Durian 'mountain' in Bedok: $2 durians draw long queues outside Sheng Siong

If you happen to spot long queues around parts of Singapore during this time, it usually means one thing…. the peak durian season is back again.

The annual main durian season lasts from June to early September.

Singaporeans adept at sniffing out a good deal have thronged the Sheng Siong supermarket at Bedok Central on Wednesday (June 23), after a post by the chain on Facebook showed a mountain of durians going at unbelievable prices.

Photos showed Red Prawn durians going at three for $10, and baskets of small-fish durians selling at just $2 each.

Netizens who commented on the post however, remarked that the durians were sold out by 7.30pm, so if you want to try your luck and queue for them, it's best to go early.

A Sheng Siong staff told AsiaOne over the phone this morning that the stocks are replenished, so customers can start buying (or queueing for) them "after 10am".

There's already a "very long queue" stretching from outside the store to the Guardian pharmacy about 70m away, the employee said.

One customer in the line yesterday told 8world that she had rushed down to the stall after seeing the post at about 6pm, but when she got there, she found that there "about 200 people" in the queue with the stocks of durian dwindling. She decided not to join the queue and left empty-handed.

While most commenters urged Sheng Siong to extend their durian sale to other branches as well, some expressed concern about having such large crowds during the current pandemic situation.

Who knows, perhaps Sheng Siong may choose to take a leaf out of this other durian seller's book.

Free 50kg of Mao Shan Wang in Bishan

The boss of Wang Sheng Li 95 located in Bishan ended up giving away 50kg of Mao Shan Wang durians he had planned to sell, after his promotion drew a large number of customers to his stall.

The business had announced on social media last Sunday (June 20) that they would be selling the prized variety of durians for $5 per kg the next day, leading throngs of people to show up even before the stall opened.

Mao Shan Wang or Musang King durians currently go for at least $18 to $24 per kg, reported 8world.

The owner of the stall, surnamed Chen, told Lianhe Wanbao on Monday that as it had started to rain that afternoon, people began seeking shelter under the awnings.

"We were worried that there would be overcrowding, so we decided to quickly give away the 50kg of durians," said Chen.

The 35-year-old added that while he had intended to ride on the popularity of the durian season while it lasted, "following the rules and regulations are also important".

At his stall at Blk 513 Bishan Street 13, reporters observed at least 20 people in the queue, with staff reminding customers to keep one-metre apart from each other.

On social media, long queues were also reported at a durian stall near Khatib MRT.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CQabz15hT-s/[/embed]

The glut of durians in recent days seem to go against a South China Morning Post video report published today (June 23), that stated durian supplies to Singapore have been hit by poor weather and the Covid-19 pandemic.

While the rainy season had negatively impacted the supply of durians this year, the movement control order in Malaysia due to Covid-19 had also reduced domestic demand, The Straits Times reported.

This means that previously "hard-to-get varietals" such as Penang durians are able to make their way here instead.

candicecai@asiaone.com