SINGAPORE - When the first Yaohan, with its iconic green and white logo, opened in Plaza Singapura in 1974, it was Singapore's biggest supermarket-cum-department store.

It made its stamp here by also claiming many firsts: It was first one-stop shopping centre, the first Japanese supermarket chain in Singapore, and the first shop to have open-view snack shops and bakery where shoppers can see the pastries being made.

Besides the Orchard flagship store, there were also Yaohan department stores at Thomson, Katong, Jurong, Bukit Timah and Jurong.

It has been almost 20 years since the last Yaohan store closed in 1997.

On Sunday, The Straits Times reported that some 120 former Yaohan supermart staff reunited to reminisce and mark SG50. We, in turn, asked readers to share their fond memories of shopping, working and spending time at Yaohan and got a flood of responses. Here is a selection of some of the best: