Cai Png Stall in White Sands “Charges” $1 Takeaway Fee But It Turns Out to be a Mistake

With rising food prices and expensive food delivery fees, many opt instead to buy takeaway by themselves at their favourite dining spots to eat at home with family. After all, it’s usually cheaper like that.

However, a cai png stall patron at White Sands was shocked when her receipt reflected an extra $1 takeaway fee on her order.

The stall later explained this, and it turned out to be a misunderstanding, albeit justifiable on the customer’s part.

Found Takeaway Fee Charge On Receipt

Upon patronising a cai png stall located in a food court in White Sands, a woman realised she was charged an extra $1, listed on the receipt as a takeaway fee. 

Unhappy, she took to a Facebook group to complain about her experience, claiming that Koufu food courts now charge $1 for the styrofoam boxes used to pack takeaways.

According to her, she had patronised the stall on 15 April, at around 5 pm. As shown in the picture, her meal included green beans fried with Chinese sausages, ngoh hiang, and okra. 

For two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, the cai png cost her $4.80 in total, and the extra $1 in the takeaway fee.

What The Fee Really Was

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, 36-year-old stall worker Mr Lin said that the name of the extra charge was actually wrong, and the stall did not charge a delivery fee. 

He said the “takeaway fee” she saw was an inaccurate representative name, and the $1 charge was for something else.

Explaining further, he added that typically, a meat dish costs $1.50 while vegetable dishes cost $1.00, and rice costs $0.80, adding up to $4.80 for an order like hers.

However, the stall would launch different “selected meat dishes” daily, and these dishes would typically cost up to $1 extra. 

The charge on her receipt was for ordering the green beans fried with Chinese sausages and the ngoh hiang, which cost $0.50 extra each. This added up to a total of $5.80, and the so-called “takeaway fee” reflected that. 

Reporters from the Chinese news outlet also noted that no price list was displayed at the stall, and stall assistants would tell customers prices directly. They also only provided a receipt after purchase if the customer asked for one. 

Name Changed After

Mr Lim apologised for the misunderstanding, and said that it resulted from his colleagues failing to explain prices to customers clearly. 

He added that he would change the representative name soon, to avoid situations like this from happening in the future. 

However, he noted that it was impossible to list every “selected meat dish”, and they would therefore ensure prices are explained clearly to customers at payment instead. 

Are Takeaway Fees Common?

In 2023, takeaway fees are more common than you think. 

At Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, hawkers are required to use biodegradable takeaway containers, which cost around 50 cents each. 

When Shin Min Daily News visited the hawker centre in December 2022, they found some stalls charging up to 80 cents in takeaway fees.

The managing company of the hawker centre, Canopy Hawkers Group, shared that this was required to help in sustainability efforts, but acknowledged the feedback and promised takeaway packaging would not cost more than 30 cents in the future.