Street corners convey cheap classifieds for the poor man

Dubai: Javed Khan is searching for a bed space for his brother. All he needs to do is hit the streets of Satwa where he lives.

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The streetside bills or informal, handwritten advertisements pasted on walls, construction barriers and public telephone booths all offer Khan plenty of options.

"This is very easy. You get a number of contacts from the same locality within a minute without spending a penny," he said.

Street corners are very much the poor man's classifieds where he finds anything from bed spaces to part time jobs and tuition classes to electronic repair shops.

People like Khan find these a cheaper source than newspaper classifieds and online portals.

Javed's brother presently lives in Sharjah and travels daily to his workplace in Dubai.

He wants to move closer to his workplace.

"I am checking out these ads as they are easy and quick to find," said Khan.

When asked whether he has tried newspaper classifieds, which carry similar adverts daily, Javed said, "I guess they are more expensive. Besides, by the time we get a copy and call the number, the deal is already gone."

Rooms on rent

Baiju Bhaskaran, who works for a supermarket in Satwa, said he has begun checking the advertisements in the streets because he must soon vacate the villa he is sharing.

"The advantage of these ads is that most of the advertised rooms are in the same locality because people who have rooms to let use the same medium to find interested parties," he said.

According to Bhaskaran, these streetside classifieds are reliable as he knows of people who have found rooms and jobs through them.

"Some people might have been conned. But I do not know of any such incidents," said Baiju.

Raja Reddy, a construction worker in Sharjah, said he bought a second-hand mobile phone through an advertisement pasted near Rola Square.

"It all happened within half an hour. Last Thursday around seven in the evening, I called the number given and the seller was in the vicinity.

"We met in front of a cafeteria in the same place. I checked the mobile phone and bought it. It was that simple," said Reddy.

Effective

Those who paste advertisements offering products or services also have a similar story.

"When you are targeting people from the same locality, it is a good idea to put up an advertisement near the street corner.

You will get calls the same day, and you can fix the deal," said Rigotto Francis, who put up an advertisement renting out a room in his apartment in Deira.

On the flipside, many residents say these advertisements are an eyesore and affect the aesthetics of the city.

"I think the practice should be banned. It is sick to see these advertisements pasted randomly on walls, telephone booths and bus shelters. It does not go well with the image of a clean city, that Dubai is," maintained Alam Khan, who resides in Bur Dubai.

The Dubai Municipality has taken serious note of the issue. Advertisements pasted on the roadside are being removed. Those who repeat the offence risk being fined.