'He gave me a dressing-down because I was sold out': $2 chicken rice promo met with ugliness

All hawker Michael Poh wanted to do was show his appreciation for his customers.

On Sept 1, the 44-year-old sold his chicken rice at $2. He had planned to offer the special promotion over three days.

But what he encountered at his stall at 206 Toa Payoh North forced him to tweak his Customer Appreciation Day promotion in order to manage the crowd.

Poh was hoping to extend the promotion to his regular customers but most of them were put off by the snaking queue of unfamiliar faces.

"It was extremely packed but there was not much of my target audience. I did not recognise 80 per cent of the people in line," said Poh, who runs Poh Kee Chicken Rice with his wife and elderly father.

"Many of my regulars said they would return after the promotion was over as the queue was too long and they did not want to 'take advantage' of me."

On Day 1 of the promotion, Poh's chicken rice was sold out by 4pm.

A family of six, who had arrived in a car, were too late.

"The man gave me a dressing-down because I was sold out," Poh told TNP.

"He demanded that I compensate him for his effort and petrol. It was scary."

Unfortunately for Poh, the man was not the only unpleasant customer he had to face that day.

"A number of the customers told me that they would boycott my stall or give me one-star rating on Google Reviews if I didn't make the promotion permanent," he shared.

"My intention was to do something nice but I ended up having a hard time.

"There was also an overwhelming number of people who wanted drumsticks. Some even asked me to put half-a-chicken on top of their rice for the $2 meal. They threatened to call me out for cheating and leave a bad review on Facebook."

In a bid to avoid more unpleasant encounters, Poh tweaked the $2 chicken rice promotion to a $2 discount on Sept 2 and 3.

"My wife had told me to make my promotion very specific but I didn’t heed her advice because I had faith in the customers," admitted Poh.

"I regret it. I must listen to my wife the next time."

Despite the obnoxious behaviours he encountered on Sept 1, the feedback Poh received was largely positive. Many customers expressed their gratitude for the promotion and requested that he consider doing it again.

Although Poh would like to fulfil the request and make Customer Appreciation Day a yearly affair, he was unsure if it would be financially sound.

"I'm making a $300 to $400 loss daily from this promotion," explained Poh, who pays $6,000 a month for rent — a $1,500 increase from two years ago.

"I'm also not as young and fit as I used to be. Last time, if I closed the stall at 7pm, I could be home by 8pm after washing up. Now I get home only at 9.30pm.

"But it's okay, as long as I can put a smile on people's faces."

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This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.