Chinatown fruit stall altercation: Vendor claims tourists squeezed fruits and asked questions repeatedly
A Chinatown fruit stall owner has spoken out after her encounter with an American tourist went viral, saying the group of tourists had stood at the stall for more than 10 minutes, asking questions and squeezing the fruits repeatedly.
The tourist denied doing so, saying she had posted the video only after being treated rudely.
The incident occurred on Feb 9 at a fruit stall in People's Park Complex Food Centre in Chinatown.
A video of the heated exchange was posted on the tourist's Instagram account, @sophisticated_beauty_868. She had asked the stall owner about a pack of grapes, to which the stall owner responded: "Are you buying or are you just asking?"
Vendor accuses tourists of squeezing fruits
When reporters from Shin Min Daily News visited the stall on Feb 13, the stall owner claimed that the group, consisting of about 10 people, had stood in front of the stall for around 10 minutes before reaching out to squeeze peaches, grapes, and other fruits.
"If they were just standing there, I wouldn't have said anything. But they started pinching and squeezing the fruits, so I asked to see if they intended to buy anything," she said.
The stall owner added that the group repeatedly asked for prices. While attempting to pay, one of them revealed that she only had $2 in cash, and requested to pay in US dollars or by card.
She added that the tourists had asked if she could sell in smaller quantities, such as 200g of grapes instead of the standard 1kg.
"I felt they were deliberately trying to make things difficult and had no intention of buying," the fruit stall vendor said.
"People can judge for themselves. My conscience is clear. We display our prices clearly, and I usually serve customers diligently. But when you meet unreasonable tourists, it can be frustrating."
Tourist denies squeezing fruits
The tourist, Shanice, told Shin Min reporters that she and her relatives arrived in Singapore for a holiday on Feb 7. She added that some items at the stall were priced and others weren't, so they asked for clarification.
"My aunt asked for the price of rambutans, and the vendor immediately responded rudely, asking whether we were there to ask or to buy. She kept staring at us, and I felt her attitude was unacceptable, so I decided to record the video," she said.
She added that she did not understand why the stallholder appeared "hostile" and reiterated that no one in her group squeezed the fruits.
Shanice said the incident would not affect her impression of Singapore, describing it as a "very beautiful and clean country". She also thanked an elderly man who stepped in to mediate, saying: "He was very kind. I'm grateful he stepped forward to help us."
The stall owner told Shin Min that she was not acquainted with the man, and that she only raised her voice after he allegedly hurled vulgarities at her.
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