Money no enough: Maids spotted hawking food outside PLQ mall on day off

Side hustles have become quite common these days and apparently, even some maids are hopping onto the bandwagon for some extra cash on their off days. 

Acting on a tip off from a reader, Shin Min Daily News reporters spotted some maids hawking food near Paya Lebar MRT station on a weekend. 

According to the Chinese daily report on Thursday (July 7), reporters saw a maid standing at an open area near Paya Lebar MRT Station, carrying a backpack and an eco tote bag and taking out boxes of food for customers to pick.

Some seemed like regular customers and knew exactly what they wanted.  

When approached by the reporters, the woman, who did not want to be named, said that she is a foreign domestic worker from Sumatra, Indonesia, and has worked in Singapore for about 12 years.

She shared that she did not make the food herself and was only helping her friend, who cooked the food, to sell it, and she would take commissions from the sale. 

One of the dishes that she was selling which she showed the reporter looked like mee bakso, an Indonesian noodle soup dish of meatballs served with yellow noodles and rice vermicelli.

"After my friend cooks the food, I will pick it up from Sengkang MRT and come to Paya Lebar to sell it. I sell traditional Indonesian snacks and food, ranging from 50 cents to $1 per lunch box," she explained. 

She also added that her employer does not know she has been hawking food on her off days. 

Another Indonesian maid who has worked in Singapore for four years was also found selling packed food from a grocery trolley, reported the Chinese daily.

This woman would usually loiter around PLQ mall or Paya Lebar MRT station and would also whisper to potential customers in Bahasa Indonesia to get their attention.

When she was approached by the Shin Min reporters, she panicked, apologised profusely and tried to leave. 

Later on, the maid, who declined to be named, confessed that she knew what she was doing is illegal. However, she said she has little choice as she needed the extra money to send back to her mother, who is sick. 

This maid added that there are many similar sellers like her that are scattered around the mall and each one of them would usually sell 30 to 40 boxes of food at a time.

For herself, she would usually arrive at 9am and stop selling food by 11am. 

One of the maids told Shin Min that she is able to make about $30 a day from the sales. 

Some of their customers told Shin Min that they buy their food because it's hard to find authentic, nostalgic yet affordable Indonesian food in Singapore.

"Restaurants sell it, but it is very expensive and the taste is different from my hometown. I bought a box of food for $6 and even though it is more expensive than in Indonesia, I can't help it. I feel homesick," shared 40-year-old Pusmita, an Indonesian maid who purchased a bowl of mee bakso. 

Another customer who goes by the name Elena, 26, shared that she is "aware such sellers are breaking the law". 

However, she added that she doesn't worry much about food hygiene as long as she can have a bite of food from her hometown.  

Speaking to AsiaOne, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said that under the Environmental Public Health Act, the hawking of food or other types of goods without a licence issued by SFA is not permitted.

Enforcement actions would be taken against any individual who is caught selling without a licence.

SFA has said that it has received feedback about the situation and has been monitoring the Paya Lebar area closely for illegal hawking activities. Members of the public who come across cases of suspected illegal street hawking should report to SFA via the online feedback form. 

Additionally, according to information on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website, work permit holders can only work for the employer specified in their work permit card and they are also not allowed to take part in any business or start their own business. 

AsiaOne has reached out to MOM for comment. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com