Dear readers, in this post, let me share with you my experiences of feeling “cheated” eating outside these days.
With high cost of inflation in recent months, I have been on the receiving end of some food shops charging more than what I thought was reasonably due to inflation. I have also been on the receiving end of paying for food at same price but the size of food served has shrank.
But I am very disappointed that the above trend seems to be repeating itself day in and day out.
Recently, when I ordered a meal comprising curry chicken, two you-tiaos and a soya drink cost for some $9+ recently from a food shop café, which to me has always been reasonable in terms of price, I was shocked to see that the cup of the soya drink has shrank significantly. What seems a reasonable price to me has suddenly become unreasonable.
When I bought a bowl of soup at $4.90 promotional price, I was surprised that the soup did not come with a bowl of rice. I was shocked that a bowl of rice cost $1.80. As I needed a bowl of rice to accompany my soup, I paid for the rice grudgingly. So this is what merchants recover from customers what seems to be a promotion item? I thought.
When I recently dined in at some restaurants or cafe, I was shocked to pay 10% for service fees when there may not be really a service that I received. I would always want to advise readers when dining out, not to fall for supposedly good prices but to see whether one would need to pay for the additional 10% Service Charge and 7% GST (which will soon be 8%). A simple meal outside costing $100 will translate to $17.70 more in terms of Service Charge and GST.
At these times of high inflation, I always feel all the more, all of us should help out with one another! But sad to say, these are also the times, when companies may also need to charge customers more, reduce servings etc etc.
While I can withstand some forms of cost increase or some form of shrinkflation, I am sensitive enough to know when my “limit” has been crossed, e.g. paying $1.80 for a bowl of rice under the “disguised promotion”, seeing my soya drink cup shrink in size. And when my “limit” has been crossed, it is time to stop patronising these food shops.
What about you? Have your “limit” been crossed outside?