Parent says items purchased in school more expensive than outside, ‘we have needy students, don’t mark up so much’

A concerned parent took to social media to question why items purchased in schools were more expensive than retail prices elsewhere. She was referring to a pair of safety spectacles often used in school during lab experiments.

“Why sell so expensive in school S$10?” asked a Facebook group Complaint Singapore member on Monday (Oct 17). “I thought school should be cheaper? I called the supplier, only about S$7,” said the parent. She added, “We have needy students. Don’t mark up so much mah, 40 per cent is a lot.”

The post sparked mixed reactions among netizens, with some agreeing that some items were more expensive when supplied by the school. “Agreed, my children buy many things in school. It’s compulsory. I have found out buying from outside is cheaper,” said a parent.

Meanwhile, many explained that parents were often paying for the convenience of purchasing multiple items from one location.

“School sell you S$3.02 more. You save time and money travelling to the supplier, or you save on shipping fee and time from supplier to you,” noted Facebook user Reginald Ashton.

“Either way, S$10 seems like a reasonable price. Heck, I’d say it’s still cheap,” he added.

Furthermore, netizens pointed out that school bookstores also needed to earn to survive.

“School bookshop is run by third parties who also need to pay utilities, rental, salary and cost of goods. You ask the canteen to sell the food at cost and see lor. Same for all businesses, who are not trying to make a living out of the trade?” asked Facebook user Francis Chong. /TISG

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