With it being durian season, there’s no doubt that durian sellers have popped up all around the island with Singaporeans’ favourite fruit ready in large quantities.
But it seems like the influx of durian sellers lately has resulted in yet another issue: a “durian war” where sellers end up having to offer large discounts and sales in order to attract customers.
For now, it seems like such an issue has occurred in Marine Parade at least.
At least four stalls have been spotted along the same street near 84 Marine Parade Central, with two of the stalls being less than five metres away from each other.
The solution to the strong competition? Discounts. Lots of them.
Stallholders’ Opinions
When speaking to Shin Min, one of the stallholders said that this year is his first time setting up shop at Marine Parade.
According to customers’ requests, he decided to sell Mao Shan Wang durians at $8 per durian, with each customer’s purchase limited to a maximum of three durians.
He also shared that even though his stall only starts operating at 5pm, people in the area start queuing up for durians as early as 4pm.
The stallholder explained that he usually gets around 200kg worth of these $8 Mao Shan Wang durians, and that he will usually pick the larger ones for customers first.
He added that his durians sold out within two hours yesterday (12 June).
Another stallholder also mentioned that his stall started selling Mao Shan Wang durians for $5 each from 5pm onwards yesterday. Each customer could purchase a maximum of two durians.
He also explained that competition is fierce in the area, and that his stall has other promotions as well.
His stall sells Red Prawn durians for $8 to $12, and larger Mao Shan Wang durians for $12.
For these two promotions, there is no limit on how many durians customers can purchase.
Customers’ Opinions
Despite the various promotions and discounts, customers in the area still highlighted how the taste of durians is also a factor that they will take into consideration.
A member of the public surnamed Chen told Shin Min that he once bought a $20 Mao Shan Wang durian online but found out afterwards that the durian’s flesh was hard and unappetising.
He explained that he had come to Marine Parade to purchase durians after hearing his colleague’s recommendation, and found out that all the stalls in the area offered similar prices.
He also emphasised that the quality of the durians is ultimately what will prompt customers to purchase from the same stall again, and that he does not mind paying a little more for durians of good quality.
On the other hand, there are also stallholders who have not been carrying out promotions for their durians.
One stallholder said that he is used to having competition in the industry, but acknowledged that the increased competition allows consumers to compare prices between the various stalls.
He then explained that his supplier supplies the durians at a higher price, leading to the $12 per kg price that he sets for customers who wish to purchase durians for him.
Another stallholder whose stall has been around for more than 20 years claimed that even though promotions can be useful for sellers since many consumers these days like to purchase cheaper durians, the durians sold may not always be of the best quality.
Featured Image: Shin Min Daily News