Dear readers, this afternoon, I went to my favorite chicken rice stall and ordered the usual chicken rice meal.
When it was time for me to pay, I was shocked to find out that the chicken rice now costs $4.50 or 11.1% more.
The container for the chicken rice was changed from styrofoam to a plastic container as if to give the impression to justify the 50 cents more that customers pay for the chicken rice or to provide some form of comfort to customers for paying higher price (in the vein that at least the higher price is for a better container).
I am okay if the stall has genuine reasons to increase its prices in these days where prices of many things are going only up. However, I will be concerned if the stall is exploiting the higher cost environment to increase price without a genuine reason (i.e. if there are no higher cost to them or if their most recent price hike prior to the current one has already covered for the higher costs).
With the price hike, I may think twice to visit the chicken rice stall again.
I believe many Singaporeans are, like me, working hard each day, to save more and to provide a better future for ourselves and loved ones. It is a shame if merchants are profiting and exploiting from the higher cost environment.
I noticed that the chicken rice stall increased its prices in these current days when people are using the CDC vouchers. I am concerned if this stall rides on the good mood of people of using CDC vouchers to pay (and hence spend their own monies less) to exploit charging higher prices if they do not have genuine reasons to increase prices.