For the past 20 years, Ng Seng Guan has been running a tiny provision shop at Block 316 in Jurong East St 32. He mans his stall from 7am to 7pm on most days till recently, when he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalised.

The 70-year-old had been lifting cartons of soft drinks to make way for upgrading works at the block when he suddenly felt unwell. “He went to the hospital by himself,” his daughter Charlotte, 40, tells 8days.sg. “We only knew he had a heart attack later.”

Seng Guan is now recuperating for an upcoming heart bypass surgery. According to Charlotte, he was very worried about his shop. “He was asking about his shop when he was in the hospital. He’s more concerned about his business than his health,” she shares. As Seng Guan’s store is a pickup point for Ninja Van parcels, he also felt personally responsible for ensuring that people got their deliveries.

To ease her dad’s workload, Charlotte is holding a sale to clear bulky groceries like bottled drinks and toiletries in the provision shop. “We don’t want him to be lifting heavy items when he comes back to work,” she explains.

The store’s unwieldy inventory, such as beverages like Coca-Cola, Fanta and Heaven & Earth tea, are up for grabs at around $20 to $22 per carton (usual price $24). Each carton contains a dozen 1.5 litre bottles.

Instant noodles, which are usually sold at $2.50 to $2.80 a pack, are reduced to $2 each. “I’m not sure how much my dad was selling them at, so I just priced them approximately,” says Charlotte, who is a full-time dance instructor.

Toiletries like shampoo, soap, toothpaste and detergent are selling at prices that are rounded off to the nearest dollar. As of today (Apr 9), stocks like drinks and instant noodles are selling fast. “People were buying them for the upcoming Hari Raya,” Charlotte shares.

During the Circuit Breaker last year, she also invested $10,000 to set up two vending machines beside her dad’s shop to sell drinks and snacks. “We’re catering to people who pass by our shop after operating hours,” she says. The vending machines now come in useful, as Charlotte could engage vendors to restock the machines so her dad doesn’t have to.

Charlotte’s mum Mary Tan, 64, also runs a popular hawker stall called KanChiaMee at the nearby Yuhua Market & Food Centre. She sells the hard-to-find Trishaw Noodles at $2 a bowl, and Vegetable Fritters at $1 each (we have tried her food and can attest that it’s very good).