Tourist says Singapore resident invaded personal space at checkout line - Singapore News
Source: The Independent
Author: Yoko Nicole
SINGAPORE: While many foreigners have enjoyed exploring Singapore, one tourist shared that she had a rather unsettling experience in the country.
In her post on Reddit, she explained that while queuing to pay for her items at Watsons Pharmacy at the Marina Bay Mall, a local resident stood uncomfortably close to her, invading her personal space.
"This woman was very close to me, almost glued to me. When I turned slightly to check, she had her phone pointed very close to my face as if I were being recorded or photographed, as if to provoke me," she wrote.
"She was tiny and Asian but the phone covered her face so I could not see this person very clearly."
Considering that there were only three of them in line, the tourist expressed that she could not understand why the local would stand so close to her.
"She continued to stand close to me until the moment I finished my payment at the cashier."
The incident occurred a few weeks ago, after the tourist had been in Singapore for five days. At that point, she knew this was not common behavior among the locals. However, as she felt unsure about how to react, she acted normally and completed her purchase without saying anything or looking back.
"I was hoping the cashier would pick up on it but he acted normally and in turn, so did I. I just moved onto my next destination."
Reflecting on the encounter, she said she is still trying to understand the stranger's intentions, questioning whether they were attempting to provoke, steal from her, or scam her. She also wondered if the local was being "racist," as she had a darker Mediterranean complexion.
"Just wondering if this has ever happened to anyone before?"
In the online discussion, several Singaporeans shared that they, too, had the same experience. However, they explained that the person who stood so close to her could have been a Chinese national or a Korean, as this behavior is common in their countries.
One Redditor, who had worked in China, confirmed this and explained that queue-cutting is pretty prevalent there. Because of this, locals have developed a defence mechanism of sticking really close to the person in front of them to prevent anyone from cutting in line.
He added that the phone thing might have been a misunderstanding. The person could have just been browsing their phone; however, because of the close proximity, the person could have held up her phone so high that it made it seem like they were doing something suspicious.
Another Redditor mentioned that this kind of behavior, unfortunately, happens quite often in Singapore. He then recommended that the tourist try "TSK"-ing loudly next time.
He said, "TSK-ing very loudly usually works as they're mostly ignorant and mean no harm. Sometimes, if I'm especially annoyed, I flick my hair hard enough and hope it hits the person behind so they get the hint. I do hope that you've enjoyed your stay in Singapore despite this!"
A third Redditor described a similar experience at the Botanic Gardens while queuing for a vending machine. Despite the fact that no one else was around, the woman behind her pressed her body against hers, making her uncomfortable.
She added, "I don't think she was being racist, I think she was just queuing in a weirdly aggressive way."