The Provision shop

 

It was the Fifties, a few years after Britain had regained control over Singapore after the 2nd World War. Survival was very much on every bread earner's mind. Jobs were not easily available and competition for an opening was often keen. What then could they do?

The only option was to go into business and be self-employed. Soon there was a proliferation of enterprising entrepreneurs running small businesses. 

One such business was the neighbourhood provision shop. Such shops played an essential role to supplement the "wet markets". Housewives would shop for fresh food items at the markets but when it came to household items, they would inevitably head for these shops. One interesting feature about these shops was that they would provide customers with carrier bags made out of used newspapers. The plastic bag was non-existent then. Home delivery was an integral service provided to customers. This was done with bicycles or tricycles with carts

Housing was not as organized as it is now. There were not that many flats, and in fact the majority of the population lived in private houses. The provision shops were sometimes referred to as sundry shops, and they sold everything imaginable: from rice to cooking oil and from canned foods to joss sticks, and mosquito coils to insecticides!

Some of these shops also operated as runners for illegal lottery operators. I suspect that some shopkeepers were even the operators themselves! One such lottery was the Chap Ji Ki, a favorite of the housewives. It was a two-number draw with discounts for bets and tempting payouts.

For example, for a bet of $1.40, one had to pay only a dollar. And if the number came out, the payout would be a hundred-fold amout of $140.00. One attractive factor of this lottery was that  it was held daily and bets could be in smaller denominations, such as fifty cents

I recall how the operators announced the results of their daily draws. As the lottery was based on 12 digits, a clock was used, with the two hands indicating the draw for the day. The hour hand would indicate the first number drawn with the minute hand showing the second number.

This was essential, as the order of the draw was a determing factor in award winnings. It was an ingenious way to announce each day's draw. The clock was placed in a prominent place, and its function and purpose were widely known in the community.