‘It’s only January’: Diner ‘crashes out’ after spotting $1 CNY surcharge on his receipt weeks before holiday

SINGAPORE: Chinese New Year is still more than a month away, yet one food establishment has already begun imposing festive surcharges.

The issue came to light after a diner, Facebook user Bernard Peh Chong Lin, shared his experience on the “Complaint Singapore” Facebook group on Tuesday (Jan 6). In his post, he uploaded a photo of the receipt to show that a Chinese New Year surcharge had already been applied to his bill.

Based on the receipt, the diner ordered a chicken cutlet curry rice priced at S$6.50, along with mackerel otah that costs S$2.30. On top of that, a S$1 CNY surcharge was applied, bringing the total to S$9.80.

Expressing his frustration in the caption, the diner wrote: “Honestly, I’m crashing out. CNY surcharge for food? It’s only January 2026. Is it right for them to charge CNY fees so early?”

“Just a sad excuse to increase prices if you ask me.”

The post quickly gained traction and was shared across multiple online platforms, including Reddit forums such as r/SingaporeRaw and r/SMRTRabak, where it drew criticism.

In the comments, many netizens expressed outrage over the timing of the surcharge, with one saying, “This is getting very ridiculous sia!!”

Another commented, “Ah, I think usually for like a haircut/hair salon, it might start 4 weeks before CNY. But this is not hairdressing services. This week is also not yet 4 weeks to CNY. Siao ah.”

A third wrote, “That is unscrupulous. Honestly, some businesses slap this on near CNY, and then it becomes permanent. Just a sad excuse to increase prices if you ask me.”

A fourth user added, “Go back and challenge this charge. I would give the benefit of the doubt that this surcharge was programmed in anticipation of the CNY period, but they forgot to disable it.”

“However, if they confirm that this was not a mistake, then they should say goodbye to your patronage, even outside of CNY. And before anyone says challenging for S$1 is petty, note that the original poster is not the only customer that they are gouging from.”

Some commenters also flagged concerns over transparency, asking whether the establishment had clearly notified customers about the surcharge in advance.

“Did they put up a notice to inform customers so that we can decide whether to patronise from them? If they never put it, they are trying to catch customers unprepared,” one said.

What is the CNY charge for?

As reported by Yahoo! News, some businesses impose a Chinese New Year surcharge days or even weeks before the festive period to manage the surge in customer demand and the temporary rise in operating costs during this peak period. 

The additional charges are also often used to pay staff bonuses and help businesses stay afloat during extended closures over the holiday break.

That said, Singapore’s consumer watchdog has reminded sellers to be transparent about any seasonal price increases during this period.

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