Boy allegedly puts ‘Out of Order’ sign on Downtown East vending machine, owner says sales possibly affected

UPDATE on Aug. 17, 5:25pm: The article has been updated with SPF's statement.

A boy allegedly placed an "Out of Order" sign on a vending machine at E!Hub at Downtown East, potentially affecting sales from the machine, said the business's owner.

CCTV footage

In an Instagram post on Aug. 16, Press On Me (POM), a business selling press-on nails, lashes and jewellery, shared CCTV footage of the incident.

In the video, a boy wearing glasses can be seen approaching the vending machine while holding a piece of paper.

He then appears to paste the paper onto the machine’s LCD screen at the side.

Speaking to Mothership, POM said the incident took place at around 9pm on Aug. 8.

According to the business, another person was with the boy at the time.

The pair approached the vending machine together, with the boy placing what appeared to be a pre-printed "Out of Order" sign on the machine’s screen, POM said.

"We do not know the boy or the other person with him, and we still do not know why they did this."

The business added that the machine was functioning normally at the time and that no one had been authorised to put up the sign.

Sign discovered about three days later

POM said it discovered the sign on Aug. 11, about three days after it was placed on the machine.

The team happened to be in the area and decided to check on the machine, it said.

"We usually replenish [the stock] about once every two weeks, so otherwise the sign could have remained there much longer," POM said.

The business said it subsequently informed the management of Downtown East, which reviewed the mall’s CCTV footage and confirmed the incident.

POM said it was concerned that the sign may have affected sales, particularly as the incident occurred over the National Day long weekend.

"It happened over the National Day long weekend, so there would have been an impact on sales opportunities, although we cannot accurately determine how many customers saw the sign and walked away."

Despite this, POM said its bigger concern was that the incident appeared deliberate and could potentially happen again or escalate into damage to the machine.

POM added that it has since lodged a police report.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirm that a report was lodged and are looking into the matter.

Impact on small businesses

POM said the incident also highlighted the potential impact of what may appear to be a "harmless prank" on small businesses.

"With the current market conditions, businesses are already facing a challenging environment and everyone is working hard just to sustain sales," it said. "For an unmanned vending business, simply putting up an ‘Out of Order’ sign can quietly stop customers from purchasing for days without the owner even knowing."

It added that it was fortunate that the team checked the machine on Aug. 11, as it could otherwise have taken much longer to discover the sign.

POM said it hoped sharing the incident would raise awareness about the consequences of such acts.

"Every sale matters to businesses, especially in the current climate, and we hope people can be more considerate and respectful of others’ livelihoods."