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Some long-term staff mambers share their thoughts...
Promotions assistant PK Nizar joined Gulf News in 1985. As well as his other administrative duties, he has spent many years opening and sorting the competition entries that fill the Gulf News post box. He enjoys seeing the number of people intent on winning, even if it means some readers send in multiple entries, or ‘chronic competition entries' as he calls them.
Sadly some of the competitions have been discontinued over the years but Nizar still remembers those times fondly. "We used to get 5,000 to 6,000 entries every day for those competitions. At least ten sackfuls of post a day," he says.
Entries also had to be logged into those e-mailed, posted or dropped off at the front desk. "It is sad that people now want to win big prizes and they will not take the effort of filling in a coupon just for the fun," he says. "I really miss it."
Nizar joined the company as a tea boy and odd-job admin helper and today he is in charge of the stores and promotions warehouse. He also handles all the stationery demands of the office.
His colleagues describe him as the one constant factor in the marketing department, even calling him a ‘mascot'. "He never says no to anyone. A lot of people have a soft spot for him," says his long-time colleague and manager Naheed Patel.
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