"During the DORSCON orange, there was one rush. They rushed, then after that things cooled down ... and then it came during Friday ," said Mr Goh, whose shop is located in Tiong Bahru.
At Mr Goh's provision shops, goods such as canned food, eggs and toilet paper are particularly popular, he added. "We are more worried of panic buying where we have the goods but to replenish the store is a challenge. Suddenly there is a surge in demand and we have to utilise external parties to do the replenishing the stock," he said.
HAO Mart for one, limits the number of customers based on the size of each store and also sanitises shopping baskets.
I found my answer why these shops are classified under non-essentials, but customers will know that they are selling essentials.