'Customer is not always right': Bukit Timah bakery denies bullying 86-year-old customer

Independent Singapore

09-05-2025

SINGAPORE: The 'Dough' bakery at the interim Bukit Timah Wet Market & Food Centre has denied bullying allegations after a netizen claimed that the stallholders disrespected his elderly uncle and denied him service.
The netizen, Jimmy, told citizen journalism portal Stomp that his elderly uncle, who was a bit slow, had difficulty placing an order and was ultimately turned away in an unpleasant manner.
Jimmy recounted, 'Don't visit this pastry stall, which is run by two rude youngsters. My uncle, who is a bit slow, ordered plain croissants from the stall by pointing at the picture, but the counter staff insisted that he pronounce the words aloud. When I read out the words to him, the staff still wasn't happy.
'Then, just as we thought everything was over, and even after packing the food, the hawker took the food back and said to my uncle, 'I am not selling to you!' Such hawkers are bullying seniors.'
However, the staff at Dough pushed back strongly against the allegation, saying the customer and his companion had been the ones who behaved rudely.
Speaking to Stomp on Thursday (May 8), one of the stallholders said: 'Yes, I remember this customer. If they don't know how to respect others, then I feel they don't deserve to get respect, despite what age they are.'
The staff explained that the request for the order to be spoken aloud was not intended to shame or inconvenience anyone, but to ensure accuracy.
'We've had too many customers who just point at pictures or trays and then blame us for giving the wrong item. Especially with pastries that have fillings, once they're packed in plastic, we can't put them back on display if the customer changes their mind—we have to throw them away,' the stallholder said.
They maintained that the elderly man's companion had read out the order, and that they had proceeded to pack the croissants, but what followed was, according to the stall, a hostile attitude from the elderly customer.
'They're saying we were not happy, but why didn't they mention how his uncle reacted? He kept giving us this very annoyed face, like we owed him something,' the stallholder added, 'If you feel so annoyed by us, then you can just visit other bakeries.'
The staff rejected the accusation that they were 'bullying' a senior citizen. 'We serve many older customers—some even older than 86—and there are never any issues. It's not about age. It's about attitude. Respect goes both ways.'
Rebutting the commonly held belief that 'the customer is always right,' the stallholder said: 'Customers always make it seem like they are right because they are the ones making the complaint, while those of us in the service line are expected to stay quiet.'
The incident has since drawn mixed reactions online, with some defending the elderly customer and others sympathising with the young stallholders.