After Hong Kong reopened its borders with mainland China in early February, many businesses and residents welcomed the move. However, for workers at a convenience store in the Yau Ma Tei area of Kowloon, the influx of cross-border travelers asking for directions has proven to be a regular inconvenience.
According to the Superone store, over 100 people a day were asking for directions to a nearby cross-border bus station.
To address this issue, the store put up a notice outside stating that answers would no longer be given for free and that a fee of HK$10 (US$1.27) would be charged for every inquiry on directions. The notice also stated that employees had “no obligation to be nice”. The store claims that some of the travelers were rude and disrespectful.
The notice went viral on social media, prompting complaints from netizens.
However, a visit by a reporter from the South China Morning Post on Sunday found that the notice had been taken down. According to a part-time staff member, the notice was removed on Saturday evening after attracting attention online and prompting phone calls to the store manager.
The employee noted that the store never actually charged anyone for directions and that they just wanted people to stop asking because it was affecting their daily tasks.
The Superone store’s location, at the intersection of Pik and Portland streets, was once a ticket office for the Eternal East Bus Company, which offered cross-border service.
However, the ticket office closed when Covid-19 emerged and reopened on Kowloon’s Shanghai Street when quarantine-free travel resumed. To address the issue of travelers asking for directions, the bus company has since put up signs on a pole outside the store, providing information about catching buses to Macau and the mainland, as well as a map guiding passengers to the ticket office on Shanghai Street.
The bus company has also opened an outlet opposite the store to sell tickets to the casino hub and take related travel inquiries.
Other neighboring stores have also reported receiving similar inquiries from travelers. An employee of a Sichuan takeaway restaurant next to Superone reported receiving questions about the location of the bus station, especially after the border reopened. The employee noted that it was understandable because a lot has changed in the past few years, and people just need time to adjust to the new normal.
In summary, workers at a convenience store in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei area have reportedly started charging a fee for giving directions to cross-border travelers, causing complaints and disruptions. The situation has since been addressed by a nearby bus company, which has put up signs and opened an outlet to provide directions and sell tickets to the casino hub in Macau.
