NTUC Link Card and Passion Card

After dinner last night with my folks at Chomps, we hopped over to NTUC Finest nearby. Did groceries shopping and ended up with a huge trolley load of things.

While paying, the cashier asked – “any link card?” Of course I don’t.

Somehow, I just don’t understand all this idea of whatever Link to collect whatever points. It all adds up to cost of goods and does not benefit consumers at all.

All these so-called rebates are all funded by consumer themselves, isn’t it?. You pay $9 membership a month and you shop at NTUC to get points to get rebate. Seriously, a joke, and most importantly, the consumer footing the costs involved for the whole Link point setup – from IT system and staff costs to maintain the Link points infrastructure.

If NTUC is really a cooperative wanting to help Singaporeans, it should just take a nominal 2% marked up after deducting cost of goods and other related costs for selling the goods.

And somehow, I suspect that they are not sourcing the goods from manufacturers and suppliers at the cheapest possible price.

For instance, a Rexona deodorant stick costs $3.40 in NTUC. Beauty Language, a home and personal care shop, sells the same product for $1.90.

Either NTUC is maximising more than 100% profit margin or some dumb idiot in NTUC is sourcing from the wrong supplier.

Similarly, my above comments apply to whatever Passion Card as well.

Fairprice measures itself by a basket of goods, not item by item. The link points can be earned through partners as well, so members can accumulate points and use it for something they want without having to pay cash. I enjoying collect link points and on top of that as a NTUC members I have $250 go take up courses that I like to upgrade my skills and knowledge.

it is a scam.
Link card and PASSION card is just a tool to collect data for PAP for their gerry mandering statistics.

those sillypootians think that they are getting rebates and points
not knowing that prices are higher in CUNT 'fair price' and 'finese'
compared to your neighbourhood shops.

tomychua said:

Fairprice measures itself by a basket of goods, not item by item. The link points can be earned through partners as well, so members can accumulate points and use it for something they want without having to pay cash. I enjoying collect link points and on top of that as a NTUC members I have $250 go take up courses that I like to upgrade my skills and knowledge.

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You must be kidding me Tomy. Either you have been suckered in this regime for too long or you are either in absolute daftness.

What basket of goods are you drivelling about. It is profit maximization with no regard of the objective of being a responsible cooperative.

Let me give you another example.

Kotex Fresh Liners - Regular Unscented which I use daily. It sells for $1.50 at ABC Mart, which I get from Bedok.

The exact same pack with same country of manufactute sells at NTUC for $2.95 per pack.

NTUC has even the audacity to advertise in their website Buy 3 save $2.95, ie., $5.90 for 3 packs. It is even in their online site! http://www.fairprice.com.sg/webapp/...tId=51714&urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051

If you work out the sums, the exact same pack and country of manufacture ~ 3 packs is $4.50 at ABC Mart in Bedok.

Your explanation, please.

Claire said:

You must be kidding me Tomy. Either you have been suckered in this regime for too long or you are either in absolute daftness.

What basket of goods are you drivelling about. It is profit maximization with no regard of the objective of being a responsible cooperative.

Let me give you another example.

Kotex Fresh Liners - Regular Unscented which I use daily. It sells for $1.50 at ABC Mart, which I get from Bedok.

The exact same pack with same country of manufactute sells at NTUC for $2.95 per pack.

NTUC has even the audacity to advertise in their website Buy 3 save $2.95, ie., $5.90 for 3 packs. It is even in their online site! http://www.fairprice.com.sg/webapp/...tId=51714&urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051

If you work out the sums, the exact same pack and country of manufacture ~ 3 packs is $4.50 at ABC Mart in Bedok.

Your explanation, please.

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NTUC condom and jelly is also over priced.
i bought in bought from Mustafa, it is about 50% cheaper

Infant milk powder and basic toiletries are overpriced in NTUC, it's a lot cheaper to buy from this shop.

Its the same when they tell u, up GST to help the poor. Lots of Sinkies shld go for rehab, to rid em of Pappies brain washing.

greedy and cunning said:

those sillypootians think that they are getting rebates and points
not knowing that prices are higher in CUNT 'fair price' and 'finese'
compared to your neighbourhood shops.

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To me, I read it as a "ploy" where large retailers scheme with manufacturers to maximise profit at the expense of unaware consumers through a myriad of information distortion.

I agree with everyone in this thread,sinkies think australia is a very expensive place but truth is 90% of the things in their supermarket is cheaper than sg.

frenchbriefs said:

I agree with everyone in this thread,sinkies think australia is a very expensive place but truth is 90% of the things in their supermarket is cheaper than sg.

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not only australia , things are cheaper in US Ass too
yet their workers are paid more and their standard of living is higher.

Did someone forget everything in Singapore are imported and not produced locally?

Anyway there is always a basket of goods at NTUC Fairprice that is always cheaper than the rest. Fair doesnt mean cheap. Fairprice is here to regulate the items. If they are not in the market to regulate the prices, do you think other supermarts will sell those items in a competitive price? Sure you can find cheaper similar items If you go to giant or sheng shiong, but are they made from the same country with the same quality or perhaps you want to check on the expiry date before purchasing and wonder why it is cheaper than Fairprice.


And you shopped at Fairprice Finest. Do you know Finest sells more atas items that are more expensive? Facepalm sia.

Isogallardo said:

Did someone forget everything in Singapore are imported and not produced locally?

Anyway there is always a basket of goods at NTUC Fairprice that is always cheaper than the rest. Fair doesnt mean cheap. Fairprice is here to regulate the items. If they are not in the market to regulate the prices, do you think other supermarts will sell those items in a competitive price? Sure you can find cheaper similar items If you go to giant or sheng shiong, but are they made from the same country with the same quality or perhaps you want to check on the expiry date before purchasing and wonder why it is cheaper than Fairprice.


And you shopped at Fairprice Finest. Do you know Finest sells more atas items that are more expensive? Facepalm sia.

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Irrespective of where I shop, NTUC has lost its way, the objective. It is trite knowledge among the discerning members here (unfortunately not the public because of information distortion) that NTUC is bent on profit maximisation. My examples have clearly shown the so-called basket of goods is fictitious or even if real, it lacks a transparency mechanism which somehow fail in itself.

Isogallardo said:

Did someone forget everything in Singapore are imported and not produced locally?

Anyway there is always a basket of goods at NTUC Fairprice that is always cheaper than the rest. Fair doesnt mean cheap. Fairprice is here to regulate the items. If they are not in the market to regulate the prices, do you think other supermarts will sell those items in a competitive price? Sure you can find cheaper similar items If you go to giant or sheng shiong, but are they made from the same country with the same quality or perhaps you want to check on the expiry date before purchasing and wonder why it is cheaper than Fairprice.


And you shopped at Fairprice Finest. Do you know Finest sells more atas items that are more expensive? Facepalm sia.

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Let me give you another example to counter your "too often" used defence of "we import everything blah blah blah".

Lets talk about Haagen Daz icecream. The exact same ice cream that Mr Chee SJ was talking about during GE 2015.

Japan import the same ice cream. They have high location costs as well as labour costs. Why does Haagen Daz ice cream costs less in Japan?

Your explanation, please.

No more excuses?

Another example since you have started me going on your fictitious basket of goods defense concept followed by some weird logic of "we import blah blah blah".

Philip's Sonicare Airfloss. It retails at $199 in Singapore.

The same product sells for $129 or thereabouts in Tokyo. I am sure they are all manufactured in China and imported into Singapore and Toyko.

Even I assume location and labour costs in Singapore and Tokyo is the same (which probably isn't as we all know that Tokyo's costs are higher), why is there a huge discrepancy in the price between the 2 countries.

Profiteering? Vertical and Horizontal Price fixing? Or what?

You explain.

PS : By the way, this same product is sold in Labi Tokyo and major chains and not some small shop. Cost structure wise is probably the same as NTUC or Best Denki, etc.

I am getting a little passionate about this topic as shopping is part of my female soul.

I am challenging you, yes YOU, those who are here to defend the profit maximation methods of businesses in Singapore with the government turning a blind eye or perhaps with an eye opened and the other shut.

Lets talk about Daiso.

Daiso imports most (I reckon) of its products from China. You must be dreaming to think that all of Daiso's products are manufactured in Japan. Daiso sells these products at 100yen (roughly $1.10) in Japan.

They have high labour costs and land costs in Tokyo.

The same goods are imported into Singapore direct from China (and not from China to Tokyo then Singapore). It retails at $2.

What is the reason behind this almost 100% "surcharge"?

Singapore has higher land costs and labour costs? Surely not.

Fictitious basket of goods concept? Huh?

Some crappy "we import all" reason? Huh?

Higer corporate tax in Singapore than Japan? Huh??? Cant be as well.

Would someone explain to me?

I am sure Daiso management looking at its operating margin must be laughing at people in Singapore who flock in swarms to their ever expanding network of stores in this island.

Pay $9 a month not just for link points la...http://www.powerofu.sg/powerofu/ntucmembership/member_benefits.html

Fairprice was never meant to be the cheapest what...you want cheap you go sheng shiong lor. But I won't la cos fairprice is too convenient for me...if no cooperative like them, cold storage, sheng shiong will jack up the prices during crisis. You see during the APP crisis, fairprice removed all the APP products from the shelves but cold storage just said they won't restock...who is for profit?

dodgeball said:

Pay $9 a month not just for link points la...http://www.powerofu.sg/powerofu/ntucmembership/member_benefits.html

Fairprice was never meant to be the cheapest what...you want cheap you go sheng shiong lor. But I won't la cos fairprice is too convenient for me...if no cooperative like them, cold storage, sheng shiong will jack up the prices during crisis. You see during the APP crisis, fairprice removed all the APP products from the shelves but cold storage just said they won't restock...who is for profit?

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Which is precisely my point? No? Fairprice is just not the right instrument for consumer protection.

Case, for whatever case is supposed to protect profiteering and you see what they do after millions of taxpayer's money are pumped int it? There is certainly something wrong in the system of consumer protection here in Singapore.

In Singapore, there is market collusion amongst the major players rather than market competition. This is due to our small economy and the fact that the major players tend to be owned by GIC and Temasek or at the very least, majority-owned by people strongly affiliated with the establishment.

All the propaganda about the inevitability of Singapore being a high cost place due to the fact that we import everything we need is hogwash. The Singapore dollar is strong and has been for the past decade. That should have moderated import prices but it failed. Why? Because our government has pursued highly inflationary policies, not least of which is to let property prices spiral out of control, which in turn leads to escalating rentals. When businesses are faced with high rentals, they pass on the cost to consumers.

It is amazing to see some government apologists continue to spread hogwash without regard to basic economic principles. Or to be more precise, they misuse basic economic principles without considering the context of Singapore.

NTUC is another piece of hogwash. They push products at uncompetitive prices because consumers are too used to the brand NTUC. Only those sharp enough to look around will realize they can get many things at a lower price outside NTUC. That is how the government takes money from the people.

Thick Face Black Heart said:

In Singapore, there is market collusion amongst the major players rather than market competition. This is due to our small economy and the fact that the major players tend to be owned by GIC and Temasek or at the very least, majority-owned by people strongly affiliated with the establishment.

All the propaganda about the inevitability of Singapore being a high cost place due to the fact that we import everything we need is hogwash. The Singapore dollar is strong and has been for the past decade. That should have moderated import prices but it failed. Why? Because our government has pursued highly inflationary policies, not least of which is to let property prices spiral out of control, which in turn leads to escalating rentals. When businesses are faced with high rentals, they pass on the cost to consumers.

It is amazing to see some government apologists continue to spread hogwash without regard to basic economic principles. Or to be more precise, they misuse basic economic principles without considering the context of Singapore.

NTUC is another piece of hogwash. They push products at uncompetitive prices because consumers are too used to the brand NTUC. Only those sharp enough to look around will realize they can get many things at a lower price outside NTUC. That is how the government takes money from the people.

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Thick, my specific examples above reflect your view. I like the way you have succintly put it in a big picture context. Thanks.