Nowadays, running a physical retail store is not easy, what with many consumers choosing to shop online.
It’s even worse when you have to deal with rambunctious visitors to your store, as one shop owner discovered.
About 30 youngsters visited a store in Bugis and allegedly “wreaked havoc” there, she said.
Source: @aikigai on TikTok
Eventually, she took action and kicked them out.
In a TikTok video on Saturday (5 Nov), a user named Venus, who runs thrift store A-ikigai in Golden Landmark Shopping Complex, aired her frustrations.
She said she had met “30 horrible persons” earlier.
Source: @aikigai on TikTok
They came in the form of a “group of friends” who visited her store, she added.
Source: @aikigai on TikTok
Slides she posted showed the inside of her shop crowded with young people, with the owner quipping,
In most cases that could be considered (an) illegal gathering.
For most store owners, a packed shop floor means good business.
Unfortunately, Venus said the 30 youngsters came “with only one agenda — to wreck (sic) havoc”.
Their behaviour was “loud and obnoxious” and they were making “fools out of themselves”, she added.
Source: @aikigai on TikTok
Worse still, they were blocking the store’s entrance and chasing away actual customers, she claimed.
She then zoomed into two of the alleged troublemakers, saying “especially these two”.
Source: @aikigai on TikTok
Eventually, Venus had to kick the youngsters out of the store, yelling “Get out!”
They were not happy about this, apparently.
She said she loves people and chatting with customers, but drew the line at “public nuisance” in her store.
She won’t hesitate to kick such people out again, she added, maintaining,
AIKIGAI is a sustainable store, not your school canteen. NOT THE ZOO.
The post has since received more than 272,000 views and 18,000 likes.
In another TikTok video on Sunday (5 Nov), Venus sought to clarify some things about the incident.
She said the figure of 30 wasn’t an exaggeration, and the youngsters were “literally disrupting” her business.
They also caused distress to her — she usually tends to the store alone — as well as her customers, she added.
She decided to post about it to raise awareness among people so that they don’t do this to any business.
Venus described herself as an ordinary individual who’s a mother and doing something she loves — providing a space for secondhand and handmade goods.
Following the incident, Venus has made a police report.
She won’t hesitate to call for assistance the next time this happens, she said.
However, she requested that people do not bully any of the youngsters if they know them.
She also revealed that two of them had apologised to her.
Finally, she thanked people for their support and kind comments.
Do you think the owner was right to kick out the youngsters for alleged disruptive behaviour? Or they should have been given some leeway as they’re young? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: Teens Allegedly Litter Bishan Basketball Court Regularly, S’poreans Urge Them To Use Bins Nearby
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Featured image adapted from @aikigai on TikTok.
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