Will you clear the foods tray at the Hawker Centre or Foods Court ?


junction88

New Member
Jan 3, 2005
98
0
0
There has been some campaign in the papers and TV that urging customers after done with their meals to bring the tray
back to the tray cabinet.

Have you guy done that ?
What do you think of this campaign outcome ?

Share your thought here.

Cheers :)
 

A relative told me: "don't do that, you are depriving old uncles and aunties work."
 

I don't know about the campaign outcome, but as long as they have the tray return points, I do return my trays there. I'm not sure about depriving them of jobs, but don't they still need to clean the tables, wash the dishes etc.?
 

A relative told me: "don't do that, you are depriving old uncles and aunties work."
And what's your point? Ask back: Why do old uncles and aunties need to do this job? Ask your relative if he can see him/herself in such a job.
I would give my last shirt not seeing my parents doing such works. Luckily they enjoy a pension system that protects them from such things.
If there are tray stations I will return them. Seeing myself more and more looking for these things when entering a food court. It's basic courtesy not to leave the table in a mess.
 

if the aunty or uncle don's have kids, no one taking care of them?
To me, that's the job of a proper welfare / pension system. People who have worked all their life shall enjoy the silver years in peace and comfort.
Let's not forget: most of these old folks worked when there was no CPF to contribute, or not enough to contribute.
 

Last edited:
A relative told me: "don't do that, you are depriving old uncles and aunties work."

That is the same I told my wife.

Those stall holders will not reduced foods prices or give you bigger portion of foods.

Whether they employ locals or foreigner to clean the place it doesn't matter, although i would preferred they employed locals.
 

Let’s imagined some days, all customers does returned trays to the station.

Will the stall holders keep the price low ?
Will they employ more workers or better trained workers to do others job ?

Did you realized that coffee shop, hawker centre & food court freely charge different prices for a cup of coffee and/or soft drink.

At my place, a cup of coffee costs can range from 70 cents a $1.10.

A can of soft drink costs ranging from $!.20 to $1.50 within same vicinity.

When I go IKEA for meals, i will return the tray back to the station because everyone is doing that and you do not see IKEA any how adjust their food price.

I am not sure by returning the tray will it really help the stall holders to bring down the costs ? Or was it help them increased their profits ?

In fact, this exercise is to help others peoples sit down with a much cleaner table after you had done you meals.
So everyone can complete their meals faster and get back to work……perhaps also help the stall owner reduce their operating costs ??????
 

I would give my last shirt not seeing my parents doing such works.

Good for you.

But as the Cantonese saying goes, "if got hair who wants to cut all bald?"

I personally saw one cleaning auntie scolded left right center by her supervisor. She kept quiet and did not respond. Later when she reach our table, she murmured: "if only I can live without this job."
 

Have not seen the campaign, but have noticed the tray return points, so have been returning my trays whenever possible. Doesn't take much effort really. The number of cleaners don't seem to have changed.

The 'they might lose their jobs' angle sounds convincing on the surface, but if you think about it, returning the trays is a very small portion of what the cleaners do. Besides, where does one stop? Why not make the table as dirty and messy as possible so that the cleaners have more to do, ensuring their job security, maybe even create more jobs in the process?

I think a scenario where cleaners will lose their jobs is one where patrons have to wipe the table, clean up any food scraps/stains/spills on the table, seat and floor, return the tray, clear the food waste from the utensils and tray, sort the dirty utensils for washing, wipe the tray, bring the dirty utensils to the kitchen for washing...etc. Those of us who do all these in our own homes should feel very guilty then, and stop such behaviour immediately, as we are depriving part/full-time cleaning aunties of a job.
 

Last edited:
Will you clear the foods tray at the Hawker Centre or Foods Court ?

I not only clear my own food tray I also clear everybody's food tray. :bsmilie:

45032.jpg
 

To me, that's the job of a proper welfare / pension system. People who have worked all their life shall enjoy the silver years in peace and comfort.

In Singapore enjoy peace yes but you need more than $1,000,000 CPF to enjoy comfort.

Thanks to our high wages and an enlightened government most of Singaporeans can have that golden nest eggs. :)
 

What we lack in our society is civic-mindedness. And such culture, regrettably, does not exist here. Clearing the table allow quick turnover of the table and the next diner can sit down for a meal. The cleaners can focus on clearing the food trollies.

I hope that we don't infuse bad practices to our children

The main cost of high cost at food centres and food courts is due to rent...
 

Last edited:
Clearing your own trays is good for you and other patrons, not so much about the food vendors, or the cleaners.
if all the tables are occupied with dirty utensils and leftover food, who will want to sit down and eat? that will really affect the business of the food courts or hawker centres eventually.
anyway, do you like to see your children grown up to be a selfish person who only care for own self? than you should set a good example now, cause your children are clearing their own trays in the school tuckshop / canteens.
 

Nobody wants to clear the tablet at old age but the reality is many don't have a choice but to do it to put food in their stomach. Let's say A food court needs 5 person to clean the table and collect the trays, now no more trays collection to do, do you think they will still employ 5 cleaners or just 2 to wipe the table only? One coffee shop and foodcourt minus 3 cleaners, how many will loss their job in the thousands of Makan place in SIN? Where does the saving of cutting 3 staff goes to? Reduce rent or Food price? We all know where the money will goes to in truth. So who do you want to help?
 

anyway, do you like to see your children grown up to be a selfish person who only care for own self? than you should set a good example now, cause your children are clearing their own trays in the school tuckshop / canteens.
Or the next stage is that your own children will tell you to go clearing tables in food courts to get some money, instead of they supporting you... They learned their lesson from the parents.
 

this is a very old video, in case anyone have not seen this before.

[video=youtube;8AcWo3gbtBk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AcWo3gbtBk[/video]
 

Why the Coffee shop and foods court high rent ?

Reasons are ;

1.Coffee shop owner tender (or bought over) at high price for operating the coffee shop and then sublet each stalls to individual.
You probably remembered Bishan Street 51/52 & Street 13 coffee owners bid sky high price just to get the unit.

2. Coffee Shop & Foods Courts are now runs by Co-operation styles company that have fat money to bid coffee shop or foods Courts.
Even the Zhi Char stalls are now also operate under such styles.

3. Hawker retrofit by gahment and later increase rental.

4. Coffee Shop owner also frequent renovate the coffee shops and make excuses to increase rental.
That is why you often see some good stall move out and relocate themselves to else where.

The only way for the stall sellers to maintain profit is to increase the foods price.
 

NEA is barking up the wrong tree. When they want people to return trays, did they design hawker center to cater for such purpose? Even the uncle and aunty have problem moving around the congested tables and chairs. They have to place the bins along corridors till you can't squeeze thro'

Just learn from the food courts. Uncle and aunty are very happy clearing and cleaning up the tables. As user, I also try to make it neat and easy for them to clear. Everybody is happy like dinning in a restaurant. Do you clear your table after meal in a restaurant? Can our hawker center achieve such standard? YES if NEA wakes up and open their eyes.