Bedok Mall shopkeeper claims milk powder on display are “only for export to China”
On 10 Aug, a shopkeeper in Singapore told a customer that the milk powder available in-store were “only for export for China” despite being on the shelves.
The confused customer shared about their peculiar experience on Reddit where they also questioned the shop’s trade practices.
Customer tries to purchase milk powder
According to the customer, the incident happened at a Chinese medicinal shop in Bedok Mall.
They recalled that the store had shelves of various milk powders, with labels stating: “Only sale for express to China”.
The customer claimed that only the shelves with milk powder tins displayed the sign.
Source: Reddit
In an exclusive with MS News, the customer said that they “felt that it was a ridiculous sign”.
Curious, they then went to ask the shopkeeper if they could buy a tin.
Customer denied purchase, questions remain unanswered
To their surprise, the shopkeeper confirmed that the milk powder was not for sale and that it was “only for export to China”.
Although confused, the customer claimed that they did not probe any further due to language differences.
They noted that they could not communicate in Chinese and the shopkeeper was not fluent in English.
As such, their queries remained unanswered.
“What does it mean that it can only be exported to China? ” they asked. “Why is it displayed if it’s not for sale? Why can’t I buy it?”
Netizens came up with their own theories
The restricted sale of the milk powder puzzled netizens as well, with many speculating over the reasons.
One netizen found it especially strange that the store went through the effort to remove the tins from their cartons when they are not for sale.
Source: Reddit
Some netizens advised the customer to report the case to organisations such as the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS).
Source: Reddit
Customer contacts organisations recommended by netizens
The customer has since contacted both the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and CCS.
According to a CASE representative who spoke to the customer, there is “no regulation with regards to stock being on display that is not sold to the public”.
Source: Reddit
Meanwhile, the customer claimed that the CCS representative advised to “take it up with the business themselves and see what they say to justify”.
The representative also said that “there should be no reason why locals cannot purchase something for sale”, but there is no complaint to be made.
Since reaching out to the organisations, the customer shared with MS News that they have received “no updates”.
In response to queries from MS News, CCS said that the information shared in the customer’s post does not does not appear to disclose any unfair practices under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA).
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Featured image adapted from r/SingaporeRaw on Reddit.