Chinatown fruit seller says her conscience clear after US tourist's video goes viral

A fruit seller at People's Park Food Centre has gone viral for her behaviour towards a tourist.

In an Instagram Reel on Feb. 10, the tourist, Shanice, posted a video of the unpleasant interaction captioned "Among Singapore, beautiful city, lies a beast. Welcome to Chinatown. Highly unrecommended".

She was attempting to purchase grapes from the stall but was met with hostility from the fruit seller.

Mothership spoke to Shanice, who is from New York, who said that the video was filmed on Feb. 9 and allegedly occurred after her aunt asked the price of a bundle of red plums.

"She continued staring us down. That’s what made me decide to record her behavior, interaction just seemed hostile as well as very rude."

A Singaporean man attempted to mediate and help the tourists, but the man and the fruit seller ended up in a shouting match.

Mothership talked to the fruit seller, who said that a large group of tourists had purportedly attempted to bargain with her.

'You want to buy, or you want to ask?'

As Shanice reached her turn, she asked the fruit seller, "you ready to help me?"

The fruit seller responded with "Yeah, now is your turn. What do you want?"

Shanice pointed to a bag of muscat grapes and asked, "What is this?" and the fruit seller replied, "You want to buy, or you want to ask?"

Frustrated, Shanice said, "I'm asking you because I don't know what it is".

She told Mothership that "some of the items had proper signage while others did not".

In the background, her aunt was repeating, "we want to ask".

The fruit seller then began again with "no, I tell you if you got money", but this time, an elderly man intervened.

The man began to mediate the heated situation.

Shanice explained that they wanted to know what the fruits were so that they could try them.

Shanice said, "Her attitude is very nasty, very nasty, are these grapes?"

Helpful man mitigates

A helpful man attempted to explain the grapes and how they were sold, lifting the bag and showing them a sign that showed that the seedless grapes were S$25 per kilogram.

The tourists thanked the man, and as the interaction had seemingly concluded, the fruit seller remarked that the "elderly man very free for you".

The man shouted "you very rude lah" at the fruit seller, and she responded with "you very good".

The two engaged in a shouting match, raising their voices with each turn, and the man pointed at the fruit seller and said, "they're tourists you know," adding in Chinese that she should not "throw Singapore's face" with her attitude.

Shanice's aunt could be heard over the argument, saying, "Don't spend your money here its okay, turn around, let's go."

They thanked the man before leaving as the man and the fruit seller continued bickering.

Shanice ended the video saying, "I'm recording, that is disgusting".

Stall owner said group tried to bargain

Mothership went down to the stall to talk to the woman in the viral video.

The fruit seller said that prior to the heated interaction, the group of tourists had attempted to bargain with her.

She added that her fruits were of a more expensive variety, and after they had attempted to haggle, she did not want to entertain them.

She also said that she did not know the man and that the tourists did not purchase a single thing.

She said, "If you go to Takashimaya, would you ask for the prices? These prices are fixed." (transliteration).

She also told Shin Min that her conscience was clear. Saying that their prices are clearly marked.

She also told the paper that the tourists squeezed the fruits, a charge that the tourist denied to Shin Min as well.

Tourist thanked the man

Shanice told Mothership that the man "was very helpful" and "respectful".

"He was understanding and I’m very thankful that he took time out of his day to not only help us but also correct her because as tourist coming 18 hours to explore a country and then be treated like that was very much disappointing."

The interaction took place just two days after Shanice had arrived in Singapore.

Shanice said that "nevertheless, Singapore is a beautiful country" and "one of the cleanest I have visited so far".

"Despite this interaction that I had with this fruit woman, I will not hold Singapore responsible for her behaviour. Everything else was beautiful."

Netizens chimed in

In the tourist's comments section, many Singaporean netizens largely sided with her and apologised, saying that the "woman does not represent Singapore".

Many also praised the man for stepping in and trying to help.

Others said that the store was known for its rough interactions with customers.

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