Boring Copycats!

Since young, I have been wondering why there seems to be rows of the same types of shops or businesses in the same vicinity.

In Penang, my hometown, for example, rows of shops trading in dried goods would be set up around a market. I notice that in Singapore, the same thing still happens today. At Tekka Market, there would be two chicken rice stalls side by side or two prawn noodles stalls next to each other.

Along Short Street, there are two shops offering bean curd drinks and an assortment of other delicacies eg. fried you tiao, crystal dumplings, etc. The corner stall is usually more packed than the neighbouring unit. Once, some of my colleagues and I wanted to have some bean curd drinks after our toastmasters' meeting. I thought it would be sheer common sense to patronise the shop with lesser people so that we could be served immediately and enjoy the empty chairs and tables. I wonder why patrons bother to queue, and I would not be surprised at all if some join the queue because a long queue must mean that the food is good!! Copy cats! I had tried the bean curd drinks from the two stalls, and they taste about the same!

Of course, it makes life easier for patrons when they are spoilt for choice along the same stretch of roads. How would people feel when they see their neighbours doing a roaring business while their own has so few patrons? Wouldn't it be more interesting and creative to sell something different so that patrons will have more variety.?

Once I was marketing a client's small shop space in Balestier. I received about 20 calls and by then I was so exasperated that before the caller could ask, I asked if he was wanting the unit for a bubble tea business. "How do you know?", the caller would ask, surprised. "Yours is the 21st enquiry!" I told the callers the unit was not suitable for them as it was on the third floor. Just because someone had set up a successful bubble tea business, everyone wanted to jump in the bandwagon! Of course, the bubble burst as quickly as it had been blown.

I guess the worst and most boring copycats must be the con men on the internet. They all had almost the same story....and worst, they all had the same lofty titles of Sir, Dr. or with credentials of PH.D, LLB, etc. I wonder if their PH.D. stands for Permanent Head Damage and their LLB stands for Lousy, Lying Bastard.! Despite having such lofty titles and credentials, their letters are full of grammatical errors! Also, if someone is so highly educated, shouldn't that someone be helping the less fortunate, instead of trying to earn an easy life by conning others? How true when some wise men say, "A penny conned is a penny cursed."

I wish there are less copycats in this world. Let us try to be more like original dogs and be more interesting and creative. :-)

Gan Chau