SINGAPORE: When two areas are close to each other, it’s not too surprising when people compare the prices of goods in each. One Facebook user even had a rather outsize reaction to the price and quality of grapefruit in Singapore and Johor Bahru.
In a post on the Complaint Singapore group page, the user on the platform, Ah Kau 123, put up a side-by-side photo of pieces of grapefruit.
The photo on the left contained four pieces of light-coloured pink grapefruit that were said to be from Johor Bahru and allegedly cost just RM10 (S$3.05). The photo on the right showed three pieces of dark-coloured pink grapefruit, which allegedly cost S$3.95 (RM13).
“Wahhhhh… cheaper and more fresh lehhhhh… no need put in fridge. Put outside can (already), won’t rot for few days…. sighhh,” wrote Ah Kau 123.
He added that one grapefruit set was “fresh” and the other was “rotting.”
Many people have since commented on the post. “If food doesn’t rot for a few days, you should be wary of it,” warned one commenter.
Another pointed out that the darker the flesh of a fruit, the sweeter it is, implying that the fruit on the right might taste better than the one on the left. “Red is sweet and other is sour,” a Facebook user agreed.
Another suggested that “one could be organic and another sprayed full of preservatives and pesticides.”
A quick online check shows that grapefruit costs S$1.10 per piece at FairPrice. At Redmart, the price shown is not far from this, at S$2.40 for two whole fruits.
Another website says that grapefruit in Singapore can cost between S$4.21 and S$14.09 per kilo or S$1.91 and S$6.39 per pound. In Malaysia, one site says that grapefruit is RM8.99 (S$2.74) per kilo, while another shows that two pieces of grapefruit in a pack cost RM3.88 (S$1.88).
Another online retailer sells four grapefruit pieces from South Africa for RM10.90 (S$3.32). /TISG
Read also: Jurong stall owner apologises for durian fight; gives away $2,000 in free fruits to residents