Parents grabbing protective batons
By Xu Chi |
May 18, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ANXIOUS parents across the country are starting to pick up weapons to guard their children from crazy school attackers at kindergartens and elementary schools by themselves - armed with specialized batons they have purchased online.
China's recent series of fatal assaults with knives, cleavers and hammers has stirred outrage and fear among parents, with many anxiously searching the Internet for advice on protecting their children.
"I can no longer allow my child to run the risk of being hurt by mad men. Is there any defensive tool that I can use to protect my kids when I send him to the school and take him back home?" said one complaint.
In response, a new defensive device emerged five days ago, and is now a hot item on China's biggest online shopping site, Taobao.com.
It's a specialized baton, with a semicircular structure at the top. It can keep attackers at a distance or grab them without hurting them.
The baton costs 98 yuan to 1888 yuan, the price rising as the supply falls short amid a growing demand from schools and parents.
Xia Henguang, a Guangzhou-based seller at Taobao.com, already sold out 132 batons since he started the business five days ago.
The sales pace was unusual for a new, inexperienced seller with a low buyers' rating at the Website. Xia said he believed it was because he was the first to sell the batons online.
He said he used to work as the boss of a small factory producing stainless steel and discovered the business opportunity when a school ordered 20 batons from him.
"I thought the batons might be helpful, but it never occurred to me that they were so popular among parents and schools," said Xia.
Xia said his customers were mainly from Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. So far he hasn't received any orders from Shanghai.
Xia's success has attracted many other sellers to join him on the Website. Among them are Shanghai-based sellers, who have attracted a lot of clicks, but few sales.
According to a Shanghai-based seller, surnamed Xu, the batons' relatively low popularity in Shanghai probably was due to the city's better security system and the fact that Shanghai has seen no such attacks.
China's recent series of fatal assaults with knives, cleavers and hammers has stirred outrage and fear among parents, with many anxiously searching the Internet for advice on protecting their children.
"I can no longer allow my child to run the risk of being hurt by mad men. Is there any defensive tool that I can use to protect my kids when I send him to the school and take him back home?" said one complaint.
In response, a new defensive device emerged five days ago, and is now a hot item on China's biggest online shopping site, Taobao.com.
It's a specialized baton, with a semicircular structure at the top. It can keep attackers at a distance or grab them without hurting them.
The baton costs 98 yuan to 1888 yuan, the price rising as the supply falls short amid a growing demand from schools and parents.
Xia Henguang, a Guangzhou-based seller at Taobao.com, already sold out 132 batons since he started the business five days ago.
The sales pace was unusual for a new, inexperienced seller with a low buyers' rating at the Website. Xia said he believed it was because he was the first to sell the batons online.
He said he used to work as the boss of a small factory producing stainless steel and discovered the business opportunity when a school ordered 20 batons from him.
"I thought the batons might be helpful, but it never occurred to me that they were so popular among parents and schools," said Xia.
Xia said his customers were mainly from Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. So far he hasn't received any orders from Shanghai.
Xia's success has attracted many other sellers to join him on the Website. Among them are Shanghai-based sellers, who have attracted a lot of clicks, but few sales.
According to a Shanghai-based seller, surnamed Xu, the batons' relatively low popularity in Shanghai probably was due to the city's better security system and the fact that Shanghai has seen no such attacks.
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