While most Singaporeans held 7 Apr as the most momentous day, FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng’s most memorable day of 2020 is 7 Feb 2020.
That was the day Singapore declared DORSCON Orange.
In an interview with CNBC, he detailed how Fairprice managed to deal with the surge in demand.
‘All Hell Broke Loose’
The build-up was slow before the authorities’ announcement.
But after Singapore announced that we are now in DORSCON Orange, it’s like “all hell broke loose”, he recalled.
FairPrice staff were under an incredible amount of strain and anxiety.
He could remember the midnight meetings and how he just posted something on Facebook to ask shoppers to be calm without having the time to consult with the corporate communications team.
However, he added that he could understand Singaporeans’ reactions, a refreshing change from the usual condemnation by ministers and Singaporeans alike:
“As you reflect, I think it’s not unexpected. It’s natural for anyone to feel that. Because we’re essential services – you’d want to make sure that there is food on the table. There will be a case where I will not be able to go out or I can’t get the things I need for my family. You can understand why people wanted to go to the stores today and not tomorrow; and then, having gone to the stores, they wanted to buy more than what they needed. And it was a bit of peer pressure or you could say, herd mentality that when I saw someone else buying, I think I’d better buy a bit more.”
As for the issue of hoarding, FairPrice has managed to deal with that by imposing purchase limits on customers.
They also invited media to tour their fully-stocked warehouses to assure the public that there’s more than enough to go around.
It was also mentioned that FairPrice imports supplies from over 70 countries and they’re looking to diversify their supply lines even more.
A Surge Of 4-5 Times Online Orders, Experimenting With A ‘Dark’ Store
If you’re now a frequent user of FairPrice On, you’ll come to realise (really quickly) that trying to get a delivery slot is as hard as trying to get the most popular class during matriculation in university.
Seah shared that online orders for FairPrice have increased by four to five times.
While they have not managed to deal with the increase in demand (yet), they are working to improve their capacity.
One of their experiments this time involved making a normal FairPrice outlet “dark”.
The “dark” store will no longer be open to members of the public. Instead, it’s been converted into a centre to help fulfil online orders.
As for whether there’ll be more in the future, he did not deny that possibility.
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The New Norm
I know, you’re sick and tired of hearing about “new norms”. You just want life to go back to before the Covid-19 nightmare happened.
Well, guess what? You can’t. Go back, that is.
The Covid-19 outbreak has changed the way we lived, the way we worked and even the way we played.
Working from home has always been a WIP for progressive companies but now, they’re forced to take that step.
Post-Covid-19, you might find that most employees in Singapore are now more comfortable, and willing, to work from home.
Not we say one, even the Transport Minister of Singapore thinks it too.
Online shopping, which some might have resisted in the past, has now become the main mode of shopping for people in Singapore.
Chances are, this will remain the main mode in the future too.
When asked if he’s hopeful that “things would recover by the end of the year”, Seah said there’s “no status quo to go back to”.
“The new norm will be really a new norm – the way we affect individuals, families, businesses, organisations and the government. I think a lot of things will change, but history has shown that human beings and certainly Singaporeans are resilient.”
He asks that the people in Singapore stick together to get through this trying time.
You can read his full interview here.
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