Student allegedly sells ice cream for $19; two for $30; scam or just smart business?

SINGAPORE: A student took to an online forum on Thursday (March 20) after an unusual encounter with another student selling ice cream for $19 a piece or two for $30. The seller claimed he had to finish selling his stock before he could go home, but the steep price made the writer sceptical.

“He opened the box, and I saw four blocks of ice cream inside it. He told me that he ended school late and had to finish selling the ice cream to be able to go home. I felt bad and gave in.”

Being a student himself, the writer expressed his shock at the prices. “I’m a student too and don’t make a lot of money,” he shared. However, in the end, he still succumbed and bought two.

He later wondered if he had fallen for an emotional sales pitch rather than an honest deal. “I’m also pretty sure they are charging twice as much as the market price,” he shared.

Scam or not? Singaporeans debate

Many responded to the post, quick to label the marketing tactic a “scam.”

This incident comes shortly after another report surfaced describing a similar encounter. A commuter previously shared on an online forum that he was approached by a girl selling ice cream for $15.90 at a bus interchange.

“She said she had been selling ice cream the whole day, and she was so tired. She needed to clear her box by 11 p.m.; otherwise, her boss would scold her. She asked nicely, so I decided to help. ” he recalled.

However, he was caught off guard by the price, describing it as unusually high for a single serving. “$15.90 for raspberry flavour. Is this entrepreneurship?” he questioned.

In the comments section, opinions were divided. While some empathised with the girl, believing she was simply trying to make a living, others suspected it was a scam. “It’s a scam and not entrepreneurship,” one commenter claimed.

However, some defended the practice, sharing that they had also sold ice cream door-to-door in the past under similar conditions. One commenter explained that the sellers work on commission rather than hourly pay. “Before, we could set our own prices. The boss took a fixed percentage; whatever was left was our earnings,” she wrote.

Still, while some remain doubtful, others see it as a tough but authentic lesson in sales and resilience. Is it a clever hustle or a questionable practice? Singaporeans seem divided.

See also: $15.90 for ice cream? Commuter questions girl selling at bus interchange

Featured image by Freepik (for illustration purposes only)