At a recent press conference, Minister Karl Samuda highlighted findings by the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) regarding the price ranges of various basic food items. On more than one occasion, the Minister used the term "worst" to describe what is the highest price and in my mind has inadvertently sought to prejudice the purchasing decisions of consumers.
While price is indeed an important factor in making a purchasing decision, it is by no means the only one. Others such as cleanliness, convenience, accessibility, range, customer service and an overall shopping experience are all important as well. Each customer will therefore take all these factors, including price, in mind and then make a decision as to which is the best price. If the Consumer Affairs Commission claims to act on behalf of the consumer, then I believe the CAC ought to provide more than simply pricing information. The Minister is therefore way off track in using the term "worst price" to describe the "highest price" and in this instance I agree with Super Plus boss, Wayne Chen that the Minister had no right in adding editorial comments to what was essentially a very limited survey.
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You are so right. My supermarket decisions are based less on price (even though I really do love to save money) and more on convenience and experience. Since time is at a premium for me, and grocery shopping is not top of my list of things I like to do, I always endeavour to make my choice of location as pleasant as possible. Hence "best supermarket" for me is somewhere like Loshusan, where I can wander about in wide aisles, meet people I haven't seen in a long while, have a wide selection and have the bagboys fawn all over me! That's the beauty of the market at work!
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