Receipt for a warm cup of water
‘Go home and make your own hot water’: Singapore diner slammed over 50-cent charge complaint
SINGAPORE: A diner has questioned whether water is becoming an expensive commodity after being charged S$0.50 for a small glass of warm water at a local eatery.
Posting in the Complaint Singapore (Anonymous) Facebook group on Friday (Sep 18), the diner uploaded a picture of the receipt and expressed disbelief at the extra charge.
“A small glass of warm water cost $0.50 cents. Is water really that expensive in Singapore?” the diner wrote.
The 50-cent charge may not sound like much, but the complaint quickly attracted criticism from commenters who felt the diner was overlooking the costs involved in running an eatery.
Several commenters also appeared to think the diner was making rather a fuss over a fairly small charge.
One told him, “You should open a shop and then let people drink plain water for free. You will make a good business owner.”
Another commented, "50c is already cheap. In some places, it costs S$1.5”
A third said, “Bring your own chair, table, cup, fan, and worker next time.”
Meanwhile, a few others explained why a stall might charge for warm water in the first place.
One user pointed out, “Hot water is not free. It has to be heated up by electricity. The stall you get it from is not free either; F&B rentals are notoriously expensive. The staff who served you the hot water is not free either; they need to be paid salaries.
“The staff who have to clear and wash the dirty used cups afterwards also need to be paid a salary. Not happy to pay 50 cents, go home and make your own hot water.”
Another commenter, who said they had been selling kopi for several years, shared, “The cost of this hot water is inconsequential. We routinely use hot water to mop the floor, wash stuff, heat the cups, etc.”
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“BUT unfortunately, people who order ice kosong or hot water are unpredictable and usually pretty ‘long-winded.’ Will occupy tables for extended periods, eat snacks and leave crumbs all over...and frequently come back for top-ups.”
Still, despite the criticism, there were a handful of commenters who sympathised with the original poster's frustration. One user commented, “Tremendous day robbery.”
Another simply said, “I feel the same way,” before sharing a receipt showing that they had also been charged for water, in their case S$0.30.
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