Queue, queue, queue...what will you be queuing for?

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Motorists can expect to wait over 3 hours for clearance at Woodlands Checkpoint: ICA​

With the June school holidays coming to a close on June 29, traffic is expected to be heavy at both land checkpoints.ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Fatimah Mujibah
Jun 21, 2025

SINGAPORE – Those travelling to Malaysia on June 21 can expect to wait more than three hours to clear immigration at Woodlands Checkpoint, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

In a Facebook post at around 8.15am, ICA said that there is “very heavy departure traffic” at the checkpoint due to tailback from Malaysia, with traffic congestion extending beyond exit 10A of the BKE.

With the June school holidays coming to a close on June 29, traffic is expected to be heavy at both land checkpoints, especially on the weekends.


Earlier this month, ICA reminded motorists to observe proper road etiquette, warning that those caught jumping queues by its officers at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints will have to make a U-turn and rejoin the queue. They could also be blacklisted and face further disciplinary action from the authorities.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Elderly residents at Ci Yuan Community Club cause crowd surge while trying to buy S$1 essential items ticket
The police were called in.

April 19, 2025, 02:53 PM

Ci Yuan Community Club (CC) will review its crowd management procedures after elderly residents turned up in droves for an event and caused a crowd surge.

The incident, which took place on Apr. 17, occurred during ticket sales for the Ang Mo Kio-Hougang S$1 Marketplace slated for Apr. 27, where Ci Yuan CC is offering residents essential items at just S$1 each.

Ci Yuan CC response


Ci Yuan CC said on Apr. 18: "The situation became chaotic when a queue-pole belt was removed accidentally by someone, which led to the crowd surging forward."

The CC also thanked the police for stepping in.

What happened

Videos of the incident showed many elderly residents at the reception area of the community club.


A signboard there stated that ticket sales were from 11am to noon.

Staff could be seen gesturing to the crowd to disperse.

A police officer with a megaphone was also seen trying to control the crowd.

via Ben Cheng Facebook

Part of campaign to encourage active participation​

The event is part of the Ci Yuan CC's SG60 campaign to encourage active participation in community events, the organisation said.

Launched in March, it was to offer residents essential items at just S$1 each.

All tickets were sold out by noon, Ci Yuan CC said, adding: "We will review our crowd management procedures to prevent such incidents from recurring."

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Apr 29, 2025, 03:03pm

Fashion lovers form snaking long queue for opening of Japanese thrift store at 313@somerset​

Farah Daley
Singaporeans have proved once again that they'll readily queue -- even on a weekday.

A long line of shoppers turned up for the grand opening of Japanese thrift store 2nd Street at 313@somerset on April 29.

A video posted on TikTok by user @simideals showed a snaking queue forming inside the mall, with eager shoppers waiting their turn to enter the store.

According to the caption, this was taken at 10.30am.

Known for offering curated second-hand clothing and accessories straight from Japan, 2nd Street has been highly anticipated by local fashion lovers for its trendy yet affordable pre-loved pieces, including designer brands, vintage finds, and rare streetwear.

Shoppers were quick to show up for the launch, leading netizens to wonder how the crowd had the time.

"Don't need work sia," one TikTok user wrote.

Others were surprised by the turnout.

"It's not Japan guys, come on " said one, while another remarked: "Wow, even longer than Pop Mart."

One user, clearly baffled, asked: "What's so great about whatever they're queuing for?"

2nd Street, a major player in Japan's second-hand fashion scene, has grown a cult following globally for its quality control and stylish range of thrifted goods.

This new outlet at 313@somerset is its first flagship store in Singapore.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Travellers to Johor can expect five-hour jam due to heavy traffic at Tuas Checkpoint: ICA​

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The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority said there was “extremely heavy departure traffic” at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints on the morning of May 3.

May 03, 2025

SINGAPORE - Travellers driving to Malaysia by car faced traffic jams lasting as long as five hours at the two Singapore checkpoints, as Singaporeans rushed to Johor on Polling Day.

The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said there was “extremely heavy departure traffic” at the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints on the morning of May 3, with tailback from Malaysia reaching the two checkpoints.

The tailback at the Second Link was about 5km and reached Tuas Checkpoint, ICA posted on its Facebook account at 12.22pm.

“Travellers can expect delays of up to five hours or more,” ICA said, as it reminded travellers to check traffic conditions before embarking on their journey.

At 11.18am, real-time traffic app Beat The Jam estimated the waiting times to be as long as six hours at the Causeway, and three hours at the Second Link. These were updated at 12.47pm to at least four hours at both links.

Meanwhile, checkpoint.sg app showed it would take around three hours to clear the Causeway and Second Link.

As Polling Day for the 2025 General Election falls on May 3, which is a Saturday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) on April 16 declared May 5 to be a school holiday
and a day off-in-lieu for all staff at MOE schools.

This means it is a long weekend for students and staff at MOE schools, with classes resuming on May 6.

However, May 5 is not a compulsory day off for working adults.


If Polling Day is a non-working day for an employee, he is entitled to either a day off or salary in lieu, said the Ministry of Manpower on April 15, adding that employers should discuss with their employees when the day off will be.

 

[BoonTiong]

Y

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Queues at VEP application centres in Singapore, JB after news of enforcement from July 1​

Jun 05, 2025

SINGAPORE/JOHOR BAHRU – Waves of Singapore motorists showed up at Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) application and installation centres in Singapore and Johor Bahru a day after Malaysia announced that enforcement of the VEP will start on July 1.

Singapore-registered vehicles entering the country from that date without a valid VEP will be fined RM300 (S$91), Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on June 4. The drivers will have to pay the fine and complete their VEP registration before leaving Malaysia.

On June 5, motorists showed up at VEP centres in Woodlands in Singapore and Danga Bay in Johor Bahru because they needed help with signing up on the online portal or had problems activating their radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

VEP-registered vehicles need to have RFID tags installed and activated in order to make payments for Malaysian expressway tolls and the road charge when entering Johor via the two land checkpoints.

The counters in Malaysia are operated by TCSens, Malaysia’s ministry-appointed vendor for handling VEP registrations; while the one in Singapore is run by My VEP, a separate company, in collaboration with TCSens.

Between 9.30am and 10.30am, around 40 people were seen queueing outside the My VEP office in Woodlands Industrial Park. They include motorists collecting their VEP RFID tags and those needing help with applications. Those without appointment slots were turned away.

Around lunchtime at the TCSens inquiry centre in Danga Bay, more than 60 motorists were seen queueing to seek assistance from staff to troubleshoot their VEP registrations. The centre allows walk-in inquiries.

Mr Latiff Saleh, 64, who did not have an appointment, left the Woodlands centre in Singapore without getting any assistance. He needed help to terminate the existing VEP registration of his car, which was tagged to its previous owner, as he was not able to do so online.

On hearing the June 4 announcement, he tried to log in to the VEP portal to restart the application process but faced difficulties. He had not decided whether to try his luck at Danga Bay soon or wait for the rush in Woodlands to subside before getting an appointment.

Inquiries had been decreasing before the June 4 announcement, and appointment slots had been available daily since March, said Mr Ng Poh Heng, manager of My VEP. But by the morning of June 5, all the slots until June 20 had been taken up, checks by The Straits Times found.

Ms Esther Chua, 50, received her VEP RFID tag earlier in 2025 but found that it could not be fitted to her car as required. The finance executive did not get around to exchanging the tag until after hearing the latest news.

“The Malaysian side seems to keep changing their mind, so I didn’t feel the need to get it fixed (so soon),” she said at Woodlands on June 5.

The latest move to enforce the VEP comes eight years after the plan was first mooted in 2017. Its implementation was shelved twice, in 2019 and again in 2020.

It was rolled out in October 2024, but foreign vehicles found without valid VEPs were given reminders to get registered and not fined.

At the Danga Bay inquiry centre on June 5, waiting times were long, with motorists saying they began queueing from as early as 6am for the counter to open at 9am.

One of the motorists, a 76-year-old Singaporean retiree who wanted to be known only as Mr Chong, said that his VEP application was rejected in October 2024 because it was missing insurance documents. He said he never heard back after he replied with the documents.

“Suddenly, they said they are going to enforce (the requirement) this July. This is very troublesome,” he said, adding that the announcement on June 4 caught him by surprise.

Singaporean interior designer Andrew Ho, 44, who arrived in Danga Bay at 9am, waited five hours to get help from TCSens staff. His VEP RFID tag could not be read at the Malaysian Customs gantry.

A TCSens staff member at Danga Bay told ST that by 2.30pm, he had already assisted more than 100 motorists, compared with the daily number of 130 cars that the centre had handled in the past few months.

Singaporean interior designer Andrew Ho (right) waited for five hours at the Danga Bay TCSens VEP centre before he was helped by staff (in black).

ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA

Mr Loke told reporters on June 4 that foreign-registered private vehicles have had ample time to be VEP-registered since the call to do so was made in May 2024.

The minister added that 231,018 Singapore-registered private individually owned vehicles have signed up for the VEP, with 15 per cent yet to activate the RFID tags.

Meanwhile, skip-the-queue VEP services in Singapore are seeing an uptick in inquiries.

These services apply for the VEP on the motorists’ behalf, saving drivers the hassle of making the online application or queueing at the counters.

Mr Derrick Heng, director of Radiant VEP, which offers skip-the-queue services, said inquiries have spiked since the latest announcement, after getting around 10 queries daily from the beginning of 2025.

“We received about 30 inquiries on June 4, and our office (in Kaki Bukit) was full, with motorists coming in to apply for the permits at the last minute,” he said.

Mr Jason Koay, director of accounting and secretarial firm Bizwise Management, which advertises its VEP application assistance service on Carousell, said he helped with 50 applications on June 5, up from two to three inquiries a day since March.

A TCSens spokesman urged Singaporean motorists to register promptly for the VEP through the website, as it is anticipating a surge in applications and appointments at its four centres in Johor Bahru and Singapore.

“Motorists must ensure that the VEP RFID tags are securely fixed on their vehicles and activated for use once they have received them,” he added.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jun 30, 2025, 02:12pm

Labubu fans queue from 5.30am to snag new dolls at Ion Orchard, some bring chairs​

1/3
Seasoned Labubu fans came prepared with foldable chairs and portable fans as they waited for doors to open at 10am. PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Carmen Sin
The Straits Times
June 29, 2025

The launch of snack-themed Labubu dolls drew a queue of some 160 fans at retailer Pop Mart's Ion Orchard store on June 28, with the earliest arrivals reaching before dawn.

First in line was microbiology student Sarah C, who took her spot at 5.30am. The 25-year-old, who declined to give her last name, said she had made the effort "because it's Labubu, it's going to be popular".


The long-time collector, who owns more than 30 of the sharp-toothed, fluffy-eared dolls, added: "It's not so bad today. Arriving at 5.30am is considered late for the more popular series."

The queue for the last Labubu release at the same store in April began at 2am, a Pop Mart part-timer told The Straits Times.

It turns the viral plushies into Japanese convenience store grub - fried shrimp, corn on the cob, a sandwich. Figurines come in 12 designs, plus a rare 13th edition shaped like a microwave oven that buyers have a one in 144 chance of getting.​

The dolls, sold in blind boxes in which the exact figurine inside is a surprise, are priced at $15.90 each or $190.80 for the full set of 12.

Seasoned Labubu fans came prepared with foldable chairs and portable fans as they waited for doors to open at 10am. The 100th ticket to enter the store was issued at 8.45am.

Some, like Ms Marife Barria, were there to help others get the goods. The 26-year-old domestic worker said she often queued for Labubu dolls on behalf of her employer, a 47-year-old woman, and had reached around 6am this time.

A woman in her 60s said she was helping her 27-year-old son snag a full set for his girlfriend.

Hype was highest among the mostly adult crowd for a fluffy AirPods case, shaped like shrimp tempura, which can hold Apple's line of wireless earphones. Priced at $34.90, it was the first product in the range to sell out at around 11.30am.

Since the launch of the range, the earphones case has been listed on resale websites, with sellers on Chinese platform Taobao asking between $80 and $90 for it.

The limited quantity releases of Labubu dolls have been known to drive up prices on the resale market and even spark brawls. In May, Pop Mart paused sales of the toy in its stores in Britain after some fans came to blows over them.

The company declined to say how much stock of The Monsters Wacky Mart series is available in stores here.

Still, there was enough to go around this time. All those in the queue were let into the store before 11.30am.

Most left clutching bags of merchandise. Ms Cindy Tan, a teacher, left the store with her hands full and her 18-year-old son in tow, who helped with the load.

She said: "Labubu makes me feel special."

All figurines were snapped up by 2.20pm.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

May 15, 2025, 01:51pm

Diners form long queue stretching across Westgate for $0.20 Astons deal -- and most don't mind the wait​

McKayla Ong
Submitted by Stomper

Lunch hour usually means long queues at restaurants.

But with Astons Singapore offering $0.20 meals at all its outlets on May 15, this means a long snaking line across the mall, even on a weekday afternoon.

The promotion is part of the restaurant chain's 20th anniversary celebration. Dine-in customers can get Astons' signature Grillworks Chicken with two sides for just $0.20.


Stomper S shared photos showing what looks like an endless queue of customers outside Astons Specialities at Westgate mall at around 11.40am, which she estimates stretched around 200 metres long.

She said: "I was going to eat there with my friends after we heard about the offer, but we ended up going elsewhere to eat after we saw the length of the queue. It's an amazing offer, but not worth the time spent queuing for me."

But it appears that not everyone shares her sentiments. When the Stomper passed by Astons Specialities again at around 1pm, the queue had grown even longer.


The bargain proves once again that when the price is right, Singaporeans are more than willing to queue, no matter the time or day.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jul 9, 2025, 01:19pm

Tourists argue while queueing to take photos at Fort Canning, S'poreans do not get it​

Seah Jun De
TNP
July 8, 2025

An altercation between a Chinese man and a Caucasian woman recently took place at a popular photo spot in Fort Canning over the long wait to snap shots.

A video uploaded to Xiaohongshu shows two groups of tourists arguing at the Fort Canning Tree Tunnel. The man swears at the woman, and the woman retaliates.


The man, who is squatting down with his camera, continues to take pictures of his companion afterwards.

He then turns back to the woman and says: "Shame on you."

The woman responds angrily, saying that the man should be ashamed of himself.


The Fort Canning Tree Tunnel leads to a spiral staircase with a circular light well and a yellow rain tree stretching across the opening.

The tunnel has become a popular spot featured in many social media posts. SCREENGRAB: XIAOHONGSHU, LEMON8 <>
Another Xiaohongshu post from June shows a snaking queue in the tunnel.

The user said that ill-mannered tourists used going up the stairs as an excuse to cut the queue and quickly snap a photo.

In another post complaining about the long queues, a commenter replied in Chinese: "Foreigners are really slow at taking photos - Chinese women are faster."

Long queues have become a common sight in the tunnel. PHOTO: 635673966/XIAOHONGSHU
When Shin Min Daily News visited the photo spot at 5pm on Sunday (July 6), about 50 people were in line to take photos. Some had been waiting for half an hour.

The tourists in line were from Indonesia, Thailand, India, and China.

"I came here after seeing a recommendation on Xiaohongshu. I think this attraction is optional. If you think the wait is too long, you can choose not to take photos," said 35-year-old Ms Duan from China.

"The authorities should consider putting up a sign to recommend the time for each person to take photos," she added.

Ms Chen, 33, from Indonesia, who waited in line for about 30 minutes, said the shooting time per person should be limited between three and five minutes.

"If someone takes too long to take photos, it's really not very considerate and will cause the people behind to wait too long. There are also children running around, and their parents don't care, so that affects the experience of others."

In response, a Facebook user commented: "It's just Fort Canning… Is there treasure there?"

"Just use AI," another user quipped.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Aug 11, 2025, 02:14pm

Free ice cream near Clementi Mall draws long queue of young and old -- and dogs​

Shintaro Tay
The Straits Times
Aug 11, 2025

With one hand on a knife and the other steadying a slab of ice cream, Mr Cheong Peng Siong slices it into small rectangular blocks, and sandwiches them between two crisp wafers.

A long queue forms near Clementi Mall on Aug 10, with people eagerly awaiting their turn to receive a free serving.


The ice cream giveaway was sponsored by Income Insurance to celebrate its 55th anniversary. It saw thousands of free ice cream wafer sandwiches distributed across Singapore on Aug 9 and 10.

​

Over the two-day event in Clementi - that saw sunny mornings and a rainy afternoon on Aug 10 - Mr Cheong and a crew of helpers gave out around 1,800 servings of ice cream to people young and old.

He removed his gloves during a break, revealing some blisters on his finger, which he said gets stiff due to the cold. Asked if it hurt, the 65-year-old said he is used to it.

He remained upbeat throughout the day. "My favourite part about this job is seeing happy customers when they receive their ice cream."

Growing up with 16 siblings, Mr Cheong helped with his mother's kueh business and made youtiao dough sticks, so he is no stranger to hardship.

"Back when I was a child, life wasn't easy. I liked ice cream, I did not have any opportunities to have it because we were poor," he recounted in Mandarin.

Ten years ago, he was drawn to selling ice cream because it allowed him to control his own time.

On weekends, Mr Cheong usually sells 200 to 300 servings of ice cream at a corner at Tampines Bus Interchange. He runs his business daily.

When asked if the job is tiring, he shook his head. "Every job is tiring."

Ms Kimberly Wong, in her 50s, who joined the queue with her 13-year-old poodle Duchess, was handed two ice cream sandwiches - one for the dog - by Mr Cheong.

"I think it's a very nice gesture, and sometimes it's nice (for companies) to give back," she said.

"I saw a big group of people queueing, so I decided to join in," said Madam Wong Mei Ngor, 82, in Mandarin. "I'm happy with the ice cream, especially because it's free."

Besides the ice cream giveaway, Income Insurance also gave each vendor a personalised financial protection plan.

Mr Cheong received a one-year SilverCare Prestige Plan, a personal accident plan for senior citizens.

 

[True Believer]

Is the cost of living so expensive in S'pore that these people have to queue for freebies, or is the prospect of giveaways just too inviting to miss out on?