earn mostly commissions and say they can take home $3,000 to $18,000 a month.

At VivoCity, from just one Caucasian-run pushcart last year, the number has grown to seven. The mall gets at least one pushcart leasing inquiry from Caucasians every month.

VivoCity charges up to $4,320 monthly per pushcart.

Mall operators love them because their wares add diversity to the merchandise available.

VivoCity's deputy general manager Chang Yeng Cheong said: 'They introduce new products and fresh perspectives to the retail mix, and add to the vibrancy and liveliness of the mall.'

To date, there are as many as 21 Caucasian hawker carts here, run by three Israeli-owned companies. More than 10 of them are managed by Dead Sea products company Vardi & Migdal.

Its owners Yinon Vardi and Ron Migdal, both 29, set up shop here last February and began hiring salesmen directly from Israel in March.

'The best way to promote Israeli products is to bring a part of Israel over - its people. It's like having Singaporeans sell rice. You know it because it's part of your everyday life,' said Mr Vardi, who added that all his 15 current Israeli sales employees have been to the Dead Sea, a lake between Israel, Jordan and the West Bank, where the salt and mud are believed to be good for the skin and body.

He also hires 15 Singaporean employees but said the Israelis 'do a better job of selling'.

He and his partner travel four times a year to Israel to interview potential employees who must have a 'nice smile', proficiency in English and some experience with Dead Sea products.

Recruits are mostly attractive, in their early 20s, university graduates or fresh out of the army.

They typically spend between three and seven months here on work permits. They live in condominiums in places such as Yio Chu Kang or Bukit Timah, each paying $500 a month or so for rent and utilities, with the rest 'covered' by their employers.

Because their earnings are commission-based, they pull 12-hour shifts for up to six days a week. Their commission on products - a bar of Dead Sea mineral soap sells for $35 and a 50ml eye gel costs $180 - is said to be 'high'.

Top sellers are said to rake in up to $18,000 a month - about half the average yearly wage in Israel. If they meet targets, they are rewarded with vacations to Thailand or shopping vouchers.

Mr Migdal said their success has spawned copycats who also hire directly from Israel. 'We manufacture our own products and hire Israelis because our products are from Israel,' he said, claiming that the others' products do not share the same 'authenticity'.

Items from the other two firms come from Israel but are not self-produced, or are imported from America. When approached, the other two companies declined to comment.

Mr Vardi takes pains to point out that theirs is a non-exploitative business. 'We don't hire ang mohs for the sake of hiring foreigners. Otherwise, we could have hired beautiful Russian girls.'

Having interacted with thousands of Singaporean customers, he said he knows that a pretty face alone does not generate sales.

'Singaporean consumers know exactly what they want and make calculated purchases of good quality and value,' said Mr Vardi, who has lived here with his Israeli wife for three years.

Before starting his pushcart business, he spent a year researching the market and getting government clearance for his products.

Other Caucasian hawkers note that Singaporean shoppers are 'very shy'.

Tel Aviv native Zack Cohen, 25, who has been here for six months, said: 'I've worked in London and Israel but this is the only place where people don't dare to respond to you.'

But not all are enthusiastic about their presence here. Other pushcart operators complain that Caucasian hawkers stand out not just because of the way they look, but also due to their aggressiveness in snaring customers.

Mr Jake Lim, 29, who sells clocks from a Suntec City pushcart, said he lost up to 50 per cent in sales the first month after Caucasian hawkers selling cosmetics moved in six months ago.

'Shoppers would take huge detours to avoid their aggressive sales tactics, skipping my stall as a result. They would even talk to my customers while they browse through my products.'

But housewife Eileen Tan, 61, does not mind them. 'They're earning a living and are just being hard-working.'

One of Vardi & Migdal's regular customers, Ms Christin Lok, a 40-year-old sales manager, said she appreciates their 'sincere efforts' to explain and demonstrate their products.

Ms Lok, who has spent at least $600 on Dead Sea creams, gels and scrubs, said: 'Our locals should learn from them.'