Two employees of optical shop Owndays was physically and verbally abused on 4 April by a customer during their work shift at the store which was located at Tiong Bahru Plaza.
The recording of the video started at the time the employees of the store was about to close the outlet. A woman rushed inside the outlet and started hitting the employees.
In the video, which garnered more than 10,522,441 views, netizens noticed that the employees did not retaliate nor attack the woman who was making racist remarks against them.
The Indian woman could be heard shouting repeatedly, “Ask this fucking Chinese girl to stop hitting me in the neighbourhood here, you hear me or not?”
At first, a man approached the scene and tried to calm the Indian lady. However, she continued shouting and hitting the employees, who went behind the counter to keep out of the woman’s reach.
A Certis Cisco arrived at the scene, but the Indian lady was not deterred. She also asked the passer-by who took the video to stop recording, or she will call the police, shouting, “I will sue in court!”
Another member of public stepped in, tried to calm the woman and asked her to have a seat.
The area manager in-charge of the outlet, Trevor Hwong, 29, told ChannelNewsAsia that the victims suffered bruises and that they are still in shock.
“When I asked them why they didn’t run away, they said they just couldn’t think. They wanted to remain professional, so they didn’t retaliate,” he said.
Many netizens commented on how the employees conducted themselves. Some said that they admire the employees professionalism as they did not attempt to strike back. Others stated that employees need to be given training on how to handle such incidents, saying that they should not just let themselves being abused.
Here are what netizens wrote:
- Khin Thant Zin wrote, “Quote: “When I asked them why they didn’t run away, they said they just couldn’t think. They wanted to remain professional, so they didn’t retaliate,” the manager of the OWNDAYS Singapore shop said.”
Hey….Manager/Boss of Owndays, Please keep them forever and raise them up!
Bravo, Girls!”
- Shaik Hafeez wrote, “Kudos to the two girls for being such professionals and tolerating the abuse. Let’s hope justice will be served.”
- Cindy Neo wrote, “Salute to the brave ladies. I doubt anybody can tahan such attack and would have hit her back. Hope that arrogant auntie gets jailed since she is not afraid of the police!”
- Morganov Rasanovich wrote, ” Dear management of Owndays. Please look after them they could still be in shocked. Please congratulate their actions on our behalf.”
However, some netizens also commented on how the employees should have done more to protect themselves, adding that the Certis Cisco officer seem helpless in handling the situation. Here are what they wrote:
- Ing Ing wrote, “Unfortunately most security guards aren’t trained nor are they physically able to handle such situations. In Singapore, security officers are seen just to be a presence than for practical deployment.”
- Sheri Chee wrote, ” I’m still unsure why the commentators commended the staff being professional because they let the lady hit them. They should defend themselves by blocking the slaps. If they are my daughters, I will be upset because they allow a crazy lady hit them. So long they do not hit back, I trust everyone will agree they should block from being hit.”
- Alan Joseph wrote, “Customer is king. But when the customer crosses the line, the law becomes king.”
- Clemence Chia wrote, “The security woman was completely ill-trained by allowing the crazy woman to beat those girls.”
- Kovs Sky Chai wrote, “There’s nothing to be proud for not retaliating. Your staffs got humiliated. They could have reacted self-defence by pinning the violent lady down until the authorities came. To stand there idling by waiting to be assaulted goes to show how helpless they are, how pathetic the management had been. Top it up with a horrible security lady who were there watching the entire drama. Uniquely Singapore.”
- Julia Wong wrote, “The staff should be trained how to handle such situations, they should not be subjected to assault and abuse by some lunatic, she is no different from a terrorist! The security personnel are hopeless and need training as well. To be professional doesn’t mean you can be abused and remain silent and not retaliate. What if she possesses any kind of weapons like umbrella etc.”
- Jake Han wrote, “Being professional does not mean that you can allow yourselves to be “brutally/physically/verbally abuse”.
Customer service is not just following the terms/conditions/policies, blindly or stupidly. Learn to protect oneself from being hurt or harmed! And please practice some Reflex skills! Don’t be like Jellyfish.
Jellyfish is known to survive million of years without a brain!”
- Hari Kumar wrote, “This lady is a disgrace. Disgrace to the Indian community and as a Singaporean. She should be ashamed of her self. She’s clearly a racist, uneducated, and stupid for challenging the authority. Serves her right. I hope she is sent to jail. The poor girls that were abused, Please don’t put up with things like that. If somebody attacks, you have the right to defend yourselves. Your life is more important than your job. There is nothing professional about being hit.”
- CT Jaymie wrote, “Security guards are employed there for many reasons. They need to learn how to react in such situation, while waiting for the police to arrive. Not just stand there and practice “soft speaking tone” customer service voice & let the abuse continue towards the staffs. Never attend how to handle crazy people course is it! Anyways well done girls. You deserve the break not the abuse.”
- Frederick Lam wrote, “It is sad that these girls could not even do the slightest means to defend themselves. Who on earth could just let someone hit you and yet did nothing to prevent further hitting? Even the Cisco personnel didn’t do enough. Although the law has taken its course, there is no stopping these girls, and the shop owner to take a separate lawsuit against the Indian lady. Go ahead and sue her. Teach her a big lesson.”