With the increasing price of goods caused by inflation, the minimum wage, at least in the Philippines, isn't sufficient to meet the needs of a family. This is why most of us are doing side hustles or looking for an extra job that can give us additional income. For instance, some of us are writing here on Hive.
My family is one of the families that have felt the impact of inflation. Although we belong to the middle class, we seem to be struggling financially as we constantly find our wallets empty. Fortunately, we have already established an online business during the pandemic that continues to help us gain extra income.
Today, I will share a day in my life when I accompanied my mother in delivering the products she sold online.
A Day in my Life as an Online Seller
The day before, we went to my mother's supplier to get the products she presold online. Just to share, our community has a Facebook group that acts as an online marketplace. It was most useful during the pandemic when people refrained from going out, and all they could do was buy food online. Our parents saw that opportunity to resell products and earn money.
Our supplier is located outside the village, and we still need to cross to the other side of the road using our e-bike. Fortunately, using this kind of vehicle doesn't require you to have a driving license so you can bring it almost anywhere. However, the only downside is its slow running speed, with a maximum speed of 40-45 kph. Aside from that is the danger you face from going with other big and faster vehicles on the road.
Upon arriving at our destination, we got a box full of dried fish. It was Tinapang Kabasi (Smoked Kabasi Fish) and weighed around 10 kilograms. Our supplier told us that it came from Bataan. It smells good, and it is evident to the street cats who seem ready to attack and steal the fish box anytime soon, lol.
Upon arriving home, my mother updated her customers that she already received their orders and is ready to deliver them tomorrow.
I woke up early to help her repack the smoked kabasi fish. We used a weighing scale to ensure that each plastic container contained the exact kilogram our customer requested. Some of them ordered 1 kg, some wanted half, and others bought extra.
My mother is the one who double-checks her phone for the orders while I am the one who is assigned to weigh the fish. It was a difficult job because the smell made me hungry, jk. But really, I needed to concentrate and repack the orders correctly.
After an hour and a half, we finished repacking and decided to start delivering the products.
It was already 9 am, and the sun was already scorching hot. My mother wore her cute pink cap to protect herself from the sun's damaging rays, while I put on some sunscreen to protect my sensitive skin caused by acne medication.
Having the addresses of our customers, we went to their houses one by one to deliver their orders. This is why I think the popularity of online selling rose in our community because you don't need to go outside to buy your needs; the seller is the one who delivers it to your doorstep. It's convenient.
It's tiring to wander around our village for a long period of time, under the sun's heat, sometimes getting lost due to unfamiliar addresses, but it's fulfilling to see our customers look satisfied with their orders. At that time, I heard one of our customers say, "Wow, this is a lot for 1 kilogram. I hope it tastes good!" looking at us while wearing her beautiful smile.
But sometimes there are also people who seem unsatisfied. We just think of it in a way that they are not ungrateful and choosy but rather have their own standard and preference we didn't meet, and we respect that.
The delivery went smoothly, and we didn't hear a complaint. I hope they will buy again.
In total, we delivered 9 kilograms of smoked fish and the remaining 1 kilogram were consumed by us. We finally lost control to the tempting aroma of Smoked Kabasi Fish, lol.
My mother got her capital back and earned additional money. Portions of her earnings will go to our daily expenses and the remaining would go back to her capital to buy more products to sell in the future.
It's undeniable that in today's country condition, side hustles or extra jobs would be a great help to alleviate the difficulty of living. In our case, online selling supported us financially. Accompanying my mother that day, gave me a lot of realizations including the fact that if we already feel the increasing cost of living, how about those people who live below the minimum wage?
If you've made it here, thank you so much for reading. I always spend several hours just to complete this, which might seem like an exaggeration to others but trust me, it's not 😅. So, the thought of someone reading my work already warms my heart (∩˃o˂∩)♡. Until next time, bye!
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