Lai Liao: NTUC FairPrice Now Imposes Purchase Limit on Rice, Instant Noodles, Vegetables & Paper Products

“FairPrice is monitoring the situation closely and will implement additional protocols where necessary.”

Remember this sentence from NTUC FairPrice’s media advisory on the day that the Kiasu virus hit Singapore?

Well, the additional protocols are indeed necessary, because this morning, purchase limits have been imposed.

Take that, hoarders.

NTUC FairPrice Now Imposes Purchase Limit on Rice, Instant Noodles, Vegetables & Paper Products

Yesterday, we reported that an outlet has imposed a $50 limit on vegetables, and did not disclose the outlet so that it’ll deter hoarders from starting a minimart through an omission of information.

It’s now not necessary since the purchase limit is now confirmed to be imposed in all outlets, so here’s the outlet I was in yesterday: It’s the FairPrice Finest in Woodgrove.

This morning, this notice was placed in outlets across Singapore.

If you can’t read the limits, here you go:

• Paper products at 4 packs per customer
• Rice at 2 bags per customer
• Instant noodles at 4 packs per customers
• Vegetables at $50 per customer

I’m seriously still wondering why people are buying so many rolls of toilet paper, but I digress.

According to an NTUC FairPrice spokesperson to CNA, the measures are to stop the spread of the kiasu virus discourage people from stockpiling.

The spokesperson said, “The limits are set just slightly higher than what an average grocery shopper normally buys to give customers greater purchase flexibility. Bulk purchase of vegetables is disallowed to discourage resellers.”

The supermarket chain is also working on overdrive to replenish their stocks as they tripled the number of products they bring in to their warehouse and doubled the number of deliveries to stores.

NTUC FairPrice is of course not going to increase price to deter hoarders because they’re definitely not going to profiteer from this crisis.

In additional, both Giant and Cold Storage have also told us to stay calm and not to stockpile:

Well, at least now, let’s hope that the Kiasu virus will be contained within days.