Bakery

SINGAPORE: Upset with Singaporeans who she felt were hoarding bread at bakeries in Johor Bahru, a Malaysian woman took to Threads to express her feelings — and may have got more attention than she bargained for.

The woman, whose account has since been switched to private, claimed to have seen Singaporeans purchasing bread when they travel to Johor Bahru, leaving little or none at all for local buyers.

And when the bakery staff brought out trays of freshly made pastries, the travellers from Singapore would “swipe them clean immediately”, the woman alleged.

“Where is your social awareness? You are in another country—aren’t you embarrassed?” the woman asked, adding, “It’s the hoarding behaviour that shows your lack of social awareness and your inconsideration for others.”

She also asked, “Is it really ‘boosting another country’s economy,‘ or is it just greed and self-entitlement?”

Some agreed with her and said the “hoarding” isn’t limited to bread and pastries.

“Mineral water is bought at Giant Southern City every weekend, and the parking is always full in the Singapore section. Why is everything so expensive where you are? Even buying water requires travelling overseas,” a commenter wrote.

Another commenter, this time from Singapore, affirmed the post author’s take and added that the behaviour of their countrymen made them feel very uncomfortable indeed.

“Totally agreed with you. The worst part is when they have family discussions over the difficult decision of what to buy, while ignoring the long queue behind them. Why can’t they decide while waiting in line? Unless you’re buying hundreds of items, how much can you save? Bread doesn’t last long anyway. I’m starting to feel embarrassed holding my SG passport when I’m overseas. Don’t get me wrong, I love my country and I’m proud to be Singaporean,” they wrote.

Others, however, said the bakery owners could prevent this by putting a cap on the amount of baked goods that each person buys.

“You snooze, you lose. The bakery could’ve just put up a sign limiting the number of bread customers can buy. Since there’s no sign, I don’t see a problem with that. The bakery benefits as well!” they wrote.

When a commenter on Reddit wondered why Singaporeans buy bread in Malaysia at all, another answered that there is a big price difference. They wrote that a bun in Singapore costs between $2 and $3, while in Johor Bahru, it costs between RM3 (S$.90) and RM5 (S$1.50).

“It’s pretty much a no-brainer, TBH. Same for medications at the pharmacy.  Even I will go to JB to buy because the price difference is so big,” they added.

When another wrote, “This is why JB has the highest inflation rate in the country,” many agreed.

To this, another answered, “Plus, JB pharmacy is wild wild west… Don’t need a doctor’s note to get a lot of prescription medicine.”

Others, however, claimed that Malaysians in Singapore also hoard bread, especially products from the Gardenia brand, which many appear to find delicious.

The featured image above is from Freepik and is for illustration purposes only. /TISG