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Customer service is one of the most talked about topics in Singapore. Hell hath no fury like a Singaporean customer scorned. At the same time, we have this incredible obsession to share what we eat, wear, buy and do, often with “value-added” comments (“yay” or “nay”).
Unfortunately, retailers and F&B operators are often oblivious of what their customers think. While a few do trawl the web to search for answers (good or bad), most continue their operations in blissful ignorance.
Oh the woes of the SME retail sector in Singapore. I’m sure you’ve read or heard about them.
Demanding consumers. Price competition. Sky high rentals. Relentless staff turnover (up to 300% a year in extreme cases). Difficulty in hiring. Competition from big chains. Rising utility costs. Increasing costs of goods. Growing transportation costs.
The list of problems faced by SME retailers is seemingly endless.
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Calling all fashion fans, designers, merchandisers and retailers!
Experience Singapore’s largest showcase of emerging and established fashion brands at BLUEPRINT – Asia’s Fashion Gateway. Comprising a tradeshow and emporium, this two-in-one extravaganza for the trendily coiffured will take place 16 to 19 May at Fashion by the Bay at The Pit Building (where the F1 Night Races are held).
Courtesy of TeropongSkop
Do you know what SoLoMo is?
(Nope, its got nothing to do with King Solomon, although there is certainly some wisdom there).
What are Johor Bahru’s (JB) malls like? Do they really offer great value for shoppers?
Recently, my wife and I decided to revisit JB’s shopping malls after hearing positive things (mainly how cheap it was to buy books from Popular) about our closest neighbouring city from friends. As we’re pretty time-starved, we chose to focus on two malls – City Square and KSL City.
This platter of sushi and sashimi tastes every bit as good as it looks! Oishii desu ne!
“Irrashaimase!”
In my previous post, I’ve shared how my wife and I decided at the spur of a moment to take a train from Tanjong Pagar to Johor Bahru. Naturally, the train ride itself was an experience in itself. Upon reaching our nearest Northern neighbour, our mission was to explore its newest shopping malls, eat till we burst, indulge in some massage, and shop during the post-Christmas sale (especially for Chinese New Year clothes).
The trip was certainly an eye opener. It revealed how similar yet dissimilar JB is to Singapore. While the shopping malls were every bit as impressive as ours – give or take a couple of years in terms of fashion tastes and trends – what particularly charmed me were the old style kopitiams (coffee shops), hawker centres, and street scapes which can no longer be found in Singapore. Although the roads are more chaotic (and dirty) than the streets here, I love that sense of rusticity and nostalgia in JB.
We were also charmed by the hospitality, warmth and sincerity of the Malaysians working in the service industry there. Their earnestness, proactiveness, and friendly banter made all the difference in our shopping, massaging and eating experience.
Teamy the Bee at NHB’s Love Me Love Me Not Exhibition (Courtesy of Youth.sg)
Anybody who has been around long enough would have heard that old anthem for productivity helmed by the mascot “Teamy” the Bee . Perpetuated by the National Productivity Board in the 1980s (now SPRING Singapore), it goes something like this…
“Good better best,
Recently, my wife and I visited the Swanston Essential Store located at People’s Park Complex to pick up some toiletries. Apparently, it has been quite an institution for the denizens of the Chinatown area.
Anybody who need to purchase toiletries and cosmetic items will pop over now and then. They stock items like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, eye-liner and anything else which makes one prettier, better smelling, cleaner and germ-free. The success of the outlet has spawned a branch nearby at People’s Park Centre just across the road.
In a desperate bid to get my son to sleep on his own, my wife and I decided to venture to Ikea at Alexandra Road to shop for a “tent”. Well, actually we were looking for a bed canopy which my son Ethan said will help him sleep on his own at night. The current arrangement was that one parent had to spend the night with him in his bed room. This obviously isn’t ideal as you would imagine.
Ikea is one of the world’s leading furniture retailer. It is founded in Sweden by Ingvar Kamprad, who is the fourth richest person in the world with a net worth of US$33 billion. The chain is huge, with 254 stores around the world in 35 countries, and adopts a franchising model of business. One of its key strengths is in “democratic design” which integrates efficient manufacturing and design to capture economies of scale and consumer preferences.