NTUC FairPrice’s Standard Policy: No Refund for Hoarders But They Can Donate Excess Daily Essentials

If you were to visit a blood donation bank in Singapore and looked very closely at the bags swelling with blood, you’d see something else inside: panic.

Panic runs through the veins of every Singaporean, and as much as we try to deny it, when a stressful situation arises, we fear the worst and do the first thing that our anxious minds tell us to do.

And for some reason, when a virus started spreading all over our country, we decided to buy lots of soya sauce (and other essentials).

NTUC FairPrice CEO Said There’s No Refund for Hoarders But They Can Donate Excess Daily Essentials

FairPrice’s CEO and Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng recently talked about the issue of grocery stockpiling in Parliament on 26 Feb.

Seah said that the Covid-19 situation brought out the good and bad in Singaporeans.

According to Mothership, Seah talked about instances of altruism, such as when people left free hand sanitisers and masks in lifts and public places, as well as the overwhelming support for Red Cross Singapore’s declining blood stocks.

He also mentioned the people who did not collect the free masks distributed by the government, leaving them for those who needed it more.

Yes, we have some good ones in this country. 

As Seah said, “All these people acted not because of fear, but in spite of fear”.

Now comes the bad part.

Panic Buying

As you know, after the DORSCON level was raised to orange, Singaporeans started panicking, and in the weirdest way possible.

They started cleaning out supermarkets, stocking up on necessities and non-perishables.

Because when there is a virus rapidly spreading, the thing you need the most is lots of abalones, toilet paper, and soya sauce.

Commenting on this, Seah said he witnessed “firsthand the shopping frenzy”, and said that the behaviour involved “all age groups, races, and social strata”.

Yes, if there’s one thing that unites Singaporeans, it’s panic. Panic and bubble tea, but mostly panic.

No Refund for Hoarders

According to Seah, some have suggested that those who have hoarded their purchases at home should not be allowed to return their items.

Seah stated that it was FairPrice’s “standard policy” to disallow shoppers who had stockpiled to return excess goods for refunds.

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He explained that this policy would encourage people to buy responsibly and prevent people from hoarding first only to return items later on.

So, what can you do with all the excess items? 

Well, Seah suggests donating your excess items to charities like Food from the Heart and Food Bank.

Surely that’s better than letting it go to waste, right?

He said: “Maybe I’ll set up a collection counter for them too.” I thank everyone who has given me their various suggestions.”

So, if you’re stuck with 800 bottles of soya sauce, you know what to do.