Watermelon Vendor Suffers RM3,000 Loss After Mistakenly Running Free Giveaway
He gave away more than 400kg of watermelons meant for sale.
A watermelon vendor in Penang incurred a RM3,000 loss after a misunderstanding led to an accidental giveaway of his stock
According to Berita Harian, the incident went viral on social media on Sunday, 2 March.
The trader, Mohd Musdi Mustafa Kamal, 40, confirmed that the incident happened at his stall along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in George Town, just a week after it had opened in preparation for Ramadan.
Image via Zuhainy Zulkiffli/Berita Harian
Mohd Musdi had shared a video on social media announcing a free watermelon giveaway at 4pm on the first day of Ramadan.
However, he later explained that the giveaway resulted from a misunderstanding.
The vendor said a man from Seberang Perai had contacted him, expressing interest in sponsoring watermelons for a public donation, a charitable act known as infaq in Islam.
"The man told me he wanted to distribute the watermelons at 4pm on the first day of Ramadan, but before that, he asked me to create an announcement video and send it to him," he said.
Mohd Musdi admitted that he made a mistake by not asking for further details, as well as immediately posting the announcement instead of first clarifying with the interested donor.
"I admit my mistake in not asking the exact amount he intended to donate and went ahead with the social media post that night," he said.
Image via TikTok
His video went viral the following day, drawing a large crowd that began queuing outside his stall as early as 2pm, excited to claim free watermelons
Mohd Musdi said he rushed to the stall after an employee alerted him about the situation.
Meanwhile, the donor arrived and revealed that he only intended to donate RM200 worth of watermelons.
Not wanting to disappoint the customers, some of whom had traveled from Seberang Perai, Mohd Musdi decided to go ahead with the giveaway
"More than 400kg of watermelons meant for sale had to be given away, but I've accepted it sincerely and consider it a form of charity," he said.
He added that he couldn't bear to send them home empty-handed, especially since some had walked over a kilometer in the scorching heat to his stall.
"We received backlash and insults from the public who accused us of deception. Fortunately, some understood the situation," he added.
The vendor said he considers the incident a lesson and promised to be more cautious in the future.
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