good old days

Lets talk about the good old days for a minute. do you remember when riding the metro meant reading a good selection of manga?
i am talking about roughly 5 years ago, when you would find them in the overhead compartments, left by salaryman on their commute.
nowadays, you rarely see those weekly treats anymore. it is not because there are no salaryman anymore, it isn't that salaryman don't read mangas anymore. no, those two go together like internet and porn. further more, to not get things wrong, the number of publications has not decreased it increased. but somethinge else has changed: finances.
accordingly, the number of guys like the one seen on left side of the picture: homeless (if you don't count cardboard boxes as homes). at strategic points on the metro map they will rush through the cars and fetch all the free mangas. to re-sell them on the street. it is becoming an annoyance... to say the least. we are talking about publications the size of a local telephone book worth less than 5 euros (the reason they are left in the trains). what profit are they making? 1 euro a book?
oh, there is another thing that faces an increase: it's the number of crowds (including salaryman) reading (of course not buying) mangas in convenience stores. and if you are determined, maybe one night you will see me there, with them.