Cashless Payment

Cashless Payment, I mean payment by card instead of cash. This foodcourt Kopitiam had introduced this Cashless Dining card system in most of her outlets quite sometime back. Only recently, it was introduced at my neighbourhood foodcourt at Tampines Mart.



The 1st day it was introduced at my neighbourhood foodcourt, I was very happy because my Blue Card entitles me to 10% discount on food and drinks purchased. But my happiness was short lived. Some stalls had increased their food prices or those that didn't, have their quantities reduced...

Some foodstalls have increased their prices from 10 cents to as high as 50 cents since the introduction of this card system. I'm not too sure if the price increase is due to the card discount or the 7% GST not too long ago...

I thought they are not going to increase their drinks prices since it's about 1 mth after they have launched their card system here at Tampines Mart. But I was totally wrong, on 1st of Nov they increased their drinks prices too!

My morning Kopi-O Siew Dai paper cup takeaway cost me 10 cents more from that day.





See the receipts above - it was 80 cents previously and then it's 90 cents for the same cup of Kopi-O Siew Dai. Also the other soft drinks (can type) also have their prices adjusted up too - from $1.20 to $1.50 (increased by 30 cents).

My goodness, no increase in value added and a 30 cents increased in price! The same can of drinks cost about 66 cents to 76 cents at the Shop & Save Supermarket. If you ask the foodcourt drink stall for another empty cup with ice, it costs you 20 cents!

Wonder all these drinks price increased are for the making of the card system and the employment of 1 person to mend the top-up card booth?




So there is another foodcourt at the DownTown East at Pasir Ris that uses a similar card system. Yes, I'm talking about the Funkey card;



Let's compare the price of a can of the same softdrink;



So they charged me $1.40 but no 10% discount, only 4 points for the card.

Now such card system benefit who more - the customers or the owners? Your guess is as good as mine...