Free food. Who doesn’t love it? Residents sure do.
Ostensibly, the people who sell the food will have a bone to pick with the generous people.
Some vegetable vendors are upset that someone gave out vegetables for free over three days near Aljunied Crescent.
Here is what happened.
Vegetable Seller Who Was Closing His Store Gave Out Free Vegetables
Shin Min received a tip-off from some readers that a vegetable vendor gave away free vegetables at Block 95 in Aljunied Crescent.
The lobang drew crowds to the area as the people picked the pickings with glee.
According to the video sent in by the reader, at least 20 baskets of vegetables were displayed for people to choose from.
All the vegetables were free.
The reason for the free vegetables was the closure of the vegetable vendor’s stall.
In another video, a person dressed in a red T-shirt was packing and organising the vegetables. A person can be heard asking him in Hokkien if there would still be vegetables tomorrow.
According to Shin Min reporters who visited the site on Saturday and Sunday (12 and 13 August 2023), they did not see the vegetable stall owner during their site visit.
They did interview a resident of a nearby convenience shop, Mr Chen Ma Chao (Hanyu pinyin), who revealed that the vegetable stall owner used to run his business at the shop next door.
Mr Chen said that the free giveaway started at 3 pm on 10 August 2023, where over 30 baskets of vegetables were given out for free.
The next day, the vegetable vendor gave out 60 baskets of vegetables.
On the third day, about 100 baskets of vegetables were given away.
Almost 200 baskets of vegetables were given out over the three days.
Some of the vegetables available included cai xin and spinach. Many people made a beeline for those vegetables, some even collecting vegetables on behalf of their other neighbours.
While the vegetable giveaway sounds excellent for consumers, many vegetable vendors in the area were unhappy with this stunt.
Ms Jiang, a vegetable vendor, spoke to Shin Min to express her unhappiness. The 60-year-old vendor revealed her business was terrible, especially for some green, leafy vegetables.
She said consumers who had taken the free vegetables had no reason to buy more from her.
For some of the vegetables that she could not finish selling, she donated to the nearby temples so they would not go to waste.
As such, Ms Jiang said that the vegetable vendor should not have provided vegetables for free but should have made similar donations instead.
Another vendor, who declined to be named, said that the vegetable vendor was doing a good deed, so there was no way to prevent it.
However, this vendor’s sales dropped by almost half and had to throw away the vegetables which were left over.