'I thought she was joking': Diner baffled by $5 sugarcane juice at Holland Village hawker stall

Sometimes, all you want on a hot day is a cup of refreshing sugarcane juice.

But one man ended up in a bit of a shock when he ordered the drink from a hawker stall and was told that it cost $5. 

A diner, only known as Mr Liu, told Shin Min Daily News yesterday (Feb 23) that he visited Holland Village Market & Food Centre on Wednesday evening and ordered a medium-sized cup of sugarcane juice with lemon and requested for less ice.

"During payment, the boss told me that she would charge me $5. At first I thought she was joking, but it really cost $5! I asked her why it was so expensive and she told me that it was because of rising costs," the 60-year-old shared.

Mr Liu added that he had also purchased beef rice from a nearby stall which cost $6, highlighting that in comparison to the portion of his meal, the price of the beverage was "outrageous".

He also said that after sharing his experience in a Facebook post, a number of netizens agreed with him that the price of the sugarcane juice was too expensive, and one even joked that the "sugarcane probably came from Holland".

"The hawker centre is a place for common folks to get their fill, but if going to the hawker stalls nowadays causes stress to consumers [due to prices], where did the problem come from exactly?" Mr Liu said.

A Shin Min reporter visited the stall and spoke to the owner, known only as Michael. The 75-year-old said that he had been operating the stall for 15 years and had never received any complaints.

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He shared with the Chinese daily that the prices of his beverages were listed clearly at the stall and that he did not hear of any complaints from customers about his prices in the past two days.

The owner added that if customers had any grievances, they could tell him directly.

Michael said: "I raised the prices by 30 cents on the first and second day of Chinese New Year but returned to the original prices after that."

The beverages at his stall come in three sizes — normal, large and limited edition, which is an extra large portion — with the prices  stated. Diners can get a normal cup at $2.50, a large size at $3.50 and the limited edition at $4.50.

In addition, those who order the normal or large size and request for less ice would need to pay an additional $1, and $0.50 for lemon juice. Those who request for less ice for a limited edition cup will have to pay $2 more, and an additional $1 for lemon juice.

According to Michael, the prices have been maintained for about a year.

ALSO READ: 'Singapore doesn't have to be expensive': Tourist uncovers cheap eats in Little India and Kallang

yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com