Hawkers say food prices are not increased, Netizens say food prices are increased, or food portions are decreased… or even both

Singapore — Hawkers have decided to delay increasing the prices of their food even though the cost of essentials such as electricity, cooking oil, and vegetables have gone up as high as 30 per cent recently.

According to a recent report, hawkers are compromising earnings by avoiding price increase on the food they serve as they fear losing their regular customers amid fluctuating Covid-19 dining restrictions.

They are also wary of complaints posted on social media or censure from customers due to the slightest price increase.

“If you increase the price, they will tell everybody,” said a stall assistant at Aziz Jaffar Muslim Food in a Straits Times report on Sunday (Dec 12).

“We have not changed the price even though the price of everything (from) cooking oil to long beans has gone up,” admitted another stall owner.

The owner said they just absorb the extra costs “because most customers are regulars, and there are many low-income customers also. If you increase, also ‘heart pain’. They are like friends.”

Back in November this year, one Larry Lai made an observation on Can Eat! Hawker Food Facebook page following news that food in Singapore was expected to become more expensive as energy prices and global food commodities increase.

“With the potential increase in raw materials price, the hawkers at hawker centres, coffee shops and food courts will inevitably have no choice but to increase selling price for sustainability as margin erosions on profits can only buffer so much on their part,” said Mr Lai.

To confirm the possibility, netizen Tian Steven wrote, “My zichar stall increased 50 cents from S$4.50 to S$5 and packaging from paper box to plastic box.”

On the recent statement by hawkers that prices won’t increase, members from the online community commented that this had already happened.

“I am not sure who the reporter spoke to, but my visits to the regular hawkers tell me prices had risen by 10 to 30 per cent for quite a number of them,” wrote Facebook user Lim Soon Hin. “Of course, in absolute terms, it’s like S$1 coffee becomes S$1.10 or S$4 noodle becomes S$4.50”, which is still an increase.

“Exactly! This increase has already been happening for quite a while,” noted a netizen.

“Sure or not? They don’t raise? Even the neighbourhood coffee shop had increased coffee or tea from S$1.20 to S$1.30. Don’t mislead us,” added another Facebook user.

One Mohamed Lee Pk said he visits a coffee shop at Holland for chicken rice which costs S$4.20. “Yesterday, the price went up to S$5.”

It isn’t just food at hawker centres experiencing inflation. A member of the public recently walked into a supermarket chain Cold Storage for some Greek yoghurt and noted that the price shot up from around S$8.40 to S$9.10.

Meanwhile, others highlighted that the price might not increase, but the portions have decreased. /TISG

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