PUBLISHED ONJune 17, 2023 6:59 AMByAisha HassanThey say patience is a virtue, but when it comes to K-pop fans and their quest for merchandise, it becomes more like a test of endurance worthy of an Olympic event.
One fan of BTS' Suga, Raihanna, took to TikTok yesterday (June 16) to share a video of her and her friends walking away from the long line of Agust D supporters after having successfully secured the star's merchandise over at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
In the video caption, she posted: "Merch queue for Suga is insaneeeee!!! The weather is so humid!!!"
The brief 10-second video, which has now amassed over 25,000 views as of the time of writing, captures the camera panning towards a bag overflowing with what appears to be an abundance of merchandise associated to none other than the beloved BTS star.
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With a smooth swivel, the camera reveals the ecstatic Raihanna and her friends strolling with beaming smiles, and understandably so, for they have triumphantly acquired all the desired merchandise after enduring a five-and-a-half hour queue.
She and her group of friends spent about $1,000 combined on his merchandise, including photocards, official lightsticks, apparels and more, she told AsiaOne.
"The heat and humidity was crazy... A lot of fans who glammed up for the concert which was on that day were melting badly," the 22-year-old added. "Those who came after 9am had to queue outside in the scorching sun for at least two hours."
They are one of the few fans who were lucky enough to purchase all that they wanted, while some, despite standing in the heat for hours, were not so lucky.
The TikTok user added in response to some of the comments that she had been queuing since 8am yesterday and was only able to "secure the rest of my merch at 1.30pm".
In response to some fans who didn't get their merchandise, Raihanna said that for a big artist, one needs to queue early if they want to get the merchandise they want.
There have been a number of videos circulating on social media depicting fans waiting in line to purchase merchandise in the blazing heat, which is particularly notable considering that this is BTS' Suga's first solo concert in Singapore.
One user, Revinovitarini, even shared on TikTok how long the line was on Friday, and the sped-up video went up to a little more than a minute and it seemed that there was no end to the line.
Suga, who was spotted at Changi Airport after arriving from Phuket earlier this week, will be holding his concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 16, 17, and 18.
aishahm@asiaone.com
