Man warns Singaporeans to not go 'cheap cheap' in Malaysia with ringgit at record low

With the Singaporean dollar a lot stronger against the Malaysian ringgit recently, shopping across the border has become even cheaper.

One man, however, has warned Singaporeans that being a show off there has repercussions.

In a TikTok video shared on Tuesday (Oct 31), the man said Singaporeans "should not be birds in Malaysia".

Said this Singaporean: "We don't just quietly go there and buy. We always say 'cheap, cheap, cheap'.

"Can all of you stop being birdmen [sic]? It's not very nice."

Besides being insensitive to Malaysians' feelings, the man said that the excessive bragging by Singaporeans there can lead to store owners jacking up their prices.

This is what happens when "enough birds flock around all these shops" in Malaysia.

He said: "When you eat, it's like freaking 10 years of never eat before… so much wastage.

"And when pumping petrol, you go and push the car up and down.. Hopefully there is no extra 100 millilitres of petrol that can go in."

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@sgkakinang/video/7296047831264120072?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7252157227077830162[/embed]

In the two-minute rant, the man acknowledged that Singaporeans like him can afford to spend in Malaysia by "working hard".

But he said that Singaporeans had won a lottery game by being born "in the right country".

"Our GIC and government are very good, they drive up the Singaporean dollar," he added.

"But when we won a lottery game, please be humble about it."

Singaporeans are not "saving" the Malaysian economy by spending money there, according to the man.

"Let's get it straight. You are helping yourself," he said.

'Some of the items are cheaper in Singapore'

The TikTok video has since garnered over 450,000 views.

In the comments, several netizens agreed with the man's opinions.

"Very true. The more you say cheap, the more they raise prices," one said, while another wrote: "Good advice."

Other netizens commented that they have not seen Singaporeans showing off their purchases in Malaysia, while others felt that it's no longer cheaper there.

"You will be surprised some of the items are cheaper in Singapore," one said.

"Thank god I'm not a bird at all," another added.

The Singapore dollar reached an all-time high of 3.5086 against the Malaysian ringgit on Oct 24, which prompted a surge of buyers at the money changers.

A staff at Shara Exchange in Raffles Place told AsiaOne then that several people are waiting to see if the Malaysian ringgit will be sold at an even lower rate in the coming days.

The Singaporean dollar is 3.48 against the Malaysian ringgit as of Wednesday (Nov 1) morning.

ALSO READ: 'Everything feels so expensive': Malaysia-based YouTubers shocked by cost of living in Singapore

chingshijie@asiaone.com