Advance Cash For Food Court

[Yappy]

I was at Bt Panjang Plaza. Went to Kopitam Food Court... I was surprised to be told that I cannot not use cash to buy their food.

I walked away immediately... what type of system is it? 5 or 6 stars hotel also accept cash.. but this food court don't accept cash....

Is my money not legal tendered? Why must I give them advance cash and go through the trouble to register and pay a deposit just to eat their food?

Care to comment?

Yappy

 

[Nikonnew]

I was at Bt Panjang Plaza. Went to Kopitam Food Court... I was surprised to be told that I cannot not use cash to buy their food.

I walked away immediately... what type of system is it? 5 or 6 stars hotel also accept cash.. but this food court don't accept cash....

Is my money not legal tendered? Why must I give them advance cash and go through the trouble to register and pay a deposit just to eat their food?

Care to comment?

Yappy

I think this subject has been discussed before, and I agree that you should walk away, this is ridiculous

 

[Patryk]

i don't know exactly what system is that, but i think it's very prevalent in thailand with its food courts even in high-end shopping centres. It could be because the centre owns all the food stalls, and to avoid any discrepencies in payment for food sales, they require all of them to have payment in coupons, swipe cards, etc.. could be a different reason, just my speculation.

 

[Sjourn]

If I am not wrong, every shop needs to cough up certain % of sales to the Kopitiam every month, that is why they have video survelliance at every cash register to check on them.

Now with this system will be smooth for kopitiam to control, but it sucks for thier customers. I wonder if they ever think about that? I will definately not patronize if i can't use cash...

...and what I heard, every stall that starts have to pay btw $20-30K or maybe more just to start up business...:dunno:

 

[the mac 13]

i don't know exactly what system is that, but i think it's very prevalent in thailand with its food courts even in high-end shopping centres. It could be because the centre owns all the food stalls, and to avoid any discrepencies in payment for food sales, they require all of them to have payment in coupons, swipe cards, etc.. could be a different reason, just my speculation.

MBK uses that.

 

[Yappy]

If I am not wrong, every shop needs to cough up certain % of sales to the Kopitiam every month, that is why they have video survelliance at every cash register to check on them.

Now with this system will be smooth for kopitiam to control, but it sucks for thier customers. I wonder if they ever think about that? I will definately not patronize if i can't use cash...

...and what I heard, every stall that starts have to pay btw $20-30K or maybe more just to start up business...:dunno:

They had invested S$1,000,000 in this system. Their spokeman claimed that it is better for the customers as they received complaint that their workers used the same hand to prepare food and collect $$$. What an excuse!

It they are so concern, they should use the CASH card system and pay service charge to NETS(Correct me if I am wrong) which will eat into their taking!

I think they are thinking of ROI!

Yappy!

 

[kietgnoel]

What they want is for you to pay even before you have the intention of eating.

Better still, you pay and don't eat at all.

The money goes into their "pockets" already. They can use it for anything that they like e.g. invest. Meaning they use your money to invest or for other purposes before they have given you the service or product that you have paid for.

Actually, this is also true for cashcards and Easylink cards. The difference is that these cards are backed by either large organizations or the govenment i.e. you dont' have to be afraid that the company will close down and you lose whatever you've paid.

These other companies are much more likely to close down.

I certainly won't patronise them if I cannot pay by cash. But I wouldn't mind paying by cashcard or Easylink card.

Also, if every other company were to do the same thing (i.e. issue their own pre-paid cards), imagine how many cards we would have to carry around. :bigeyes:

 

[blazer_workz]

i'm not too sure..but can the deposit and stored value be refund on the spot?

if can then we, just buy the card and eat first..before leaving the foodcourt demand a cancellation of the card..makes things difficult for them lorz..

 

[kietgnoel]

i'm not too sure..but can the deposit and stored value be refund on the spot?

if can then we, just buy the card and eat first..before leaving the foodcourt demand a cancellation of the card..makes things difficult for them lorz..

But then you would have to queue up 3 times to buy your food. First to buy the card, second to buy your food and third to get the balance back.

 

[jacob]

I was at Bt Panjang Plaza. Went to Kopitam Food Court... I was surprised to be told that I cannot not use cash to buy their food.

I walked away immediately... what type of system is it? 5 or 6 stars hotel also accept cash.. but this food court don't accept cash....

Is my money not legal tendered? Why must I give them advance cash and go through the trouble to register and pay a deposit just to eat their food?

Care to comment?

Yappy

ever heard sg national library also do not accept cash for paying fines?

 

[kietgnoel]

ever heard sg national library also do not accept cash for paying fines?

Ah.... but they accept cashcards.

I think the point is not so much whether you can pay by cash or not. Rather, if we have to use a prepaid card then it must satisfy the following:

1. The card used must be widely accepted by many estabishments or companies. The more the better. If not, we have to carry too many cards. More importantly, more of our money would be sitting in these cards not doing anything. We lose opportunities. We pay for opportunities lost. The more cards there are the more money we would have to keep in these cards. More cards also mean more inconvenience as we would have to do things like topping up the cards more often.
2. The issuer of the card must be strong in the sense that it won't (or at the very least highly unlikely) go bust and we lost whatever money we have in the card.

 

[DT_]

last time at the sembawang satay club

when i approach the stall to buy some satays, this guy direct me to the counter to purchase coupons. after presenting him the coupon, i was ask to wait when he happily grill them. about 5 mins later he come to my seat and tell me it's ready, i reply 'then?' he say 'you have to go collect, it's self service' ... really pissed for all the trouble, this and that funny coupon system, and even got the cheek to come all the way to tell me instead of just serve it over... btw, the entire place merely had a few patronise...

now i think they abandon this pratice and was back to usual... it's wise to do so...

 

[Yappy]

What they want is for you to pay even before you have the intention of eating.

Better still, you pay and don't eat at all.

The money goes into their "pockets" already. They can use it for anything that they like e.g. invest. Meaning they use your money to invest or for other purposes before they have given you the service or product that you have paid for.

Actually, this is also true for cashcards and Easylink cards. The difference is that these cards are backed by either large organizations or the govenment i.e. you dont' have to be afraid that the company will close down and you lose whatever you've paid.

These other companies are much more likely to close down.

I certainly won't patronise them if I cannot pay by cash. But I wouldn't mind paying by cashcard or Easylink card.

Also, if every other company were to do the same thing (i.e. issue their own pre-paid cards), imagine how many cards we would have to carry around. :bigeyes:

U are right brother... imagine each of us put $1 into the storecard, they would have $4 millions in their bank account sitting and earn interest. It is just like a 'BANK'. Not a bad move. But I hate going through the hassle just to buy some food and at a food court!!!!
Take and make your choice!!!

How about asking them to accept credit cards??? hahahaha!!!

 

[simon80]

they should use cash card or easy link imo

 

[RuthBaby]

jus treat it like high class marche lookalike food court lor..
in fact many countries are practising it already..
bmk uses coupon which u need to purchase from the ticket booth
and the pre credited cards in patitium at bangkok...

 

[xiaobai17]

actually there's no need to register, forms filling or whatsoever. if u are just going to makan there just once in your lifetime, u could simply just pay the minimum amount $5 ($4 for food, $1 deposit) for the card.

after u mankaned just proceed to the counter where u got your card to ask for refund. its easy and its what they reccomend for one-time customer.

its actually promotion/discount card. first u have the red card, spent 20 buck on it. then upgrade to blue card which entitles u 10 % on all food and beverages.

but i had to agree with u guys thier sales did affected a lot because from one particular store (the one with popular chicken rice) the worker says their sales did went down a lot because a lot of customer just walk out angry with a empty stomach

 

[hanqiang1011]

This is just like the same/similar system in Malaysian food courts...

When I visited Tebrau Jaya, I went to the food court. The stall owner asked me to go and pay first at the casher then issued me with a slip of receipt that the items I wanna purchased. When I paid, the cashier told me to collect the food then went back to the cashier to collect the change... Damn it... By the time I finished up the procedures, I was damn hungry. I never visited that food court again.

If this is Kopitam's way of business then I will stop patronising the Kopitam near NAFA when I return from Australia. This so called "system" really wasting our time as customers and busy working class.

What say you guys?

Jack

 

[redstone]

Fully banning the use of direct cash payment is ridiculous. It's like chopping off your own limb.

 

[Virgo]

They are over relying on technology IMO, but they have forgotten that the basis of trade is still money, and money means cash! What happens if I'm a tourist? :dunno:

 

[Yappy]

Fully banning the use of direct cash payment is ridiculous. It's like chopping off your own limb.

They are only interested in your $$$$. Maybe they should be more innovative.. deduct the money from you the moment you enter Kopitam... and after leaving.. just give you the balance. Haha... walkin and walk out... minus the money in your cashcard or send the bill to credit card.

Yappy