3 Stars Apologise For Unreasonable Face Masks Prices After MP Louis Ng Called Them Out
On 8 Feb, MP Louis Ng took to Facebook to point out a store’s selfish behaviour of hiking face masks prices in his constituency of Nee Soon.
The Nee Soon retailer, 3 Stars, was investigated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) for setting ridiculous price tags for the highly sought-after commodity.
After 2 weeks of investigations, the retailer has apologised and reduced the price of the masks.
Overpriced face masks garnered disapproval from Singaporeans
In the post dated 8 Feb, Nee Soon MP Louis Ng was seen holding a box of N95 masks, labelled “1 for $6.90, a box for $138” in Chinese.
Mr Ng expressed his disdain towards the hefty price tag with a thumbs down.
Similarly, many netizens shared the same sentiments and were angry at the exorbitant price.
MTI informed and store reduced their face masks prices
In a follow-up post on Tuesday (25 Feb), Mr Ng reveled that MTI has completed their investigations and that 3 Stars has apologised and reduced the prices of their face masks.
According to The Straits Times, the retailer has produced documents showing that the cost price of face masks have risen drastically.
Though the government will not take action this time, the store will be monitored closely.
Mr Ng also urge Singaporeans to report such errant sellers to CASE via their website or by giving them a call.
Kudos to Mr Ng for calling out the unethical behavior
Kudos to Mr Ng for calling out the the unethical behavior, and CASE for swiftly investigating the store in question.
While a store reserves the rights to decide on the price of its good, $138 for a box of masks is surely too much.
Setting exorbitant prices for highly sought-after goods is not only unethical, but also robs those who are less affluent the chance to purchase them.
On our part, we cannot be self-centered and hoard more than we need. You need to be responsible for your consumption of goods as well.
Featured image adapted from Facebook & CNA
