Endoh’s Dungeon

Just a week ago, we were having a short conversation in Plurk which arose from Wishbone’s confession of her hatred for instant prata usually found in supermarkets. It sprang up the suggestions of other brands to try. That led me to wonder if Singaporeans are more attracted to cheaper or pricier food.

You’d see, at a time when Singaporeans are finding life harsher, every cent counts. Even a one-cent discount compared to another brand can send the sales volume spiralling up. That’s for the thrifty households, and mine is one of these. Occasionally, I scout around for cheaper items since a brighter brand or higher price need not necessarily reflect the quality of the product. Don’t be surprised with the accumulative savings you enjoy at the end of each month.

But does lower pricings really work? Not all the time. Thinking back, I don’t really enjoy NTUC products very much. I am not sure if NTUC has her own manufacturing plant, so when I said NTUC products, I meant those that are labelled with NTUC logo solely. They are cheaper of course, and reasonably more affordable in the long run. However, most of my experiences with NTUC products are nothing more than one-hit experiences.

Take for example, the Potong ice cream I bought at a cheaper price compared to other brands. I have tried quite a few, and wondered what’s the difference with NTUC’s. Perhaps, the larger market share enabled her to sell products at a much lower price. Well, little guessing needed. It was disappointing. It just didn’t make the cut, tasting like water mixed with syrups before freezing them into ice cubes. Complete with a stick of course.

At another time, I decided to pick up a pack of noodles which was slightly about SGD$0.30 lower than the next closest priced brand. Fried noodles was my intention, but I ended up with fried minced noodles instead. Failing me once more, the noodles broke up into bit and pieces. I had better experiences with other brands in which the noodles stay intact, “sucking” the long threads of noodles was a pleasure.

I observed that NTUC’s bread tend to stiffen up faster than the usual brands like Gardenia or Sunshine. I am not sure if it’s the preservatives at work that ensure the softness of the bread we eat. Stiff breads are like expired breads to me.

Is it worth it to sacrifice my dining pleasure just to save a few cents here and there? Surely and without any doubts, I am better off without the savings. For one, I dread the idea of paying for something and has to live through the suffering thereafter. In fact, i see it as a waste of money if I were to make a purchase but end up not enjoying the experience. It’s more wasteful than the savings of a few cents in my opinion.

Maybe the idea of being thrifty has been drilled into us for too long. Such to the point, some peers around me thought that the only way out is to live through the ordeal of lousy products that come at a discount. Very appealing, I know. Yet, do discounts automatically mean we should subject ourselves to lower quality products? If you say yes, I beg to differ. To me, it’s a matter of “value for money” and that term does not guarantee inferior products in any manner.

These days, I often tell my mum to leave the NTUC products alone. As long as she sees a NTUC logo on a certain product, she knows it’s a no-go with me at least. With SGD$0.10 to SGD$0.50 more, she gets to see a smile on the faces of the family. How cool is that?

Priceless.