Singapore: Home of the Subtle Rip-Off...?

[Bender]

So here we are in our third week in Singapore and, as usual, we're enjoying ourselves and generally happy. But then there are the minor annoyances, which gradually add up to slightly sour our impressions. Case in point: the minor rip-offs, for example:

• We look in the display case at Bengawan Solo, a cake shop with multiple outlets all over the island. They sell cakes which you can buy whole or by the slice. The individual slices on display look to be of a generous size, such that it really would make no difference price-wise whether you bought the whole cake or slices, so we buy a few slices which are packaged up behind the counter. When we get home and open the package, we find that the slices we bought are about half (definitely less than 2/3) the size of those displayed in the shop.
• We go to have a look at Marina Bay Sands and while we're there we end up buying a gift for our host from The Wright Gift. It's a magnetic paperclip holder, which comes with five funky black paperclips and costs $39. We take it to the counter and the guy says he has a new one in a box and quickly wraps it up. We present our host with the gift - he loves it, but wonders why the box says that five paperclips are included when there's only one in the box, which looks to have been opened before. Are we going to trek all the way back for 4 paperclips? No. Will we ever go back to that shop? No.
• Today we buy bak kwa from Bee Cheng Hiang. It's not cheap, so we ask for 200 grams only. The girl behind the counter puts the packaging on the electronic scale, which registers the weight of the package as part of the sale, then adds the bak kwa, packages it and enters the sale on the register. I tell her the price seems a bit high for 200 grams and she says "is a bit over" and hands me my change and the receipt. "A bit over" is more than 20% over, and the receipt shows a total only - it doesn't give any detail of weight or cost per 100 grams. A clever way to boost sales?

Small things, aren't they? But they're typical of the sort of thing that seems to happen far too frequently here; not really enough to raise a formal case about, but enough to taint the whole Singapore experience a bit.

Anyone else had similar experiences? Care to share them?

[canuck]

just another day in paradise *shrug*

[Snaffled]

That whole "Its a bit over" thing ticks me off sometimes, especially with Foreign Exchange counters.

[Fat Bob]

There's a little device which is very useful for what I know as "drink now" wine: i.e. wine which is 2-3 years old and is bought today, drank today. I though Australia were ripping us off at A$60, but saw it over here at S$100 the other day. Luckily it's cheap in the States at US$40. I'll let you do the maths.

[Sardonicus]

What's not so subtle are the costs of foreign goods, which to me is just incentive to buy from the internet. Touché !

[slinky]

The whole 'I'll get you a new piece' thing always signals me to check the size, color, general condition of it when they bring it out (of course I'm thinking primarily of clothing). Actually, with your MBS gift shop thing, I probably would have considered taking it back and getting a proper replacement, but I can also see the hassle factor in that. Definitely annoying.

[Addadude]

Honestly, I don't even notice these things anymore but you're right. Most people are aware of the Sim Lim Square rip off merchants and the taxi trip by the scenic route scenarios but there are subtle variations everywhere.

Then there is the 'ang moh tax'. Go into any shop in Chinatown or any shop where the price is not 'fixed' and you can bargain fora discount, However it will still cost you more than what local would pay. (This even applies in shops like the Hour Glass.)

Even in my HDB estate, I used to be charged one price while my significant other (as long as I was nowhere in sight) was charged 15% or more less. Now that I'm recognised as a 'local' (it only took about 6 years...), I usually get the local price.

[canuck]

addadude: happens outside singers too, mom's home town in canada, one price for locals another for outsiders...

[sluggo]

Here's what bugs me. I was in a Cold storage the other day looking for fresh garlic cloves. I ask a women working there "do you have fresh garlic?". She looked at me with that "oh no an ang moh" look and immediately said "don't have". I say to her, "you don't have any idea what I said do you" and she responded "don't have". I asked at the register and the young women did not understand what I was asking for but did try. Another customer overheard what I was asking and told her in Chinese what I wanted. She went and got the garlic.

I can understand that some of the locals don't speak English or don't understand our accents but why do they immediately say "don't have"?

[Fat Bob]

It's the whole attitude of customer service, or lack there of. Their job performance rating probably does not get any better if they show you where it is, so why bother?

[slinky]

It's the whole attitude of customer service, or lack there of. Their job performance rating probably does not get any better if they show you where it is, so why bother?

I guess that's really the point, but would it be so hard for management to teach their drones to take the customer to someone who can help them when they don't understand what the customer is asking for? I mean the store IS there to make a profit, right?

[Fat Bob]

why does the staff memeber care if the staff memeber is just a drone and has no share in the profits of the store? the store is already profitable enough for it to be kept open, that's enough for them.

[slinky]

I guess my point is management should care - or at least the owners should care - enough to take relatively simple steps to ensure that customers are not constantly going elsewhere to buy stuff because the staff in their store can't be arsed (or don't speak enough English) to help them find things. And if the drones can't follow management directives, then they will need to find new jobs at some point, won't they?

[BoD]

Are you sure they were locals? I don't think there are any Singaporeans working in shops or food places anymore.

[FurBaby]

BoD is right, Sluggo.

it's not the accent - i'm local, and have lost count of the number of times i've been in a retail shop/café in Singapore, asked a very basic question like "do you have this in size 35?" or "could i please have a glass of water?" only to be met with blank stares until i repeat the question in Mandarin ...

[BoD]

There is a food stall at the Kopitiam in Liang Court that we go to quite a lot. The cook and the two other staff are Chinese nationals and speak little English. According to Q, the lady who takes the orders speaks strongly accented Mandarin, so Chinese Singaporeans have trouble as well. It must be even more frustrating for non Mandarin speaking locals. You often see Chinese speakers in the queue or the guy from the stall next door having to help explain. Even to a foreigner, this seems a bit ridiculous

The food is good though and the the prices are OK, which is of course more important

[Lauryn]

Hi,
I was in a Cold storage the other day looking for fresh garlic cloves. I ask a women working there do you have fresh garlic?. She looked at me with, that oh no an ang moh look and immediately said don't have. I say to her you don't have any idea what I said do you and she responded don't have.

[slinky]

Cold Storage has fresh garlic cloves - I buy them all the time.

[Fat Bob]

Hahaha! You missed the signature, slinks!