Pay for doubles with Linx

DOUBLES, which along with pelau and roti can be considered the national food of TT, is finally moving with the technological times with a vendor in Rio Claro offering credit card and LINX payment facilities at his doubles box.

Doubles vendor Rasheed Ali, 22, is offering the card payment facility at his box. Ali sells in Poole, Rio Claro and offers customers to purchase his doubles and pay with Linx or credit-card. New in the business, having started selling the delicacy just three months ago, Ali told Newsday yesterday because of the escalating crime situation, he is trying to dissuade customers from paying with cash.

Pay by Linx, he said, adding, “If bandits were to approach me, all they can take is the Linx machine and go.

I know my cash earning is safe.” Ali’s aunt Shaheeda Mohammed also sells doubles and he said that she passed on her gift to him.

Before getting into the doubles vending business, Ali worked as an assistant clerk in a pharmacy. “I want to do more to earn a living when business became slow,” he said. “It was then that I decided to get into the doubles business on a trial basis for two weeks.”

During the first two weeks, he made just a few doubles but after a month, Ali sales sky-rocketed. Ali is now selling a few hundred doubles daily and afraid that a bandit could come asking for cash with a gun, instead of bara and channa, Ali approached a commercial bank and requested a Linx machine. He said, “The bank offered me a good deal and I implemented this Linx machine two weeks ago,” Ali said.

Customers order their doubles, then they swipe their debit or credit card. And, one can pay through that medium even if is just one doubles for $5. Normally, Linx and credit cards are only accepted for purchases upwards $20, but Ali said that he has a special arrangement with the bank.

Ali said he made this special arrangement with the bank to accept the medium of payment even for one purchase of a doubles, because, “One must not go hungry if they have just five dollars for a meal.” Ali is becoming very popular since his Linx and Credit card offers to the public. He intends opens another stall in Aranguez.

Ali work starts as early as 2 am each day. He must fry 200 baras, cook the curried channa and make fresh pepper sauce.

Apart from making and selling doubles,

Ali is a professional body builder. He placed third in the TT National Body Building competition held at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s.