In my earlier post titled “Cooler Coach Run”, I had mentioned Mustafa Shopping Complex, where the only 24 hour Money exchange counter is available at Singapore, barring star hotels, which provide the same service albeit at not so attractive exchange rates, I am told Mustafa, offers one of the best exchange rates in Singapore.
Two things stand out at when you enter the mouth of Serangoon Road. One is the Bustling Crowd and about 500 meters down the road, on the Right Hand side, Serangoon Plaza, emblazoned with the Sign board, Mohammed Mustafa & Shamsudeen Co Pte Ltd., Festooned with colored Neon, screaming for attention. And rising majestically, like a behemoth surrounded by its minion (plenty of 24 hours food outlets) stands a building, which is a cross between a shop house and a high rise, that’s Houses Mustafa.
There are many entrances to Mustafa, the most popular one is on Syed Alwi Road, where a steady stream of Shoppers go in and out 24/7, 52 weeks and 365 days a year. It’s a fantastic place to People watch, if you are into that kind of thing. The clientele is mainly Indian, Bangladeshi , Sri Lankan and/or from the Indian Sub-continent.
Researching on this blog post, I trudged the internet for some inspiration and was surprised to find over 69 pages of Google references to Mustafa Singapore! and 893,000 Entries ! Then I realized what a gargantuan, task I have undertaken, so many people have written about this 24 hour Mega Mall.
As far as i know the only thing you cannot get in Mustafa is a Haircut!! And I wonder how long that would be. You can get everything from Grocery the Hi Fi Music Systems, from Milk Duds to Diamonds, from Fast Food to Visa Processing and Airline tickets, From Toothpicks to Jewellery!! You can even get a Massage! In Mustafa! Check out the high pressure water massager gizmo !!
A few inside facts about Mustafa – (Disclaimer) may or may not be true since I heard these a from friend of a friend !
Let’s look at a sample case scenario. Wife is employed as a nurse in Singapore, husband is a qualified software engineer (as half the educated populace in India are)! They have been married over a year, and separated due to work spot and their families are wondering was it any good to have taken a BAHU, (a daughter-in-law) who is working in Singapore , while the Son is in India….What do you do? You take a Visit Visa to Singapore, once you are here, you apply for a Dependent Pass, if your wife is a PR or has the eligibility to support you with a Dependent Pass, then Head to Mustafa’s Personnel department, where 9 out of 10, you are sure to land a job in the sprawling Mega Mall!
Being a Qualified Software Engineer, you wouldn’t stick around to make a career out of Mustafa, serving the aisles or in inventory or in accounts, you keep trying until you land a plum job in some software company. Mustafa is the stepping stone to the Singapore Dream to many an Indian/Bangladeshi who is chasing the same. Also works well for wives of Software Engineers who are already here on Employment Permits and as PR.
There are just 2 things that is the bane of Mustafa,
Customer Service – do not expect customer service from Software engineers, looking to jump out of Mustafa at any given moment or for that matter a housewife, who did not expect to come to Singapore to work the aisles of Mustafa.
Presentation – do not expect a orchard road boutique presentation, the best of brand are in heaps and dumps – just check out the Ready made garments section.
All said and done, it is still the favorite place for me to shop at 2 AM in the morning, and get everything under the sun …I mean the moon (at this ungodly hour it has to be the moon!) under one roof. Well Except may be just one thing, I won’t be able to get is the Haircut!
