5 cents, not money? Hawker stall @ Yishun Street refuses coin as payment, throws Kopi-O in sink

A member of the public who wished to buy a cup of Kopi O took to social media to complain after being denied payment using two five-cent coins.

She posted her complaint on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group about how she experienced a “rude and loud” hawker who refused to accept her payment for a cup of Kopi O at Blk 291 Yishun Street 22.

The item was priced at S$1.20, and the customer wanted to pay using one S$1 coin, two five-cent coins and one ten-cent coin.

“This rude and loud Vietnamese lady immediately shouted, ‘I do not accept 5cents, go away. I am not selling to you,’” said the Facebook user, adding that the hawker proceeded to pour the Kopi into the sink.

“5cents not money? That’s the problem with hawkers nowadays,” said the disgruntled customer.

Under the Currency Act, retailers must accept payment in any denomination within the legal tender limits, explained Facebook user Vincent Emmanuel Lee.

For five-cent coins, the legal tender limit is S$2. If retailers do not wish to accept a particular denomination of currency notes or coins, they should display notices prominently on their premises, he added.

“2x 5¢ is perfectly acceptable to use for payment. Even $1.20 all in 5¢ is legal tender, as the law provides that no merchant is allowed to choose coins or notes in exchange for goods and services,” explained Facebook user Nick Law.

“In addition, it is an offence not to allow it. Hence, a customer is perfectly acceptable to call the police on this issue. That lady is also very rude, and her behaviour is unacceptable!”

Meanwhile, netizens advised the individual to take her excess coins to the supermarket self-service payment booth instead.

“Nowadays, no retailers take five cents except Sheng Siong supermarket via cash machine payment,” said a Facebook user.

“The problem does not lie with the retailers but rather the bank that charges the handling of the five cents. So it’s not worth to bank in the five cents cause the cost is higher than the value.” /TISG

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