One would not expect their visit to NTUC on a regular weekend to be so unpleasant.
This particular couple was met with appalling comments by Fairprice staff when eyeing the booth for the free snacks given to break fast.
It seems as if NTUC needs to do more in terms of educating their staff.
The Staff’s Rude Remarks
A Facebook post uploaded by Ms Farah Nadya detailed that she and her husband, Mr Jahabar Shalih, were at NTUC Fairprice at Our Tampines Hub for their weekly grocery shopping.
As they stopped in front of a stand giving out free food for Muslim customers to break fast as they thought it was a “sweet gesture”, a staff member told Mr Jahabar, who is Indian-Muslim, that the snacks were “not for India.”
Stunned, Mr Jahabar said, “What?” In response, the staff member repeated that the items were “not for India” and told them not to take them. He then told them to “go away.”
The couple gently clarified with the staff member that the items were meant for all Muslims and that “not all Malays are Muslims and some Indians can be Muslims.”
But the staff member’s response to this was by far the most appalling part of the conversation.
He said, “I don’t know. I no education, the top people tell me to say like this. I don’t know. Just go away.”
Ms Farah, who is Malay-Indian, expressed her distaste towards Fairprice later in the post and urged them to “do better.”
It turns out that they weren’t going to take the free items but were looking at the stand because they thought it was an “inclusive initiative.”
Netizens’ Response
The consensus among netizens is that this was a plain act of ignorance and that there needs to be proper education on race and religion and their differences.
This netizen, who left a comment on Ms Farah’s Facebook post, mentioned the importance of not tying all Islamic customs to Malays, as they are relevant to all Muslims no matter which race.
Some pointed out that while NTUC’s initiative to give out complimentary items was good, this incident ruined how it was carried out.
On the r/singapore community on Reddit, netizens highlighted how ignorant people still are today.
This incident is indeed a reminder for all of us to educate ourselves more thoroughly.
Taking notice of the couple’s complaint, Fairprice released a statement on Monday (10 April) night to apologise.
They mentioned that they had “counselled” the staff member involved in the incident and clarified that the Iftar packs that the couple were looking at are free for all Muslims during Ramadan.
This is the 15th year in which Fairprice has been running this initiative.
Ms Farah told CNA that Fairprice offered the couple a free hamper as an apology, but they declined. They did, however, appreciate their fast customer service recovery.
She said that she hoped Fairprice would train their staff better, especially those made to deal with customers.