Meituan delivery rider says he flew to S’pore for S$454 to pick up S$13.50 worth of curry puffs
A food delivery rider who purportedly flew from China at a cost of $454 to pick up a $13.50 order from a Hong Lim Curry Puff outlet has left netizens wondering if it was a promotional stunt for a Chinese platform.
Xiaohongshu user @Chloe shared a video on Aug 31 of the delivery rider, who was dressed in the jacket of Meituan, a Chinese platform offering services such as food delivery, hotel bookings and online shopping.
The rider was seen at the Hong Lim Curry Puff stall at Paya Lebar Quarter Mall.
S$454 flight for S$13.50 curry puff order
Chloe said in the caption that the sight left her, as well as the stall’s staff and owners, “completely bewildered”.
“I thought I’d stumbled upon some big news: When did Meituan open in Singapore? “ she added.
In the video, she speaks to the rider, who tells her that his airfare cost 2,400 RMB (S$454).
However, he declines to reveal how much he was paid for the service.
He also discloses nothing about the client, other than saying the person was from China. The rider then shows the contents of the order: six curry puffs in potato and sardine flavours, costing a total of $13.50.
“Rich and know what they want,” a Xiaohongshu user said of the person who made the order.
A confused user asked: “What does this mean? Someone in China placed a Meituan order, and Meituan sent a delivery rider on a plane to Singapore to pick it up and bring it back to China?”
Chloe replied that she believed it was probably a specially arranged cross-border order, with the customer willing to pay for the airfare and other travel costs.
Another user reacted: “No way, that’s too outrageous,” to which Chloe replied: “I was shocked too.”
Publicity stunt?
The sighting also prompted speculation over whether Meituan could be preparing to enter the Singapore market.
Come quickly, Meituan,” said a user.
Several others shared the sentiment, with some saying they were frustrated with the prices and level of service offered by existing delivery platforms.
Chloe also said in a comment that many people had reported seeing Meituan delivery riders around Holland Village.
“Some also said Meituan has already registered a company in Singapore, so this could be part of its early promotional activities,” she said.
In reply to another comment, she joked that she would gladly endorse the platform.
“I want to promote them – Meituan, please send me money,” she said.
An online check by Stomp showed that Meituan has holding entities registered in Singapore, but does not currently operate food delivery or e-commerce services here.
Some netizens also pointed out that Meituan uniforms can be bought on online shopping platform Taobao, and suggested that those seen wearing them here may simply have purchased the outfits online.
Stomp has reached out to the original poster, who has yet to respond to questions.
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