MAN (not his real name) earns money by selling packets of cut fruit at night, often competing with other peddlers.
But unlike the others, Man is only 11 and he is not the only minor selling goods at a time when children should be in bed.
"I have been doing this for two years.
"We were active before the pandemic, but not so much now," Man told the New Straits Times.
He said he and four boys aged 9 to 12 were brought to the city every night in a van from their homes to sell food.
In Man's case, he lives in Kulai, 50km away from the Persada Johor International Convention Centre, where he was "working" yesterday (Aug 25).
"I choose Persada because many rich people eat here and the restaurant owner does not chase me away
"I get RM50 a day for my work. Unless it rains, which is our worst enemy. We don't go out when it rains," he said.
The talkative boy said work was tiring, but he knew how to get people to buy his goods.
"With a sob story or a sad face, I can sell 10 packets of cut fruits priced at RM10 each in an hour."
He said business was better on Fridays and Saturdays.
Man said his parents knew about his night job, and the man who drove him and his friends to work in the city had told them to say that they were orphans.
"He tells us to say that our parents have died, but most of the time, people just buy the fruits or give us money because they think we are struggling."
The sight of children selling food had raised concerns about child exploitation.
Single mother Salmah, 43, struggles to make ends meet, but she refuses to ask her children to sell food.
She said she would only go as far as asking three of her eldest children to sell crackers to their neighbours.
Salmah had found it difficult to put food on the table since her husband was jailed three years ago for drug possession.
"It might be a good business, but my children's safety and future are more important," the mother of six said.
"I feel bad and guilty for doing so, but I was left with no other choice, and it was my children's idea to help out."
She added that she also babysat and sold food from her home.
She said her children told her that some of their friends were selling tidbits at night and earning a lot of money.
Hotelier Zahara Md Noh said it saddened her to see children selling tidbits late at night.
"I blame the parents for allowing them to roam the streets at night," she said, adding that the children were at risk of falling prey to sexual predators.
She wanted the authorities to address the issue and identify adults who made the children sell goods.
"Action should also be taken against parents who put their children at risk."