Though coins are legal tender in Singapore, many people don’t really like to deal with them.
That’s why it’s understandably annoying when one pays in cash and receives change all in coins.
A customer at a People’s Park stall felt so, but reportedly received a hostile response when she complained about it.
The stallholder allegedly threw a cup at her, and the police were called.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
The transaction that turned sour occurred at about 1.10pm on Saturday (28 May), reported Lianhe Zaobao.
The woman, who had two children with her, bought two drinks from a stall at the entrance to People’s Park Centre.
Source: Google Maps
This was witnessed by a 76-year-old retiree named Mr Cai, who was repairing his watch nearby and related the story to Zaobao.
The customer reportedly paid the stall with a S$10 note and received S$2 in change.
However, the female stallholder gave her the money in denominations of 10-cent and 20-cent coins.
Photo for illustration purposes only. Source: Towfiqu barbhuiya at Unsplash
Unsurprisingly, the customer wasn’t happy about this and pointed out to the stallholder that she had S$2 bills.
The customer’s attitude was “still okay”, said Mr Cai.
Despite that, the female stallholder turned increasingly hostile, and her voice got louder and louder.
Another stallholder, a man, also became aggressive and allegedly started banging his knife on the counter, possibly in a bid to scare the customer.
Later, Mr Cai noticed an obvious cut on the customer’s neck.
He also saw a plastic cup on the floor and believed that somebody had thrown the cup at the woman.
The police were called, and at least six officers showed up, Zaobao said.
Source: @shinmindailynews on TikTok
They were seen interviewing the female stallholder.
The case is under investigation, and a 23-year-old man is assisting with the investigations, the police told Zaobao.
They added that a 37-year-old woman was also sent to the hospital in a conscious state.
When Zaobao’s reporters tried asking the male stallholder what had happened, he claimed ignorance.
The female stallholder remained silent and waved the reporter away.
Coins can be troublesome to manage, which is why some stalls refuse to accept them.
According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), local retailers may reject certain denominations of coins but must inform customers upfront.
That’s probably what the stall in People’s Park could’ve done if they wanted to get rid of their small change rather than offload them on patrons.
On the other hand, violence and hostility shouldn’t be resorted to when customers protest.
Hopefully, the woman’s injuries aren’t serious, and she will make a full recovery soon.
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Featured images adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Google Maps.
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