On the 28th of august, a group of students from Serangoon Gardens Secondary school and a team of BBBS mentors were given the opportunity to visit the CK TANGS superstore as part of the Sailing and Sustainability Programme-Phase 2. CK TANGS is a superstore situated in the heart of the city that is specialised in singapore’sretail market. The store was founded by Tang Choon Keng in 1932.

Our three speakers sharing their personal experience with the mentees from Serangoon Gardens Secondary school.

The students from Serangoon Gardens and our team was given the opportunity to converse with Mr Shaun (In-Charge of Members and Loyalty),Mr Arnold (3rd Floor store supervisor) and Mr Shu (Head of marketing) who gave us valuable insight on the company’s mechanics and values that have driven them to where they are now.

Mr Shaun shared with the students that you shouldnt limit yourselves to boundaries set in your mind. He gave the example of how he originally was part of the IT sector and later joined TANGS, resulting in him finding a passion in analytics. This taught the students that sometimes you might feel that a certain pathway is meant for you because you do well in it. But it is important for you to keep exploring because you may later realise that you have a undying passion for another pathway.

Mr Arnold emphasised that it is important to put in maximum effort in all that you do. The effort that you put in today will reap you the equal measure of success. He used the example of how he started of as a floor manager in TANGS. With the constant effort to improve himself, Mr Arnold was able to climb the corporate ladder to become a store supervisor. This taught the kids that regardless of your background, if you are willing to put in the relevant effort into something, you are sure to achieve success. 

Our mentees from Serangoon garden Secondary School 

Ms Shu explained the importance of persuing what interests you despite the many curveballs your journey will throw at you. She explained using his personal experience that it is important to know which direction you want to path your life towards. It doesnt have to be specific at such a young age but atleast it gets you moving towards a certain goal.

All three of our speakers also shared that for an individual to attain success, he doesnt have to follow conventional pathways.

Following the speech of our hosts was a guided floor-by-floor tour of CK TANGS. Our mentees had a great time exploring the different shops situated within the superstore. And learnt the importance of organisation in a functional mess.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to CK TANGS, Mr Shaun, Mr Arnold and Mr Shu for hosting us with such hospitality. Your experiences has greatly impacted on us.