Crowds swarm Jurong Point for The SGFR Store opening, Stomper queues for 5 hours but fails to enter

Fans flocked to Jurong Point on May 9 for the opening of popular snack and convenience chain The SGFR Store’s newest outlet, resulting in massive crowds and long queues.

Stomper Yeow, who visited the mall that afternoon, said he was shocked by the turnout.

“When I got there, wow!” he exclaimed. “Long queue from front till back.”

A video and photos shared by the Stomper show large crowds packed around the Level 2 outlet, while curious onlookers lined the mall’s upper floors to catch a glimpse of the opening that took place at about 2pm.

“Even Level 3 had a lot of people standing there and watching,” Yeow said.

The SGFR Store, known for its viral snacks, drinks and social media marketing, has built a strong following online, particularly among younger fans in Singapore and Malaysia.

Days before the launch, the store had promoted giveaways on its Instagram page, including Samsung Galaxy A07 smartphones for the first three people in the queue, as well as free Thai milk buns, crunchy gummies, twister gummies and spicy fries for the first 250 customers.

Some commenters on the store’s Instagram page claimed they would start queueing at Jurong Point as early as the day before the opening.

Stomper 'disappointed’ after queueing for over five hours

According to the Stomper, many teenagers and children in the crowd were shouting loudly at certain moments, prompting staff and security guards to step in.

“The staff and security guards had to ask them to lower the noise and not block the way because a lot of people were obstructing the walkway,” he said. “I hope everyone can be mindful, care about others more and not become a public nuisance.”

Yeow added that he queued for more than five hours but still did not manage to enter the store.

“I was very disappointed that I couldn’t enter,” he said. “I heard from the staff that you needed a queue number.”

“I wish they had managed the queue better.”

The SGFR Store responds

In response to a Stomp query, founder and chief executive of The SGFR Store Mohamed Haikkel Firdaus said the turnout at Jurong Point was “much bigger than expected”.

“While we’re very grateful for the support, we also understand that crowd experience and public consideration are very important,” Mr Haikkel said.

He added that the company has been improving operations with every opening, including deploying more security personnel, implementing better crowd control systems, clearer queue management and improved sound coordination.

For this opening, about 15 security and crowd control personnel were deployed throughout the event.

While The SGFR Store received feedback that this was their “best so far”, Mr Haikkel acknowledged that there were still areas for improvement, including confusion over the queue number system.

“Some shoppers were unclear that queue numbers had to be collected from our security team before entering the line,” he said. “Moving forward, we’ll be placing clearer signage around the area and on the poles to better guide the crowd and avoid confusion.”

Mr Haikkel also apologised to those who had a “less-than-ideal experience”, especially shoppers who waited a long time but were unable to enter the store.

“We’ll continue learning from every opening to ensure future events are smoother, safer and more comfortable for both supporters and members of the public around the area,” he said.

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