Power outage hits over a dozen Chinatown shops for 7 hours, keeping out tourists

More than a dozen shops at Sago Street in Chinatown were left without electricity for nearly seven hours on June 8, with some business owners claiming they lost over thousands in revenue.

The power outage struck around 10am, affecting various stores selling jewellery, bags, souvenirs, clothing and other goods.

With no electricity, fans, computers and payment terminals were rendered useless. Some shopkeepers said the outage essentially wiped out their weekend takings.

When Shin Min Daily News visited noon, affected shopkeepers were seen sitting outside the nearby eateries, seeking respite from the heat.

Without working fans, many shops had become uncomfortably warm. The card machines and computers were also down, meaning customers could not pay by credit card.

At least four or five shop owners told Shin Min Daily News that the blackout had severely disrupted business. Some said they had not made a single sale all day.

Madam Ye, 70, who has run her shop for nearly three decades, said the outage began at 10am.

"There was no warning at all. At first we thought it would come back after a while, but it was still out at 3pm," she said.

"In all my years here, this is the first time something like this has happened."

A clothing shop owner said the darkness inside made the shop appear closed: "There were quite a lot of tourists yesterday, but when they saw the lights off, they didn't come in.

"Even when some did, it was so stuffy without the fans that they didn't stay long. Sunday is usually our best day, and this power cut cost me thousands."

When reporters visited the shop, it was indeed warm and dim inside. While many tourists were spotted along the stretch, only a handful stopped to browse.

Electricity was finally restored around 5pm - nearly seven hours after the outage began.