Driver upset as aunties ‘chope’ parking space in Yishun, netizens react to ‘chope-ing’ tradition in Singapore

In a recent complaint to Stomp, a female motorist recalled how frustrated she was when she found two aunties chope-ing a parking space at Block 165 Yishun Ring Road. She said the two women prevented other cars from parking in the lot for at least 10 minutes. 

The female driver said: “I felt really frustrated because I was waiting there for the lot for almost 10 minutes before I finally got one opposite them.” What  made the situation worse was that even when she left, the aunties’ vehicle was still not there to park. 

The woman believed that reserving a parking space is unreasonable, and she thought of confronting them. “I considered going down to ask them to move but I anticipated it might escalate into a quarrel… Since I had my young child in the car, I chose not to confront them,” she declared. 

What is the chope-ing culture in Singapore?

In Singapore, “chope” is to reserve a seat by marking it, and it is primarily done in hawker centres. People often use something inexpensive to chope a seat, so when one sees an empty table with an umbrella or tissue, moving these items would be breaking an unspoken rule. This action is widely respected and practised in the country. 

In a social media post this year, the National Environment Agency (NEA) declared that people won’t get fined for chope-ing seats in hawker centres. There is no such thing as “Chope-Free” zones as well.

Many netizens expressed their opinions about this tradition. One netizen admitted that the act of chope-ing is inefficient, for it increases table space usage in an overcrowded hawker place. 

Another netizen was fully in favour of the action and remarked, “Not until there’s a solution to not having to stand eating that hot bowl of food, please keep the chope-ing culture. We don’t need to follow what people from other cultures do… If you can’t find a seat before ordering, just move to another hawker center, coffee shop or eateries. That’s what I do, look for a seat first and if there are none, I leave.” 

“Yes, it is okay if they chope. But one person should stay back to explain if all the seats are taken or there are one or two or three places not taken. It is only courteous and gracious behavior and they should so,” another comment stated. 

One more netizen declared that it is part of the Singaporean culture, and that people should start living with it instead of considering it bad behavior.