Why Is My Economic Rice So Expensive? How Can I Save Money? | Talking Point | Full Episode

[@fledglingcrafter]

The man who priced everything at 3.60 is the traditional sense of Chinese business. He relies on revolving sales rather than pricing it per stuff the woman said. I think it's how stall owners are bred, the guy thinks of his employees welfare and not be hassle and thinks about consumers. He is not at a loss but earning less. That's the kind of stall I want to eat at. Good job sir!

[@lesliechiang1710]

The Malaysian woman is just been typical.

[@andyng5321]

Actually the solution is very simple, everytime after ordering one meat and one veg or one fish and one veg ask the seller total how much, if it is under your budget, simply add one more veg. If it reach your budget already then tell him enough. That's all.

[@RonLarhz]

@@andyng5321 That's what I do since mid 2010s when eco rice charges become more n more brazen.

[@FruitPunchKet]

The truth is that the owners don't want people to know the price since people will just aim for the cheaper ones.

[@rainzerdesu]

Yea this lady is that one annoying person that just shoots down every idea with infinitely many bullshit excuses

[@tanalson]

Not really. There will be people that go for the bigger piece of meat if the piece of meat is a lot bigger

[@russiasucks7170]

@@tanalsonregardless of whether people will go for or not go for the bigger piece of meat , I think it is clear that the cai fan owners don’t want you to know the price

[@nicholaswoof88]

Agree. Things changed as economic mixed vegetables rice due to inflation and others. And if noticed, the stall owners are not local or Malaysia . Now is run by mainlander china staff

[@vincecarlo]

After GE2020 n Giving them MANDATE Petrol tax, Water Tariff, Electricity Tariff, 8% GST, Transport ALL Go go up, Petrol Station lease is >Half A Million a mth etc etc Akan Datang 1 Jan'24, 9% GST BLOOD SUCKING LEECHES 🪱🪱🪱

[@richiechan7119]

Here's a tip. The next time you order cai fan, whether da bao or dine in, and you decide to go for only rice + 2 side dishes, you may want to tell the server before choosing your dishes that you want only 2 dishes (liang yang cai er yi). That way, the server is likely going to give you a bigger portion of the 2 dishes. Because if you don't tell them beforehand, they may expect you to order a 3rd dish, so they will take only a smaller portion of the 2 dishes so that there is still some space in the styrofoam box or the plate for the 3rd one. When you tell them only 2 dishes beforehand, they will give you more because otherwise than the box or plate may look a bit empty or underwhelming and the server may feel paiseh (embarrassed). So if you tell them 2 dishes only, they are likely to give you a bigger portion for each. Coming from personal experience having tried multiple economy rice stalls.

[@YMWong-cb6ke]

If they charge me any how, they will be very sure that this is the last time I will be dealing with them. No second chance.

[@John-vm7fq]

Weak, i do even better, i say curry sauce can already, poor

[@John-vm7fq]

@@YMWong-cb6ke Wow wow wow big shot wor , u think they care?

[@gameacc6079]

​@@John-vm7fqthey actually do..

[@xxslysinxx]

What if they not embarassed, or think u on diet lol

[@ocswoodlands]

The lack of price tags for the dishes is the root of the problem. Think about it... is there ANYTHING else in SG that buyers do not know what the price is BEFORE we are asked to pay??

[@wendyshoowaiching4161]

Not so. It's price calculated (Meat & Vege) A) 2 dishes (1 meat / 1 vege / 1 Rice), B) 3 Dishes (1 meat / 1 Vege / 1 Dish/ 1 Rice). Of course the place, food inflation. I follow this method in my home cook. Price comes down 2 times. Chicken RM$2 (small thigh) Vegetables RM$0.50, Egg RM$0.50, Instant Soup (Bovril) RM$0.50 & Rice RM$0.30 = RM$3.80. If I don't feel like eating egg, the price RM$3.30. The price menu is reasonably economy Singapore standard

[@slaiyfershin]

Why would they want to make it precise? That's their whole modus operandi for profiting.

[@ratedchamp1]

The issue for example , ikan bills vs sardine vs promfet vs makeral , all is the items mentions is fish , how to put price tag ??? Before buy a fish or pork or beef ask how much first

[@agymayachelonia8381]

I went to one with price tags. It said $3 for meat but they charged me $6 for meat instead!! Apparently there are different prices for meat dishes and I had ordered the pork chop😅 . The only ones valued at $3 was the minced pork stir fried with beans and one with ikan bilis .....I complained to the stall owner for not being transparent.

[@kkcc553]

Have, COE.. hahahaha

[@philipanzelmo9711]

There are three reasons why economic rice is not economic anymore- Rental,rental and rental.

[@vincecarlo]

After GE2020 n Giving them MANDATE Petrol tax, Water Tariff, Electricity Tariff, 8% GST, Transport ALL Go go up, Petrol Station lease is >Half A Million a mth etc etc Akan Datang 1 Jan'24, 9% GST BLOOD SUCKING LEECHES 🪱🪱🪱

[@lagrangewei]

PAP "high land value is better you are richer!" me "are you an idiot? if land value go up, rent will also go up, and who pay for that? the business owner? no they pass it on to the consumer!"

[@kaythailee4767]

Every time I see coffee shop go under renovation (I.e., new owner), the prices of food go up without fail.

[@lesliechiang1710]

​@@kaythailee4767else how are they traded in millions 😂

[@efgerfgergferg6749]

Ya why must keep renovating??@@kaythailee4767

[@wumao6797]

Just order 2 dishes with your rice its cheaper and bigger portions. If you order 3 dishes like 2 veg and a meat it becomes more expansive and the portion for each dish is smaller. I think the factor that contributed to the jump in prices is the rental. Before covid a stall rent in a coffee shop is around $5k recently I asked its around $8k to $10k.

[@cryer3160]

last time I get 1 meat 1 veg the price is $4, then I get 1 meat 2 veg it is $3.70. The 2nd time I added tau geh...

[@vincecarlo]

After GE2020 n Giving them MANDATE Petrol tax, Water Tariff, Electricity Tariff, 8% GST, Transport ALL Go go up, Petrol Station lease is >Half A Million a mth etc etc Akan Datang 1 Jan'24, 9% GST BLOOD SUCKING LEECHES 🪱🪱🪱

[@jsmu1234]

This episode really failed and scared to report on this important critical factor, Rental. CNA only briefly mentioned it in a simple word or two.

[@vincecarlo]

@@jsmu1234 CNA is PROPAGANDA 🐂💩 Channel for Dim Wits

[@andyng5321]

Actually the solution is very simple, everytime after ordering one meat and one veg or one fish and one veg ask the seller total how much, if it is under your budget, simply add one more veg. If it reach your budget already then tell him enough. That's all.

[@humedesmond7774]

Nowadays i tend to avoid stores especially that does not state any fixed prices. Had a lot of past bad experience of being overcharged or given ridiculously small portions of the various dishes I have chosen. Truth is most of these hawker stall owners are short-sighted and simply want to take advantage of the situation to earn as much as they can despite knowing it will bring bad reputation to them and turn away any future customers.

[@gwarguraqueentrickstarcoat9110]

Same here When there is no fixed price per item they sell Its confuses not just me as a customer but the one selling the food to you aslo Makes a situation that makes it diffiicult for both sellers and customers

[@humedesmond7774]

@@gwarguraqueentrickstarcoat9110I am pretty sure the seller make up the price according to the customer. Of course should the customer be someone older and tough they won't dare to overcharge and risk an agreement. The unfortunate thing is that most of us will just keep quiet even though we know it is unfair.

[@balibuba]

kao peh lo the aunty, they purposely want to keep the pricing vague so that they can chop us, all solution doesn't work then don't open lah obviously those solution will affect their revenue that's why all the rubbish reasoning

[@damienlee927]

The biggest issue now is the stalls mixing meat into veg dishes, hence making it meat. And also mixing premium stuff into regular dishes, marking up the price, essentially eliminating cheap options. I think I speak for most to suggest that stall should not do that, and mark out very very clearly, what are the veg, the meat and the premium stuff

[@jbrkjferkjbekjb]

craziest i've heard is "meat sauce" with no meat in sight with the veggie lol

[@kelvinlammh]

You should go and try the cai fan at City Square Mall food court. My first time and last time eating cai fan there ever. $11.

[@hoyeahfunatic]

Govt shld enforce cai fan stalls to put price tags on the dishes.

[@travelingbearbie8099]

My feeling is that these shop owners are very greedy. They just want confusion for pricing, so they can charge more. The clearer the prices the less they can charge arbitrarily.

[@xtreame]

Cai fan is still cheaper than Nasi Pandang please. That one is nonsense pricing.

[@heytherejarvis]

Just an idea, they should have dishes presented on different colored plates, then price accordingly to the colors, just like sushi. Not priced because it’s meat or vege. It defeats the purpose when some dishes are more premium and some are not. Worst is, when somedays the dish is considered as premium some days it is not. Having a color system can ensure transparency and fairness ie ( veg mixed with minced meat but considered as a meat dish. )

[@bryanteo3045]

17:10 bro literally did not finish watching the video before commenting

[@heytherejarvis]

@@bryanteo3045 honest mistake! 😅

[@andyng5321]

Actually the solution is very simple, everytime after ordering one meat and one veg or one fish and one veg ask the seller total how much, if it is under your budget, simply add one more veg. If it reach your budget already then tell him enough. That's all.

[@UltraVioletMilk]

That doesn't solve anything and is still the same. They can change the dishes on the different colored plates as they like. Fish today on orange plate, tomorrow on green plate and charge you different costs.

[@andyng5321]

@@UltraVioletMilk it does solve, because regular customers would know

[@chinkarfai]

I think the coloured "tag" would be a great idea! It reminds me of how sushi restaurants gives clear visual differentiation of pricing through coloured plates with sushi on the conveyer belt. Hygiene wise, clips can be replace with different coloured trays or just a plastic name tag/flag thingy and that would solve the problem. Speed of ordering is mostly familiarity to the new presentation format, customers that don't care about pricing would still order as they normally do but for those who are more budget conscious it would be a great tool and it would help to remove miss communication/feeling of being cheated when it comes time to pay. Regarding waiting time, I would rather there already be a que so that I got more time to consider my order. Plus, considering the price of the dishes is a important consideration factor in choosing my cai fan combo, it might even help me shorten my time of consideration if the pricing is visually clear(with colour tags or trays indicating pricing). I think it's worth a try:)

[@holohulolo]

I think his reason of the customer taking more time to order, is valid, besides hes pricing everything at 3.60. It's generally better, but doesn't give option for people who's looking to save maybe a buck off the meal and only want vegetables. I can even understand the zoning solution, making the presentation less appealing, but saying it's a hygiene issue is just bs. The peg can be easily replaced with something else. They can use some colour coded utensil for the more expensive dishes, or the kind like this pork chop that can vary in price depending on the size so they dont have to colour code everything. It wouldn't slow down the queue much since most customer would want to order based on the different combinations with the fixed price like 2vege 1 meat, would know immediately that the ones not color coded are all at a fixed priced.

[@andytoh-toh6488]

Forgot to ,mention it's another great episode of good hosting by Steven and great content from CNA. The recent 2 part series on diabetes by Diana are very good too.

[@MomentArchives]

the most appropriate and transparent way is to display the pricelist like the example stall in the video. It may be looks complicated but it displayed the pricelist upfront and transparent in their pricing. Most economic rice stalls I go to, does not even display this pricelist.

[@lile5341]

In Indonesia the warteg (economic rice stall) you can tell the staff your budget for your meal before hand, then they will choose the dishes that will fit into your budget. That way no surprise cost

[@joeandcoffee]

I am Indonesian and I just find out that I can do that... Wow

[@fairyz]

As a customer.. i believe majority is already doing some sort of mental calculation before they Q or even while they are in the Q (or maybe its just me lol). For instance, i personally 'scan through' the dishes before i even join the Q so that i know which items to select/avoid - e.g. i would skip steamed egg with minced pork because it is considered 'meat', and though some pork cutlets/fish looks really appetizing, i would skip it totally because I am unsure of the price. So i feel that the coloured pegs idea might actually work and wouldn't hold the Q up much. It might in fact boost the sale of 'expensive' dishes as the pricing is now transparent, and i know how much i am committing myself to, rather than skipping it (coz paiseh to ask, or afraid to hold up the Q during lunch time) and also reduce 'price shocks'/disputes. How about colouring the ends of the ladle for each dish, if hygiene of pegs is of a concern? Just that the stallholders will have more items to wash at the end of the day.

[@ruthlim1285]

My house there caifan uses colour pegs. Not for all dishes for some cause they need to offer Value Meal. Those colour pegs are to mark the normal meat and veg that counts for value meal. I just think its excuses. They just didn’t want it to be transparent. Don’t get me wrong some caifan store like my office here one is relatively transparent, you buy long time you can guess the price and have a rough price list there. But not all.

[@jason614]

Just listen to the store owner, just plain excuses. Colour clip is a good idea. Can just use plastic or some plastic stands beside the trays.

[@wrenbowful]

Whole lot of excuses from the Cai Fan store owners 🙄

[@whatnameshouldichoose854]

Plus can't even speak english what a joke

[@MeaningfulMelancholy]

If I m a Cai Fan owner, I won’t accept separating rice. More plates to wash means more water usage. Employee will complain double work n demand higher pay.

[@maemorri]

In Japan they order by buying a ticket at a vending machine in quick service stores. That way the staff doesn't handle cash, and the ordering and costs are calculated up front. A big problem is the variation between fish sizes. If they're going to charge more for a big fish or a little fish it's hard for the customer to preorder "fish", someone is going to get the wrong amount. Still better than the "All fixed cost" method.

[@titusphilip1310441]

nowadays people too depending on hawker center food. the problem is you will never know what chemicals they add to preserve the food because food getting expensive. in singapore more and more people getting kidney disease and cancer because of too much chemical in food. please learn how to cook for your health sake.

[@gd6hac]

About a month ago, I bought a packet of economic rice from Chang Cheng store at Redhill Road. I bought white rice, sweet & sour pork, cabbage and braised tau-kee, costed me $4.10. I noticed the signboard shows $3.70 for 1 meat and 2 veg. I wondered why I was charged $4.10 when I purchased 1 meat and 2 veg. So, I asked the mid-age lady who served me if the braised tau-kee was considered as meat and she said yes to me! This is ridiculous. I sent an email to Chang Cheng to request for clarification but received no reply. I believe NEA should step in & set some guidelines for those economic rice stores to ensure their pricing is transparent to consumers.

[@wenlong82]

@gd6hac NEA mainly look at things like stall rental etc as the main scope. Food prices wise not mandated by NEA iirc. And please don't quote CASE --> zero effect even though they are the main folks looking out for any price collusion etc.

[@aaronchia3952]

Another tip, when the cai fan person asks, "Hai you? (Anymore?)" while gripping your selected food at that point of time, wait till they are done instead of telling them what you would like next. Otherwise, they'll likely skip gripping more and move on to your next selection 😂

[@lingth]

its call "up selling" they try to prompt you to pick another item or sell you something more..like "this is really fresh today" (for fish for example) or "this one is very hao chi".. i usually scan the dishes, decide on 2 items than join the queue, instead of being "pressured to decide" when its your turn..

[@teeteetuu94]

This psych hack works if you have thicker skin for busy periods, because they'll pressure you into ordering quicker or incur some wrath either from the attendant or the other patrons in line. Hold firm and it works most of the time. Never succumb to fear of judgement.

[@teeteetuu94]

@@lingth Haha they tell me which ones nice, I can tell them which ones I personally find nice because I patronise often enough to know. They don't have to try to upsell me.

[@shervintan]

I always said hai you ni. 😂

[@andyng5321]

Actually the solution is very simple, everytime after ordering one meat and one veg or one fish and one veg ask the seller total how much, if it is under your budget, simply add one more veg. If it reach your budget already then tell him enough. That's all.

[@sgjohnlim]

Not just Cai Fun. Nasi Campur also. Price can be scary.

[@wenlong82]

so too is nasi padang

[@ILovePlayingZeldaGamesOnSwitch]

​@@wenlong82nasi padang easily $5 and above.

[@PaganMin-1966]

Briyani also expensive, some stalls even can sell $10 for chicken briyani

[@cnachopchopnewsagency]

Nasi Campur or Nasi Padang, i always ready for their prices because they never position themselves as "economic rice" but Cai Fan these days really take me by surprise because we all know that when we visit this kind of stores is to have that "economic price" but turn out at times become shopping mall food court price or even expensive than that.

[@쏭쏭-o2l]

9:13 I'm really surprised at Steven's enthusiasm bec he passed full course of academy just for this video wowwww and He is so cute hahaha Thank you for making great video everytime :) +11:53 the cutest moment of Steven haha

[@MusicHavenSG]

1. Lower and Hard Cap Rental of stalls especially for HDB coffeeshops and hawkers 2. Which allows the hawkers / markets to earn more. 3. Then can lower cost of ingredients. 4. Then lower cost of food.

[@lingth]

the problem is as Singaporeans we have a perceived set price range for certain foods, for a Plate of Pasta with garlic and Olive Oil, ppl can pay $10 or $12 but a plate of Mee Rebus for $5 is crazy to ppl. a cup of Kopi for $2 is crazy but latte for $6 is okay..

[@clementihammock7572]

Even a minister put under corruption investigation worth 24.5K per month. 🤣😂

[@starman1994]

Right on the money with that analogy. Bubble tea S$4 to S$6 is cheap, cai fan S$4 to S$6 is expensive...sometimes you need to knock some sense into their dense heads.

[@lingth]

@@starman1994 the idea is Singaporeans we perceived FOREIGN foods to be more ATAS, like a stall selling KOREAN RAMEN for $6 is ok.. but Bak Chor Mee for $5 is expensive. but the fact is if you Analyse it, the Korean RAMEN is frankly JUST INSTANT noodles with added some chicken/beef meat and some garnishes, so if you think of the meat to be $2, and the instant noodle is just $1.50? while the Bak Chor Mee or Wantan mee, took more Effort to Make, since the wan tan for example will take time to wrap the dumplings and the bak chor mee takes time to make the braised mushroom, and the minced meat and meat balls etc but because Korean or Japanese foods is deemd to be more "high class" than Singapore foods, we ALLOW ourselves to be charged $6 or 7 and still think its Fair, while we are used to $3. or $3.50 BCM so now ppl charge $5 its too much??

[@munster1404]

But they are not having the pasta or latte everyday. One is considered gourmet food, the other is a staple.

[@starman1994]

@@munster1404 you sure? With the bubble tea shops opening like mushrooms while many cai fan stalls are closing down in my neigbourhood because of rising rent and raw material prices?

[@shuchanwong5054]

Rental increase, Utilities increase, GST hike, Greedflation down the value chain. In the end, working and lower class consumers suffer the most and are defenseless against these unscrupulous businesses.

[@daniellim4120]

The research straight up say rental being the main consideration. Thumbs up for Steve moving into an economics perspective on the sweet spot of pricing

[@UltraVioletMilk]

Always leemember : everything that happens in SG, be it the sudden disappearance of forests, the increase in the number of foreigners, higher and higher costs of living, stressful pace of living, low birth rates etc, can all be attributed to one mastermind behind it all : The House Of Lee.

[@bruneilange4161]

Please understand the Rental, purchase of raw ingredients workers salary especially in Singapore everything is expensive.

[@user-pt2pc5uf1g]

If garmen dun whack kopitiams RENTAL or increase water n electricity tariffs….stall owners won’t resort to increasing their prices. Like the highly paid ministars, hawkers r not doing charity nor r they as greedy as our civil servants

[@nicholasbolas]

The last experiment don't work, simply because you put a camera in their faces. Both portions are big IMO. In reality it's not like this.

[@MeaningfulMelancholy]

I always ask how much is each dish b4 I accept. If they bang their tongs & hurl vulgar language at me (which is common for me), I just walk away.

[@andyng5321]

Got one fked seller asked me if I wanted a gf, I should have walked away too, I didn't thought of that at that time, they cannot do anything to use even if the plate of rice already has dishes on it right?

[@JS-ev4xc]

Buying Cai Fan is like stepping into a landmine. I usually ask specifically to include only dishes that satisfy the set meal price criteria and not to add the premium dish. But i think most people feel it is humuliated to ask at all, that is when the problem arises.

[@lingth]

actually i admit i didnt know there is "premium" vegetables like Broocoli and califlower and they are being charged more..i do know if the vegetable has "meat" like minced meat on it, or prawns or even beancurd, it is priced higher.. some stalls even 'consider beancurd" as meat ..since its protein. so its usually safer to stick to vegetables that is more common or cheaper like cai xin, kailan, or even beansprouts. "special dishes" like Gong Bao Chicken, Gu Lou Rou, pork chop..etc. are like premium land mines same as mutton or beef or prawn.. its to be avoided unless you want to spend $6 or more..

[@poopeeeeks]

It is quite understood. Some dishes will be more expensive. But overall, it's still affordable if one sticks to one meat / fish and 2 veg. Try this with Nasi Padang. Easily $10 a plate.

[@lingth]

@@poopeeeeks the thing with Muslim cai fan is that they tend to give excuses that BECAUSE its halal hence its more expensive.. its like a HALAL slaughtered chicken costs more than a regular chicken, i guess the halal logo needs to pay a fee to get certified. but what about vegetables at a Nasi Padang stall does it mean its more costly than vegetables at a Chinese cai fan stall, if you pick chicken and veg and 1 egg at both a Chinese cai fan stall and a Malay Nasi Padang stall, generally speaking you pay more at a Malay stall, and its like understood that BECAUSE its a Malay stall its more expensive.. even when the ingredients, is the same.

[@JS-ev4xc]

@@lingth Mushrooms are considered as meat too. But scientifically not wrong as they are not plants. 😀

[@lingth]

@@JS-ev4xc i feel that putting pricing on the dishes is the right move to make or color coding them is another example. i think all the excuses the operators Give like.. OH it will hold up the queue, or pegs are not hygenie.. then WASH IT ..just as you use the SAME tongs to grab items from 1 to the other its also not hygenie.. each dish should have its OWN dedicated serving ladle or tong.. in the past when Newton Circus have issues with randomly over charging tourists for seafood like crab for example..the govt stepped in to force all of them must display their pricing clearly before the tourist order, like Crab 100g how much or 1Kg how much. same for Cai Fan, there should be a rule that you need to indicate clearly how much is each item, if it slows down the queue, so be it.

[@humbaobao6206]

Renee from WANG knows that her stalls are price gouging. Why would she take recommendations to normalize price?

[@JS-ev4xc]

Frankly speaking, just offer less but standardised price dishes instead of providing 40 dishes

[@darylgoh3016]

Should try check up on mala stores as well. Was charged $57 for 1 person just yesterday.

[@wenlong82]

those MLXG is equally nonsense with their pricing, just don't understand what's the hype or obsession with eating that MLXG / spicy version YTF

[@raichisan161]

Where ? In mall? That's F expensive. Did u take lots of meat ?

[@darylgoh3016]

@@raichisan161 just 2 meat (pork belly & pig skin) with 8 other vegetables and soy products. Been ordering the exact same thing but never paid more than $35 till yesterday. That will be the last time I will ever go back to the same store at Koufu again

[@raichisan161]

@@darylgoh3016 which koufu? I'm avoiding

[@octovanfoo968]

In my opinion I suspect some may use it for money laundering / daylight scam but no one enforce because the amount is too little haiz..... They simply anyhow charge..... They weigh also like never weight like just for show.

[@kitrivers979]

The easiest way to do pricing is to have add on prices. Meat will be .50c more, seafood $1 more. If rice and 2 dishes cost $3 and one of them is with meat. Then its $3 +$0.50c =$3.50 With 2 meats it comes to $3+0.50+0.50=$4. This way it is very very simple to calculate. I do this at my own shop.

[@nonye0]

i want to open a shop like u how to find supplier?

[@nicholasbolas]

NGL some of these Cai Fan sellers are behaving like Auntie Fatimah selling Nasi Pandang. They see certain profiles they exploit. It's ridiculous some of quote prices by "face", or sometimes like Auntie Fatimah quote by race. Really horrible, shady attitude. Had a friend who experimented ordering same dishes as his co-worker (who was ahead of the queue), yet was quoted higher. I'm sure there are many who have experienced this sad reality.

[@MohdQil]

Bro if that happens to me i would go back to the stall and ask them why our prices different.

[@lingth]

so the sellers DUN WANT you to stop to calculate your prices because it will HOLD up the queue, so they WANT YOU to BE BLUR and NOT KNOW the prices, and LET them tell you the Prices. i feel such stalls is not fair to consumers.. what BS saying oh if you know the individual prices you will hold up the queue..

[@pingyi919]

What is price of last cai fun at end of video ? Are both are the same price ? I remember separated rice with dishes normally cost higher.

[@iambertbrain]

Another amazing episode! Really enjoyed the hacks shared, will try them the next round I have it again. Thanks for featuring too. 😁

[@ragegemini]

Honestly I think most people don’t really care about exact pricing la, as long as the stall owners aren’t too greedy and charge exorbitant prices. Best way to avoid conflict is to avoid seafood and fish dishes in general.

[@kokkikok1]

if the clip gets dirty from the gravy then just wash it properly? if you are attracting pest the fault would be on how you keep your stall clean, not because of a clip. Clip cannot dip into different sauces because of hygiene issue but the staffs use same tongs and ladles for different dishes

[@andyng5321]

Yup it is bullshit

[@gdgmb]

I agree that price of meat should be higher than just veg ones. The hack in the end - was the price point the same for both of you? If yes, I felt it didn’t really work except maybe separate rice means more rice; the dishes served weren’t more than the ones mixed with rice

[@sleepyearth]

The point is some economic rice stall tried to pass gluten food as meat too.

[@jingwuan]

The most scam thing is vege cooked with some meat is considered meat price

[@teokahyok9827]

It's not true that older housing estates coffeeshops have cheaper meals! In fact these days the coffeeshops in older estates are serving more expensive cai fan as their coffeeshops have changed hands with higher take over of proprietors example MeeWah Chang Cheng at YISHUN 40 million cs

[@trinatanIYN]

Along the lines of sushi shop pricing, place a coloured small plate on one side of the tray.

[@robintan6489]

I worked in Singapore about 11 years ago... Back then, Cai Fan, 2 meat and 1 veggie, cost about $3... I was so surprised at how cheap it was, given that Singapore was famous for its high cost of living... But now... 😰😥😩

[@desmondw4813]

$4.3 neighbourhood, $6 at shopping malls

[@aquakey9834]

the lowest paying jobs in sg today pays more than $10/hr , what abt 11 yrs ago?

[@Maris_S28]

@@aquakey9834are you very sure it’s 10 bucks per hour ? I think it may be less - we need official figures.

[@andyng5321]

Actually the solution is very simple, everytime after ordering one meat and one veg or one fish and one veg ask the seller total how much, if it is under your budget, simply add one more veg. If it reach your budget already then tell him enough. That's all.

[@aquakey9834]

name any job that pays less than $10/hr, cleaners make very low pay but divide by total work hrs still more than $10/hr@@Maris_S28

[@ChirpyChat]

I'd rather buy from a fixed price stall even if it costs more (>$3.50) than go for cheap (

[@chrishye]

Nice coverage, addressing something that is really irritating. the last hack is nice!!! Thanks for helping us to understand from different points of view, including from the seller's point of view.

[@jbrkjferkjbekjb]

lol that guy was giving bs 'hacks'

[@danplays1403]

Just excuses by the two cai fan stall owners. How about using colored trays then like sushi shops? And of freaking course consumers want to calculate the price before ordering. Cost of living crisis is real and we go to cai fan stall to save, not to be ripped off our pants by hidden calculations. Anyway yet another impressive episode when Steven goes on the ground

[@bruneilange4161]

I've stop from eating from economic food.Malay stalls are now too expensive.I rather buy a packet of noodles from NTUC for less then $3 cook at home.

[@Missdemure1]

Hi Steve, can u do an episode on whether introducing babies allergens the earlier the better? There’s so many answers but we dunno how true it is!

[@samwong5045]

If they don’t list or group the pricing for all the items , I am still going to boycott all the way. Had enough with their nonsense with all those hidden pricing of “special” veggies meat and also by charging higher with just adding a little bit of mince pork or mini shrimp into veg dish. 🤬

[@gosikh]

The ? Is How much profit should the shop owner make? I have seen many come super early to cook and they hardly make much money for a full days work.

[@munster1404]

The $1 price tag for rice only is really BS. Because they use the same receptacle to transfer the rice to the container. The quantity doesn't change. Some places are obviously price gouging. Eventually they will get exposed on social media or people start patronizing less and the store will shut down. Also I'm really impressed by the business model of fixed prices. The boss of that store can really teach the others a thing or two.

[@jsurfin1]

There are some who want the rice to be separate from the meat and veggies so that will be two styrofoam containers instead of one. Maybe the $1 is to account for the extra container (40cts).

[@hikkomorisg]

$1 is ala carte pricing

[@Strawation]

It's to discourage people from buying just rice from the stall. It's only BS if you forget to take into account customer behaviour. By charging extra, you avoid customers who will waste your time and potential profit by just buying a plate of rice from your stall and the rest of their meal from the other stalls.

[@munster1404]

@@Strawation The stall assistant said the $1 price gives more rice which is blatantly false. A sale is still a sale. No one is wasting the time of the other. The boss who depends on revolving sales to generate profit has his head on right. More stores can learn from him.

[@Strawation]

@@munster1404 lol "a sale is a sale" is a concept that doesn't work when you're looking at 0.40 extra profit vs around $3. Every cent counts, and during peak hours when most people buy food from stalls, every minute counts.

[@HotRod16]

In Malaysia, I coin this. They used to be economy rice here but lately they now more commonly called mixed rice. Because, after picking all you favourite dish, you will get mixed feeling after paying it. Enjoying your nice meal but thinking how expensive it can be (at times). To be fair, know to limit portion and select 2 type dish will make it cheaper.

[@fantana9481]

only thailand and hk got set pricetag, not fooled their customer.

[@babibrain]

In Malaysia, the calculation is based on feel and relationship with the customer. It is always possible to ask for discount if you feel the price is not justified.

[@liquidswordfish]

Back in 2004 as a student i used to live in near marine parade and used to go caifan below hdb building, best food. My favourite was claypot rice from buggis station 😢😢 i missed singapore.

[@Unteroffizier]

From 17:20, is a good solution to zone and group the dishes according to price. But you see the respond from the cai fan owners you will know they want to reject all suggestions so that they can keep the dishes price transparency ambiguous. I am sure the cai fan owners know of this price confusion problem all along but they make no efforts to have solutions in place so they can 'carrot' one time people who don't frequent their stalls price high high. Singapore hawker culture is going UNESCO, it is time some standards be in place to raise the image and standards of such service industries here in Singapore. And price listing ambiguity is a must thing to work on.

[@noproblematallmate]

Learn to be a wise customer also. If you only willing to pay $4, tell your budget to the stallholder. When ordering expensove things like fish or big pieces of meat, ask for the price before you say you want it. Don't order already then whine about it because you can't be a responsible and wise customer. Limpei eat cai fan always so cheap. Don't know what you all doing.

[@knock-knockwhosthere9933]

Steady 😤👍

[@T92-c7n]

The lady owner everything also got excuse, seems unethical leh

[@abujamunafik7941]

glad to know is not just me who think she like that. quite close minded

[@octovanfoo968]

I think they are resisting and against the change because it affects the profits. End of the day all about money

[@lingth]

sweet and sour pork can be "hacked" they can cook it with more pineapples and tomatos and when you ask for 1 serving you get 2 pc of meat and 1 pineapple 1 tomato in 1 scoop while another person may get 3 pcs of pork and 1 pineapple in his scoop.. so when the stall wants to "control" pricing, they add more pineapples and tomatos than meat and so you get a scoop with 40% meat instead of 60% meat, instead.. same with mixed dishes like bean sprouts with bean curd, when times is bad...you see 20% beancurd and 80% beansprouts, compared to a 40/60 ratio and still get charged the same price or more. Some stalls get Annoyed when you ask to separate the Rice because having 2 plates, 1 with rice and 1 with dishes means they use up 2 plates per customer instead of 1. so 100 customers will use 200 plates if everyone used hack..compared to 100 plates and they run out of plates FASTER during peak lunch time.

[@andyng5321]

you mean beansprouts fry with beancurd? got such dish meh?

[@lingth]

@@andyng5321 豆芽炒豆干。yes some cai fan stalls have it ..

[@andyng5321]

@@lingth oh I remember already

[@andyng5321]

I never realised that they changed the ratio before

[@lingth]

@@andyng5321 a lot of things are changed I noticed and many ppl dun take notice . Like a lot of drinks tha used to be 500ml ..if u take a look it now says 475ml.. or some instant noodles packs that used to be 120grams is now 107grams.. Shrinkflation is the term.. some stuff are getting packed less . And even cai fan stalls they sometimes change to a smaller spoon ladle..

[@dennisleong7866]

All these price increases are always due to the foodcourt like Koufu which having a high rise of rental price in their stall operation , so problem all came from the foodcourt owners!

[@ShhhHhhhz]

exactly, and these talking point goons walk around mature estates looking for "expensive" chai fan..

[@lesliechiang1710]

Why didn't those goons go to those reported expensive places to film?

[@ainouta123]

Without watching the video, my guess is a combination of inflation + increase cost in rental and labour, especially when now cai fan store usually are owned by an organisation Group which hires people/chefs from China/Malaysia/Vietnam to serve you. Imagine 2 chefs, 2 server, and 1 cashier. That's 5 head counts. All these ADDS into your cai fan cost.

[@hermesz_]

5:55...."dwellers of the HDB blocks" Excuse me Miss high SES Also, wished you had compared this to the Malay Nasi Padang

[@pyt6631]

How did Daiso operate with a single price point pre-threepy days? Some items earn less while some items gave higher profit margin but net net the profits should work out. Just have a handful of fixed price levels (eg veg, meat, premium meat) ... The profits within each price level should work out within themselves

[@jonyongkkkl5119]

Since time equals money, and eating economy rice means you don't have to waste time cooking, that means the actual meaning of economy rice is 'meal that save time, which also save money'.

[@Johnne009]

When all the older generation hawkers pass on can we ever get 3$ bar cho mee anymore. A lot has to change in terms of wages

[@andytanex]

The only way to have a simple price chart is to scale down the variety of food options, but doing so also means there are less options to choose from.

[@wenlong82]

@andytanex if scaling down food options, then not really Cai Fan stall impression-wise.

[@andytanex]

@wenlong82 eg dun selling broccoli as an option if the price differs from the usual veg price. Same as pork cutlet, chicken thigh etc, can be replaced with different variety of chopped/slice pork/chicken of different cooking style.

[@teeteetuu94]

@@andytanex Instead of cutting them out completely, why not just put these "special items" in a separate region from the rest of the normal dishes? Doesn't matter the price range here as customers would know these items cost more than the usual fare. That should be sufficient.

[@87togabito]

Precisely. Ppl want it cheap, but they also want their pricy vegetables. You can’t have both your cake and eat it.

[@andytoh-toh6488]

just label each dish clearly. Human error is bound to happen time and again as they need to calculate fast. I find the lady's reason of unhygenic a bit lame. If you can wash the tray, you can also wash the metal clip that holds the price tag.

[@Darth-TBAG]

TLDW: support the guy, boycott the lady boss and her stalls

[@conradchung1842]

The price per meal at Downtown/Orchard is easily priced from SGD9-11.

[@kkcc553]

The red shirt owner only know how to reject ideas. Please lar, you want to do so much price accuracy might as well weigh the meat ya. Tbh, should put her to the test at her own store..ask her to calculate prices of 3 chosen dishes repeatedly as experiment and see if she can get it correct and explain her way out..if she can't, it's clear there is no clear pricing.

[@JLIM8]

And the red lady owner is malaysian. Really want to milk Singaporean.

[@ILovePlayingZeldaGamesOnSwitch]

Here in jurong east 1 meat 1 veg $3.10, another shop 1 meat, 2 veg $3.50. as long as it's not more that $5, still ok with me

[@weilingtanweiling]

I am getting 3 dishes which includes eggs or tofu for protein, and 2 veggies at coffee shop for $3.70. Depends where you buy and what you choose.

[@lingth]

in the end , if you are a regular at the stall, i find i tend to go for FOOD items that are PER PIECE and not PER SCOOP or Grabbed with Tongs, so you can count and clearly see what you get. Let me quote an example, 1 Lor Egg, or Braised Egg ..can be counted.. you can see its 1 FULL egg (yes the size of egg used can vary), same for a Fried Sunny Side UP egg but when you order a EGG Omelette, or STEAM egg, they will give up a SCOOP of the steam egg or omelette and you dun know if that scoop is EQUAL to a Full Egg or maybe just 60% of an egg.. since Steamed Egg you add WATER to it, and some stalls DILUTE it by adding more water and the whole tray may use 8 eggs but they can scoop it 12 times.. and still charge you the same price as a Lor Egg. same for "meat" items. things like 1 fried chicken wing.. is per piece, while 1 scoop of sweet and sour pork.. you can get more cucumbers and tomato in that scoop than meat itself. but still pay for the same price as a chicken wing. Another "HACK" is having 1 Meat and 1 Veg only but asking them to Pour Gravy like Curry on the rice, since the gravy isnt charged and it adds flavor to the rice and you can make do with 1 meat and 1 veg for the rice and pay cheaper.. sometimes i just ask for 1 chicken drumstick from the Curry Chicken and pour more gravy.. you end up with 1 Chicken Drumstick and curry gravy rice.. which is like "chicken rice" in a way.. and you pay 1 Meat and Rice.. so its usually like under $3..or $2.50 in some places.. at times you may get a piece of curry potato with the chicken..

[@munster1404]

There was one cai fan store in Bishan that charge for curry gravy. But it's closed now.

[@lingth]

​@@munster1404well I am sure we all know why..😅

[@Maris_S28]

I go more for proper well-rounded nutrition. Food costs is hefty for me but comparatively cheaper than the costs of malnutrition.

[@anho4413]

in fact, when i eat cai fan, often search for boiled food cuz you can se how fresh they are, with the stir fried dish, stew dish,... u can't know if they stir fried or stew yesterday boiled dish for today menu or not!

[@Peachmanlove]

Singapore is super blessed - its people can speak Malay, Cantonese, Mandarin and English 😊

[@Maris_S28]

Not forgetting also other provincial dialects of China, etc 👍

[@ShadowRap-y5l]

Erm that’s only a small number of people who can speak all these languages

[@kentang1528]

I order 2 vegetables and rice at my economy rice in yishun. Cost me 2 dollars, but the vendor gave me huge portions...shoik . I avoid adding meat or fish as it will be so much more expensive. So I have no choice but to tighten my wallet more than ever before.

[@trackmaster2000]

Singapore has unfortunately become one of the most expensive cities to live in....from food to even cost of living for groceries

[@5kplamse]

cannot blame the stalls cos the govt is making it harder for businesses to survive. business owners are also consumers, they themselves also got bills to pay. so end of day they are merely looking out for themselves, if theres anyone to blame then it is the PAP who likes to take credit but play taiji when things cock up.

[@lingth]

in the Kopitam at CGH cafeteria, some of the more expensive items have special pricing then they will Put a Price tag on the dish like $2.50 or $3 to "warn" you that item is higher cost.. but its really expensive., imagine plain rice $1, then you add a popcorn chicken for $2.50 and 1 egg for $1.. and thats already $4.50 and when you add a veg, it can hit $6.

[@axianskin]

From my own observation, I have heard many youngsters complaining about price of cai fun but they didn’t bat an eyelid to pay $5-$6 for a cup of bubble tea or hipster coffee.

[@dinomite3794]

because they’re willing paying $5-$6 while if you’re suddenly charged an unexpected price at a mixed rice stall, it would come as a surprise

[@karnudom]

Same old bashing the "youngsters" by the boomers. How about they put on the price tags so that expectation is set right off the bat? But then cannot gouge price like that eh?

[@ILovePlayingZeldaGamesOnSwitch]

Coz they r prepared to pay. Cai fan has surprise element lol one time i bough 2 veg,1 fish it costed $7++ didn't want to argue but from then on I don't buy fish anymore

[@axianskin]

My point is, people are quick to complain over $5-6 meal which is essential to fuel your body to work for the day but never hesitate to pay similarly amount for a cup of sugary water which is bad for your health. . Just think the amount of effort to prepare so many dishes which resembles home-cooked meal compared to preparing bubble tea. Come the day when nobody wants to do this business, workers are forced to cooked their own food and pack it to office like other developed nations.

[@axianskin]

Wow, I’m a boomer ? Somebody obviously doesn’t know the term and just use it loosely.

[@perryplat-jm8qe]

you didnt even film a comparison of the plates at the end...how we see?

[@jytan740]

rental affects the food price, cbd areas sell twice the price

[@adrianC_]

Food authority should implement all food must have price tag to discourage profiteering.

[@Troublesomenights]

Where got expensive, still reasonable lah..malay rice more expensive sia..

[@mongulkhanaxe6639]

Now in the USA such a meal or a bowl of noodle usually costs around $18-20 USD

[@raymondlee8160]

Normally ntwu canteen and a lot of old people stay areas are considered the cheapest. Midrange food prices normally nearby a lot of condominiums.

[@tkyap2524]

Make price display mandatory. Let the consumers choose what they want to pay. In some places still economically priced. Cai fan is a mainstay of our diet. The government should act seriously on the pricing.

[@RodriguesHD23]

At 10:40 that cai png stall, that son a bastard wayang. He charges people by his mood, compared with me & my friend buy same exact item. Was charged $5 while my friend was charge $3.9…ccb, got into an argument with that bastard swine also when tried to rip off my wife.

[@BelajarEksporImpor]

ayyo, if cannot confuse the customer, how to maximize profit leh? that's basically the actual reason why the pricing is so complicated. the seller simply just want more money.

[@thewisewant]

Regulation should step in to enforce the transparency of costs

[@VampireSylphy]

Just put a price tag in front of every dish so we know exactly what we are paying for and don't be afraid to reject the dish straight to their face if you think the price is unfair.

[@Ramy-ql3tr]

It will be higher comes 2024, with GST at 9%.