The rumours had been circulating.

The signs were there: Foot traffic at Robinsons was sparse – even before Circuit Breaker in April this year.

So, when Robinsons announced the closure of their last two remaining stores, it was merely a formal confirmation of what 63-year-old Jenny Foong already suspected.

Foong worked at Robinsons since it opened at Raffles City in 2001. She was a brand promoter for Italian shoes, body lotions – and before the store shuttered, health supplements. She was last stationed at The Heeren. 

On October 30, news broke that the 162-year-old homegrown department store, Robinsons, would be closing its last two outlets at The Heeren and Raffles City. Photo by Tan Huey Ying.

After the announcement, Foong was put on a part-time contract and reassigned to a pharmacy in Choa Chu Kang.

With the closure of Robinsons, Foong wondered if it was time for her to retire.

But after much consideration and prayer, Foong started Grandma Jenny, a small stall selling children’s products out of a small pushcart at Bukit Timah Plaza.

See you no up

In the storerooms of Robinsons, among the shelves of merchandise, staff have shed many a tear after being hurt by nasty customers.

“I don’t say anything. I just hug them,” Foong says of her efforts to comfort them. “I tell them, they will be ok.”

The unassuming Foong jokes that they “like my shoulder”.

Foong, who has worked since she was a young girl of 14, has spent many years in retail – 19 of them with Robinsons.

She recounted an experience serving a customer in the shoe section of Robinsons.

After trying several pairs on, the woman summoned Foong over.

“Hello! Bring me that shoe,” Foong mimicked imperiously.

“Ok lah, I bring … and then she did this!” Foong lifted her chin and stuck out her bare foot, demonstrating the woman’s haughty demeanour. 

“As you are a promoter, they see you no up,” Foong explained, using a Chinese phrase that means to have little or no regard for the person. “I felt so angry and disrespected.”

Jenny (second from right) and some of her colleagues on their last day at Robinsons on Nov 30. She opened Grandma Jenny the next day.

But the tall and kindly-looking grandmother of two took it in her stride ­– as she has done, countless times over the years.

Without a hint of bitterness in her voice, Foong said: “The service line is like that; you still have to serve them politely.”

Work as worship

Foong’s service standards are high.

Jenny has worked in retail for over 20 years for different brands while stationed at Robinsons’ department stores. Photo courtesy of Jenny Foong.

She would also bone up on product information ­– on not just the brand she promotes  – so that she can offer the best advice to potential customers. Such is the extent of her dedication.

Sometimes, she shares more than just product information: “Sometimes I will share with them the Gospel. A bit here and there.”

No one has accepted Christ through her efforts – not that she knows of. But Foong is undaunted. “I just love them lah. At least I share and I help them – that’s my way of showing love.”

Grandma knows best

During her years at Robinsons, Foong has won numerous awards for service commendation over the years – an affirmation of her gift of hospitality.

“People just like me,” joked the sprightly woman with a twinkle in her eye.

She recognises it is a God-given gift, along with a keen eye for design and value.

Having previously run an informal Facebook page that features her recommendations of children’s products, Foong is now seizing the opportunity to take it one step further with Grandma Jenny.

The tagline of her stall confidently states: “Grandma knows best”. It is located at Bukit Timah Plaza outside rows of enrichment centres on Level 2.

Jenny with her husband, George, and grandson, Nathan at their little stall. Jenny set up the stall on condition that she is allowed to close on Sundays to attend church. Photo by Tan Huey Ying.

Grandma Jenny sells environmentally-friendly and device-free doodle books along with children’s toys and devotional materials from The Treasure Box Singapore. It will also be the pick-up location for the two shops’ online orders. Photo by Tan Huey Ying.

It alludes to how Foong is the “information counter” for young parents in church. They often ask for recommendations on clothes, toys and even snacks to buy for their children.

Love in retail 

“I’m nervous and stressed,” admits Foong of her new venture. “If I don’t sell anything, it will be a waste of money (to set up).”

She reluctantly went along with the idea at the behest of her son and daughter-in-law. They are Elvin and Esther Foong, who set up The Treasure Box SG in August 2018. 

Then she realised that God was faithfully providing for her – as He had always done during her days in retail.

“We really had God’s favour,” Foong said, adding that she saw God’s affirmation for her to proceed: In a departure from the regular policy at the mall, Grandma Jenny’s pushcart is allowed to close on Sundays. It was one of Foong’s key conditions for working.

Her son and daughter-in-law helped her work through the rental and setting up process.

Covid-downturn notwithstanding, Foong believes running the stall is an opportunity to continue living out her skills and giftings in a “very straightforward” way.

Grandma Jenny opened on December 1 and will run for a trial period of six months.

No economic downturn, age, or intimidation of running a business is stopping Grandma Jenny from finding new ways and means to love others in the retail space.