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A FEW months ago, when some coffee shops in Bukit Batok raised the price of a cup of coffee, tea or Milo by 10 cents because of the increase in sugar price, a group of senior citizens responded in a creative way to beat the hike, thus avoiding paying the extra cost.
Instead of ordering hot coffee for 80 cents, they would order a cup of boiling hot water for 20 cents and add to it their own three-in-one coffee bought from a supermarket in Johor Baru at about 30 cents a packet.
These elderly folk should be complimented on their ingenuity in turning an unfavourable situation to their advantage so they can still enjoy using the facility of the coffee shop with their friends for fellowship yet pay less for coffee.
This also reminds me of the good old days when we were given the option of taking extra eggs and meat to the char kway teow vendor and asking him to add them to a standard order at no extra cost. It is not a bad way to stretch the dollar, especially for those with limited financial means.
Nelson Quah
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