“Like this $5.50”: Customer notes that food in centre is getting more expensive

SINGAPORE: A customer took to an online complaint group on Thursday (Feb 27) claiming he paid $5.50 for his food, which he also shared a picture of. In his post, he took note of how the food in the food centre he was in “is getting more expensive.”

Online user Bryan Tay took to a complaint group on Thursday (Feb 27) to share a photo of what seemed to be a bowl of Prawn Mee (Hokkien Prawn Noodles), which is a popular Singaporean and Malaysian dish. It consists of yellow noodles and possibly rice vermicelli, served in a rich, flavorful prawn-based broth or dry with a dark, savoury sauce.

According to Mr Tay, he paid $5.50 for the bowl.

A handful of online users responded to the post, with several pointing out that if he found it expensive, then he could have opted not to order the bowl of noodles and instead, prepare his own.

“You try to be a hawker then you try give more ba haha see if ur profit margin becomes a thinner line…” wrote one.

“So long as the consumer can afford to pay more, the price will continue to increase,” said another.

Still, a third challenged the writer, saying, “You go to the supermarket and see how much is it to buy bah kut, prawns and fishcake first.”

In similar news, another online user’s post got quite a bit of attention after the writer shared his take on what he saw as a disconnect between Singapore’s accolades and the country’s cost of living.

Using a well-known coffee chain nearby as an example, he said, “Take something as simple as breakfast. Yet in all these years, I’ve barely stepped in more than a handful of times. Why? Because $4.70 for two tiny slices of toast and a small cup of tea is simply not worth it. If not for a free voucher, I wouldn’t even bother. I think even beggars receive larger slices of bread and more coffee for free. Now we have to pay more for a humiliatingly small portion of bread and coffee.”

He even went so far as to say, “Living in Singapore may seem like a privilege, but truly enjoying life here is another matter entirely.”

See also:  ‘$4.70 for 2 tiny slices of toast and a small cup of tea is simply not worth it’ — Diner on Singapore’s high costs of living