For the last 3 years or so, an Indonesian man from Batam has been selling his curry puffs at 3 pieces for a dollar at various places around the new SIA building. Before completion of the SIA Building, he started by selling his puffs right at the back exit of DBS Tower 2. It was a pretty good location that captures the traffic going into DBS Tower 2. I like many other people around the office find this convenient and cheap supplier a welcome.
When SIA Building opened it has a small mamak shop (provision shop run by Indian families common in Singapore) at its back exit that faces that of DBS Tower 2. It also sold snacks like nasi lemak, fried mee hoon and, of course, curry puffs. I guess the Indonesian peddlar must have either found that he was losing some customers to the Indian shop or was chased away by the DBS building management. For awhile after that he moved his operations to a spot right in between SIA Building and CPF Building. It was also a better location since it was right in the middle of traffic moving from the Tanjong Pagar MRT station to the various buildings near SIA Building. That continued until the week Starbucks opened its coffee outlet in the ground floor of SIA Building. The peddlar disappeared the week Starbucks appeared. Initially I was not sure if Starbucks was the cause as the peddlar might have been ill. But he never appeared again at that spot.
A few months later, while driving into the CPF carpark I caught sight of the Indonesian man again. This time he was selling his puffs at the other end of CPF Building, nearer to the traffic lights (and away from SIA Building). But I did not see him again subsequent to that. Still wondering where he has gone.
This little episode of this poor but resourceful Indonesian peddlar sticks in my mind for a few reasons :
- circumstantial evidence showed that he was probably chased away as part of the deal between SIA Building and Starbucks. I have always wanted to catch hold of the peddlar to confirm this but never got to do it. And if that is the case, it shows what big businesses are capable of. Even a small time peddlar was not given a chance. For me, it increases my commitment not to ever buy anything from Starbucks and SIA.
- it also shows the odds which smaller businesses have to go against.
1 comment:
This story reminds me of another incident I came across. It was the month of Ramadan in year 2003. I took Li Ling along to a Ramadan night market that was setup under a block of HDB flats in Tampines to take a look.
After that we took a break by sitting on a bench facing a basketball court. Then I noticed an old man parking his bicyle next to another bench and sitting down quietly. At the back of the bicyle was a foam box. Experience suggested to me that he was probably selling can drinks. So I approached him and asked if it was so - if yes, I would like to buy a can.
Sensing that I was about to ask him the same, the old man told me that the reason why he dared not make any sound like ringing a bell to publicise his sale was because he had been caught before. Apparently, some government people had stopped him from selling his drinks because he did not have a license.
He said a license would cost him a few hundred dollars a month, something that he could not afford by selling the few cans of drinks to people in a neighbourhood park. As a comparison, he said that a stall at the Ramadan market nearby costs $300 a week.
Later I noticed that the old man was also very civic conscious. He would go round the park to pick up the empty cans strewn onto the ground by his 'customers' which were a few teenagers playing basketball.
This is the problem with this country. Every little thing a down and out person tries to do, the government is involved. There is no such thing as let's close an eye and let the poor fella make a living.
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