SINGAPORE — From camping at SingPost for Taylor Swift tickets to trying to get into Johor Bahru on a long weekend, Singaporeans are no stranger to long queues.

Yet, one in particular had social media users stumped this week: A snaking queue for the opening of The SGFR Store at Wisteria Mall last Sunday (Dec 3).

In a TikTok video posted by user "julia_lfm" on Monday, a long line of young people and children can be seen queueing along the exterior of the mall in Yishun.

The queue, cordoned off with red barrier belts, lines the block past other stores such as Long John Silver's and Yoshinoya food shops.

The video quickly went viral and has since reached 279,500 views as of Thursday.

Instead of discussing the store, many viewers were simply wondering what it was.

A top comment went: "I'm so old at 47, I don't know what (The SGFR Store) is."

Similarly, other users in their 20s and 30s confessed that they did not know of the brand either.

Another appealed for answers, asking: "What they sell, sia? I searched SGFR, it gave me Singapore Fishing Rigz..."

WHAT IS SGFR?

SGFR calls itself a "concept candy store" that sells well-known international candies such as YouTuber MrBeast's Feastables chocolate bars, Kellogg's Pop-Tarts and Sour Patch Kids.

It also stocks snacks and drinks such as Takis tortilla chips from Mexico, G Fuel energy drinks and Prime energy drinks.

Prime Hydration is a range of sports drinks, drink mixes and energy drinks launched by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, both of whom have leveraged their large social media followings to promote it.

Its launch late last year saw huge demand among schoolchildren in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US), with media outlets reporting of "chaos" in supermarkets and online resellers hiking up prices by as much as 1,600 per cent.

SGFR's founder and chief executive officer Mohamed Haikkel, 21, said that he first started SGFishingRigz as a business on e-marketplace Carousell in March 2020, selling fishing rigs and kits for beginners.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, personal issues and waning interest in fishing, the team decided to officially pivot to selling international snacks and drinks early this year and rebranded the store, coming up with the backronym "SG4Real".

This prompted a TikTok user to joke: "Wah, from fishing to snacks... They literally baited everyone."

'DAYLIGHT ROBBERY TO KIDS'

Those in the know, however, criticised SGFR for its alleged high prices.

The top comment for the video read: "All kids and YPs (young punks) who don't know SGFR (adds a) 200 per cent (mark-up) for Prime."

Other users also claimed that Prime is sold at cheaper prices at Mustafa Centre in Little India here.

In a video interview with entertainment channel Wekaypoh, posted on TikTok on Wednesday, Mr Haikkel notes that the bottled drinks have different rarities because the creators "wanted (Prime) to be like Pokemon cards".

Bottles that have higher rarities are more expensive and often bought for collection purposes rather than for consumption.

On SGFR's online store, the Prime collection ranges from S$7.50 for student-priced "common" bottles to as much as S$350 for a "super rare" collectible.

A comment by Mr Haikkel on TODAY's Instagram page stated that bottles priced S$45 and above are "limited edition collectibles that have (only) 1,000 in the world, 10,000 in the world".

"It's not meant for drinking. It's meant for Prime collectors," he wrote. "Yes, there are adults collecting Prime (bottles) in Singapore."

Mr Haikkel added that SGFR only stocks "a few pieces of the really rare ones" for such collectors, and these collectibles would cost the same in other countries such as the US or the UK.

"I don't think you will ever find (the rare bottles) at Mustafa or other stores," he also tells Wekaypoh in the video.

Another brand that might be more familiar to non-Prime enthusiasts is the Chips Ahoy Red Velvet Cookies, which are available on the site at S$25 for a 9.6oz (272g) pack.

Detractors maintained that SGFR is "promoting unreasonable purchases" among children who have yet to learn the value of money, although some who had previously criticised the team apologised for doing so.

One online user commented on Wekaypoh's video: "Now I understand (your) perspective. I deeply apologise for saying something I shouldn't have been saying."

Mr Haikkel also points out that Prime is "popular among secondary and primary school kids" mainly because they make up a majority of the YouTubers' fanbases.

Comments from the official SGFR account showed that the team behind the store is also made up of polytechnic students ranging from 18 to 21.

"Our content on YouTube and TikTok isn't made for adults," SGFR said. "It's done for Gen Z."

'WE CREATE AN EXPERIENCE'

Acknowledging the negative comments, Mr Haikkel said that as a growing brand that is still working on marketing and theming, SGFR has a "very, very different cost structure from those bigger retail chains".

"It's very, very difficult if we try to fight the price war. We definitely cannot match their prices," he tells Wekaypoh.

"What we can do is, we created an experience for customers. And that's why people genuinely enjoy coming here."

And it appears that their fans agree, with many testifying that they frequent the SGFR stores for the "creativity" and "the experience".

Commenting on Wekaypoh's video, one said: "SGFR rocks, gives solid friendly vibes. Forever my favourite international snacks shop."

On SGFR's TikTok page, commenting on a video of the Yishun store's opening, one fan boasted: "Went to three out of five of the SGFR stores."

Another said: "Just the other day, before visiting Yishun SGFR, I went to West Coast SGFR."

SGFR's five physical stores in Singapore each follow a different theme.

For instance, Wekaypoh's video shows snippets of the "Superhero Vault" in Tampines with life-size figurines of Iron Man and Spider-Man, the galaxy-themed "Starlight Station" at Bukit Timah Plaza featuring Star Wars memorabilia and "The Enchanted Castle" at West Coast Plaza, complete with suits of armour.

The newest store at Wisteria Mall, named "The Arcade Alley", appears to be arcade-themed.

'KIND AND INSPIRING'

A number of fans also spoke of visiting the physical stores in order to see the SGFR team members and brand ambassadors, some of whom have built their own social media following.

SGFR has also organised previous meet-and-greets with its co-founders and ambassadors, including influencer Luqmaan Hakiim who has 131,300 followers on TikTok.

In an SGFR video of the Yishun store's opening, co-founder Putri, 19, is seen signing a customer's slipper.

"Putri signed my phone case" and "Putri you signed my purple power bank" were some of the comments in the video's post from fans.

Explaining the hype to clueless TikTok users, one fan explained: "It's because the owner is 21 and (it's) inspiring for us (as young people).

"The SGFR team are so kind and always do the newest trends."

Another agreed, saying: "It's hyped because the owners are 19, 20 years old and they managed to open five stores within one year. So a lot of us came down to support them."

After understanding the context, older social media users also joined in to express their support for the student team, saying: "This one really melts my heart. Reminds me of how strong our local supporters are."

Others praised the business for its success and for motivating other young entrepreneurs.