A 102-year-old woman selling snacks, toiletries, toys, socks and other peripheral items at Beauty World Centre has gone viral on TikTok, after someone filmed her at a shop and asked the public to support her business.
It turned out that making money was not top of her mind because she kept giving away extra items or even refusing payment.
The shop, Lean Seng Lee Trading, is helmed by Madam Sie Choo Yong. Her age was confirmed by her family members who spoke to TODAY.
The family also owns Lean Seng Lee Goldsmith, which is located just one floor above the provision shop at the shopping centre in Upper Bukit Timah.
TikTok user "dinahnahnah" said in the video posted on Jun 12 that Mdm Sie gave her more lollipops even though she paid S$2 for two. She also seemingly charged a lower price for several items bought later by the TikTok user's husband.
They could not understand what she said and when they recalculated and gave her S$20, telling her to keep the change, she refused and kept shoving more snacks in their bag.
A passerby who helped to bridge the communication for Mdm Sie then told of the woman's grand age and encouraged the couple to patronise her shop more often.
The video has been viewed more than 195,500 times and had 17,900 likes of Thursday (Jun 27).
As TODAY found out on visiting the provision shop, it belongs to Mdm Sie's youngest son and she is just helping to manage the store because staying at home is "boring", her son said.
Due to her age, her voice was no longer clear and her speech not so coherent, but she energetically gestured with her hands her age when asked.
She has seven children and 27 grandchildren.
The provision shop was initially located at the old Beauty World – a market and shopping venue in the 1960s – and moved to its current location in 1984. It is just one of the businesses that her family runs.
Mdm Sie's youngest son, who did not want to be identified, said that he chose to keep the store open for his mother so that she could do simple tasks and would not be alone and bored at home.
He has no plans to hand over or sell the store for now.
Mdm Sie hopes to keep running the store until she is no longer physically able to do so.
Her second oldest son Lean Kee Suh, 66, who works at a Cold Storage supermarket in Bukit Batok, said in Mandarin that Mdm Sie emigrated from China in her 30s.
He also said that she used to work long hours as a farmer in China. "She worked from day to night, lifting bags that were up to 60kg."
Madam Sie Choo Yong attending to a customer at her son's shop in Beauty World Centre on Jun 13, 2024. (Photo: TODAY/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
Even now, she is highly mobile for her age, standing up to attend to each customer and taking occasional breaks by sitting on a chair outside her store.
She also lifted a bundle of newspapers, neatly arranging each copy.
Mr Lean mentioned that his mother
"She is healthier than me," he said, adding that he was diagnosed with diabetes.
"This store does not make a profit, it is just for her to pass time. We would make more money renting it."
Each day, Mdm Sie arrives at the shopping centre
One of the neighbouring store owners, Mr Tay Kok Yih, 63, spoke of how mobile Mdm Sie was for her age and questioned lightheartedly: "Is she really 102 years old?"
Just as she did in the TikTok video, when TODAY was at
She also refused to accept payment when TODAY bought some biscuits, so the money was left at a counter.
Most people who viewed the TikTok video looked kindly upon her, calling her "a gem" and "sweet", with some making promises to patronise her shop.
One TikTok user wrote: "Yes, please support this aunty. I grew up buying snacks from her shop since primary school. I’m hitting 30 and till this day she remembers me."
Another wrote: "I always drop by on Thursdays to buy something from them, she's always happy whenever someone patronises her store."
One comment read: "Thanks for sharing! I live just one stop away but never knew about this shop... Will definitely pay her a visit and support her."
This story was originally published in TODAY.
Continue reading...
It turned out that making money was not top of her mind because she kept giving away extra items or even refusing payment.
The shop, Lean Seng Lee Trading, is helmed by Madam Sie Choo Yong. Her age was confirmed by her family members who spoke to TODAY.
The family also owns Lean Seng Lee Goldsmith, which is located just one floor above the provision shop at the shopping centre in Upper Bukit Timah.
TikTok user "dinahnahnah" said in the video posted on Jun 12 that Mdm Sie gave her more lollipops even though she paid S$2 for two. She also seemingly charged a lower price for several items bought later by the TikTok user's husband.
They could not understand what she said and when they recalculated and gave her S$20, telling her to keep the change, she refused and kept shoving more snacks in their bag.
A passerby who helped to bridge the communication for Mdm Sie then told of the woman's grand age and encouraged the couple to patronise her shop more often.
The video has been viewed more than 195,500 times and had 17,900 likes of Thursday (Jun 27).
As TODAY found out on visiting the provision shop, it belongs to Mdm Sie's youngest son and she is just helping to manage the store because staying at home is "boring", her son said.
Due to her age, her voice was no longer clear and her speech not so coherent, but she energetically gestured with her hands her age when asked.
She has seven children and 27 grandchildren.
The provision shop was initially located at the old Beauty World – a market and shopping venue in the 1960s – and moved to its current location in 1984. It is just one of the businesses that her family runs.
Mdm Sie's youngest son, who did not want to be identified, said that he chose to keep the store open for his mother so that she could do simple tasks and would not be alone and bored at home.
He has no plans to hand over or sell the store for now.
Mdm Sie hopes to keep running the store until she is no longer physically able to do so.
Her second oldest son Lean Kee Suh, 66, who works at a Cold Storage supermarket in Bukit Batok, said in Mandarin that Mdm Sie emigrated from China in her 30s.
He also said that she used to work long hours as a farmer in China. "She worked from day to night, lifting bags that were up to 60kg."
Madam Sie Choo Yong attending to a customer at her son's shop in Beauty World Centre on Jun 13, 2024. (Photo: TODAY/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
Even now, she is highly mobile for her age, standing up to attend to each customer and taking occasional breaks by sitting on a chair outside her store.
She also lifted a bundle of newspapers, neatly arranging each copy.
Mr Lean mentioned that his mother
"She is healthier than me," he said, adding that he was diagnosed with diabetes.
"This store does not make a profit, it is just for her to pass time. We would make more money renting it."
Each day, Mdm Sie arrives at the shopping centre
One of the neighbouring store owners, Mr Tay Kok Yih, 63, spoke of how mobile Mdm Sie was for her age and questioned lightheartedly: "Is she really 102 years old?"
Related:
Just as she did in the TikTok video, when TODAY was at
She also refused to accept payment when TODAY bought some biscuits, so the money was left at a counter.
Most people who viewed the TikTok video looked kindly upon her, calling her "a gem" and "sweet", with some making promises to patronise her shop.
One TikTok user wrote: "Yes, please support this aunty. I grew up buying snacks from her shop since primary school. I’m hitting 30 and till this day she remembers me."
Another wrote: "I always drop by on Thursdays to buy something from them, she's always happy whenever someone patronises her store."
One comment read: "Thanks for sharing! I live just one stop away but never knew about this shop... Will definitely pay her a visit and support her."
This story was originally published in TODAY.
Related:
Continue reading...