Confront or ignore? Shopper caught on video opening boxes to 'test' kiwi at Choa Chu Kang supermarket

Inconsiderate supermarket shoppers come in all shapes and forms. There are those who don't return supermarket trolleys and those who consume products before returning them to the shelf.

Last Sunday (Dec 5), Facebook user Evelyn Ng posted a 12-second video of one such shopper. She caught a man at an NTUC FairPrice outlet in Choa Chu Kang Lot 1 shopping mall opening multiple boxes of kiwi fruits.

The short clip has caused a stir with over 150 Facebook reactions and 100 comments.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/750274937/videos/1617672251918291/[/embed]

According to the caption, the man would press the fruits and exchange them between boxes — in an attempt to assemble his perfect box of kiwis.

Ng, who is in her mid-20s and works in the technology sector, told AsiaOne that the incident occurred last Saturday (Dec 4) at 7pm as she was looking for fruits as well.

She said: "The purpose of publishing the video is to raise awareness among the consumers that everyone is supposed to do their part, especially during this period where Covid-19 still exists."

"Everyone wants to purchase fruits that are in good condition and this can be done if all of us do our part by avoiding such [an] unethical act," she added, referring to the act of unboxing and pressing fruits

There were mixed reactions with some netizens questioning if the man should face punishment for his actions. 

Meanwhile, one netizen said that such acts are supposedly common at supermarkets. They felt that the onus is on the supermarkets to seal their products better.

A survey conducted in 2016 by Electrolux found that eight out of 10 Singaporeans would typically only buy fruits and vegetables that "look fresh and good".

A quarter of the 1,000 Singaporeans surveyed mentioned that they would not eat misshapen or bruised fruits and vegetables.

ALSO READ: Female supermarket cashier in Punggol refuses to wear mask at work

amierul@asiaone.com