Despite their backbreaking work running a business, hawkers can be one of the friendliest people in our community, often going out of their way to help customers.
Recently, a netizen took to Facebook to share about the kind deed a Yishun wanton mee hawker did for her.
Aware that the customer was strapped for cash at the time, the hawker apparently allowed her to return and pay at a later time.
What was perhaps most heartening was that the hawker insisted that the customer didn’t have to rush to pay her, instead saying it’s essential that the food relieves the customer’s hunger.
On Thursday (16 Feb), Facebook user Ms Sun took to the Hawker United – Dabao 2020 group to share about a wholesome encounter she had recently.
Recounting the incident, Ms Sun said that she had bought four packets of wanton mee from a stall in Yishun.
However, she was apparently running late to fetch her child and forgot that she only had S$7 in her pocket, which presumably wasn’t enough to pay for what she had ordered.
Ms Sun soon found herself panicking as the stall also did not accept payment via Paynow.
However, the stall owner did not seem fazed by the situation and told Ms Sun in Mandarin that she could pay the balance the next time she patronised the stall.
Grateful for the offer, Ms Sun offered to leave her handphone number as a form of ‘collateral’.
Again, the hawker did not appear one bit bothered as she replied nonchalantly,
There’s no need to! You can return at any time. What’s most important is that the food fills you up.
Looking back at the encounter, Ms Sun noted that there’s an “old school charm” about such “backward” stalls.
In particular, they have the ‘human touch’ that keeps customers coming back regardless of whether the stall has “kept up with the times”.
Ms Sun seemed to be referencing a recent Facebook post by ex-NMP Calvin Cheng, in which he called for a boycott of cash-only businesses.
Ending her post, Ms Sun shared that she was taken aback by the big portions that the stall offered.
If you’re keen on patronising the stall yourself, here’s how you can find it:
Jin Wei Wanton Chicken Feet Noodle (津味云吞鸡爪面)
Address: 807 Yishun Ring Rd, Singapore 760807
Opening hours: 6.45am – 7pm daily
Nearest MRT: Khatib Station
Witnessing or hearing about such kindness among Singaporeans is uplifting, proving that there are still compassionate people out there.
Kudos to the hawker for being so considerate towards the customer in her time of need. We hope that the OP has since fulfilled her promise to complete her payment.
Hopefully, too, Singaporeans will take inspiration from this story to show more kindness to each other.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Facebook.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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