An 80-year-old elderly woman is reportedly selling raw chicken from her bicycle in the north of Singapore.
Impressively, she is known to be able to sell over 20 packets of drumstick meat in an hour and a half.
According to a report by 8world News on Saturday (25 Feb), she does this to make extra money on top of the allowance given by her son.
An 8world News reader had tipped off the news outlet about the woman. They were concerned about the legality of what she was doing and where she sourced her chicken.
When a journalist went to investigate, they spotted the woman standing at the back of her bicycle. Other middle-aged ladies who were interested in her wares surrounded her and her bike.
Source: 8world News
The unnamed elderly woman is said to sell five days a week. She usually carries two bags of raw chicken, one carrying kampung chicken meat and one carrying regular chicken meat.
She sells a bag of kampung chicken drumsticks for around S$13 to S$17, and regular chicken drumsticks for $12.
Addressing concerns over the origins of her products, she assures that the chicken she sells comes from a proper supplier. She even has the name cards of the supplier to show anyone who needs proof.
Source: 8world
This ah ma’s chicken is also surprisingly popular. She told 8world that they sell out pretty quickly. Sometimes, she even has to pre-order her kampung chicken from her supplier to meet the demand.
Her business day starts at 8am in the mornings, and stocks are usually running low by around 9.30am, as per 8world’s observations.
A customer had asked the ah ma why her location was different from the day before when making her purchase. The elderly chicken seller confessed that she was worried about being caught by the authorities and chased away.
It was also revealed that this unlicensed poultry seller surprisingly has quite a few returning customers, thanks to word-of-mouth ‘marketing’ as these customers will also recommend the elderly woman’s chicken to their friends.
She even has customers coming all the way from Hougang and Ang Mo Kio just to buy her wares.
Source: 8world News
However, some shoppers 8world approached said that they would not buy from the ah ma. They voiced concerns about the hygiene of her raw chicken and that her prices are not cheap enough to entice them either.
At home, she is only given S$250 from one of her sons as her monthly allowance. “I have many children, but some are not working, so they don’t give me money,” she told 8world.
She shared with 8world that she used to work in a poultry supplier factory as a cleaner, which is probably where she got her connections to suppliers. Every morning, the suppliers deliver fresh chicken meat to her doorstep for her to sell that day.
The ah ma has to keep her pricing competitive, as no one would buy from her if she charges too much. So, she only profits about a dollar or two from each bag of chicken she sells.
When asked if she needed any financial help, the ah ma politely declined.
There were people who tried to help her apply for financial assistance, but she turned them down, saying that she makes enough off selling chicken and does not need any help.
Other poultry sellers at the wet market nearby are aware of what the elderly woman is doing. They told 8world that while she is unlicensed, they need to follow the regulations set by the Singapore Food Agency.
That being said, they have not spoken to the ah ma about the matter yet.
They seem to understand that people buy from her out of sympathy.
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Featured image adapted from 8world.
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