Monday, August 31, 2009

High prices in Singapore

Dear Mr TAN
The prices of electrical and electronic engineering products and falling by the day reflecting the advent of sciences and technology, increasing scale of economy, reducing labour cost from cheap foreign labour, falling cost of capital, intensive competition and the substitution of labour with automation.

But the prices of financial services are rising significantly by the day, despite the advent of information technology, ATM humanless banking, increasing scale of economy, reducing labour cost from cheap foreign labour, falling cost of capital, intensive competition and e-documentation.

Is it NOT cheaper NOW to issue and process a bank draft or money order?
Is it NOT cheaper NOW to issue and maintain an insurance policy?

Also, there is a significant management failure in the efficacy, efficiency, economy of distribution cost in Singapore.

Examples: The exact same box of Nestle ice cream is sold in JB supermart at RM5.05 but it is sold in Singapore supermart at S$5.05. The exact same bottle of Narcissus rice wine is sold in Shenzhen China at RMB5.00 but it is sold in Singapore supermart at S$5.00.

Same Air, Train and Bus return trip tickets are sold in Malaysia at RM but in Singapore at S$.

Why are hawker stores NOT restricted to owner operators and instead, there is an intermediary sub-store landlord to increase the cost of operations. Please advise WHAT and WHERE distribution management had gone WRONG.

Thanks & regards
T E O