It is durian season again, which means your friendly neighbourhood durian sellers are back too – including those showing off more than just the king of fruits. Remember when shirtless durian sellers were a thing? Well, they are back.
A video of another shirtless durian seller recently went viral, gaining thousands of views on social media. Ery Syarif, who also works as a fitness trainer, is based in Kuala Terengganu and says it is his first time selling durians, so he was not expecting all the attention.
He said in an interview, “I am only in the durian business for fun, it is not my full-time job. This is my first time selling durians and I am currently selling near the Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge.” According to the durian seller, he is thankful for all the customers and revealed that he made around RM1,000 to RM1,500 a day from selling durians.
After the video of him working at the stall went viral, the durian seller got tons of comments from netizens. Although there were playful ones, most comments heavily lean towards criticisms. One comment reads, “Are you selling durians or selling yourself?”. Another one says, “Even us women would feel uncomfortable buying when you’re shirtless.”
When asked about the criticisms, the durian said he is open to all sorts of comments, even the ones condemning his marketing strategy. He also mentioned that he ignores the negativity, saying he doesn’t bother giving them any attention.
As for the remarks of him selling himself, the fitness trainer refuted them, saying, “I am not selling myself. I am still wearing pants so it is not like I am in my underwear. All you can see is a bit of my belly button.” However, he did thank the positive comments and those who supported him, even urging them to visit his other business, a keropok lekor stall in Kuala Terengganu.
This is not the first time we have seen this business tactic – sometimes, it can be pretty successful. But what do you think? Were the netizens being too harsh on this durian seller or were they right to criticise him?
Source: mStar
Adleena contributed to this article.
