Hawker waives payment for diner who didn't bring enough cash, says 'fill your stomach first'

Ever forgotten to bring enough cash with you and then low-key panicking while trying to pay for something? That's what happened to Sun Meilan. 

Thankfully, this was quickly resolved after a kind hawker at a food stall she was patronising told her she could pay for her food another time. 

In a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 16), Sun said she was on her way to pick up her son and was running late when she visited Jin Wei Wanton Chicken Feet Noodle at Yishun Ring Road that same day. 

She only realised she didn't have enough money to pay for her four packets of wanton mee, which cost $4 each, after placing her order. 

"I only had $7 in my wallet," said Sun, adding that the hawker did not accept payments via PayNow. 

But instead of getting angry, the hawker looked at Sun's "panic-stricken face" and told her in Chinese: "You can pay me back the next time when you come over." 

Grateful for the gesture, Sun left her mobile number with the hawker and reassured her that she would "definitely come back to pay her tomorrow". 

And in response, the kind woman told Sun: "You don't need to! Anytime is fine. The more important thing is that you fill your stomach first." 

Cash-only stalls: 'Backward' or just old school?     

Sun also added in her post how "recently, someone tried to name and shame a stall-holder for accepting cash [only]."

Sun was apparently referring to former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng, who recently said that hawkers who reject digital payments should be shamed. 

In a Facebook post on Feb 10, he called out a stall, writing: "Another backward food court in the CBD that ONLY accepts cash. Name and shame."

In light of his controversial comments, Sun said: "Today, I received nothing but kindness from one such stall." 

"There is an old-school charm in some of these ... 'backward' stalls. It's called human touch!" 

"Sometimes, this is what keeps customers coming back and not whether the stall has kept up with [the] times." 

[[nid:511904]]

Cheng's Facebook post drew a flurry of irate responses from other Facebook users who urged him to be more patient and compassionate. 

In response to one netizen, he even said: "Stop making silly excuses for people unwilling to embrace simple change." 

Despite the criticisms, Cheng did not stop and posted a series of rebuttals defending himself on Feb 13.

"It's unbelievable and embarrassing that there are people in the comments section here that are defending the use of cash ONLY. I hope this is the minority otherwise Singapore is finished. We will indeed be a village full of backward villagers," he said. 

While sharing Sun's Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 17), Ho Ching also referenced Calvin Cheng's comments and said: "Indeed there is no need to shame others for using cash. What matters is that the heart is in the right place." 

AsiaOne has reached out to Sun for more details. 

No cash, no worries 

Back in December 2021, a pregnant woman tried to purchase a meal from Pepper Lunch at VivoCity Kopitiam foodcourt. 

She had only her credit card with her and wanted to purchase a Kopitiam stored-value card with her credit card but was told by a Kopitiam manager that it would be better to pay by cash.

The woman then asked if she could transfer $20 to him via PayNow to exchange for cash. 

Instead, the manager tapped his own Kopitiam card for payment and told her he would cover her meal. 

"I had already whipped out my phone, logged into PayNow and was just waiting for his mobile number. And then he turned to me and said the meal was on him," the woman said.

ALSO READ: 'Blessings for doing the right thing': Netizens react to hawker tracking down diner who overpaid by 100 times

melissateo@asiaone.com

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.