A TikToker was taken aback after spotting a piece of Chinese New Year (CNY) decor priced at $58.80 at a festive stall in Yishun.
The 27-year-old content creator, Cherrell, was browsing the stall with her mother on Jan 18 when the piece of CNY decor caught her attention.
Wondering who would be willing to fork out such a sum, she asked: "Am I just out of touch with society?"
Captioned, "$58 CNY deco in Yishun has me in disbelief", her TikTok post has since garnered more than 15,000 views, 170 reactions, and 14 comments.
"Why the helly is Chinese New Year decor more expensive than an Apple AirTag," Cherrell asked in her video.
The pair also noticed a group of men assembling CNY decor near the stall.
In the video, Cherrell's mother noted that CNY decorations purchased from online platforms such as Taobao often require buyers to assemble them themselves, similar to the men were doing. She suggested that this could account for the higher prices of the items sold at the stall.
Speaking to Stomp, Cherrell said they did not buy any items from the stall.
She shared that Chinese New Year decorations she typically encounters are priced at around $10, with some dropping to as low as $2 closer to the festive period.
Netizens agree that decor was overpriced
While most netizens agreed that the $58.80 decoration was overpriced, a few suggested that rising stall rental costs could account for the higher price.
Some recommended that Cherrell purchase decorations online or at other stores selling household and lifestyle goods.
Another speculated that the price may have been a misprint, suggesting it should have been "$5.80" instead.
"That's why everyone buys online now," one user quipped.
The move is part of the latest anti-scam measures put in place to protect the public against scams. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE - From Feb 28, telco customers will be able to register up to only 10 postpaid SIM cards in Singapore, as part of efforts to step up the fight against scams.
The move is the latest salvo in the series of anti-scam measures to protect people against scams, said the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and police in a joint statement on Jan 23.
IMDA and the telcos have been working together to tighten SIM card registration to prevent illicit use, it added.
The statement said: “This aims to minimise the illicit purchase and use of SIM cards, while catering to the needs of legitimate users, such as those who require a higher number of SIM cards for family members or for business purposes.”
In April 2015, the maximum number of prepaid SIM cards customers could register was cut from 10 across all the telcos to three.
Before April 2024, customers were allowed to register an unlimited number of postpaid SIM cards. In April 2024, this was tightened to a maximum of 10 postpaid SIM cards for each telco.
Despite these measures, the authorities found that there was still an increasing trend of SIM mules buying postpaid SIM cards in bulk across different retailers.
After buying the SIM cards, the mules would hand them over to criminal syndicates or scammers, who will then use them for illicit gains.
To minimise the impact on legitimate use of postpaid SIM cards, the new rules will kick in for new subscriptions from Feb 28.
Legitimate subscribers who have already subscribed to more than 10 postpaid SIM cards before Feb 28 will not be affected and will not be required to give up any of their SIM cards. They, however, cannot sign up for more SIM cards.
SIM cards subscribed under company or corporate subscription plans and data-only SIM cards that cannot send SMS and make calls will also not be affected.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT2QvKgDzQs
According to HK01, his family believes his death was linked to overwork and has applied for compensation, while his wife alleged the company mishandled his belongings and dismissed her concerns.
Investigations are ongoing into the situation and the overwork claims.