Shopping in Singapore

Shopping in Singapore

Although it is probably a sin to find the misfortunes of
others a source of amusement, I could not contain my smile as I
read Mrs. Fauzia's letter on Aug. 26 complaining at the way she
was cheated during her shopping spree in Singapore.

I too had reason to visit Singapore recently and found the
experience refreshingly different from Jakarta. I was not
harassed by vendors attempting to sell me all kinds of things at
grossly inflated prices, nor was I insulted by disreputable
youths as I window shopped along Orchard Road. Cars did not
attempt to mow me down as I crossed over zebra crossings and the
streets were spotlessly clean and free of rodents and rubbish.
Prices were clearly marked, shop assistants were informed,
attentive and friendly.

As a foreigner living in Jakarta, the Singapore experience was
sublime. I, like many other foreigners living here, am used to
being overcharged on an almost daily basis because vendors,
mistakenly believing that I am a tourist, will universally
attempt to relieve me of my money by doubling the cost of their
merchandise. Usually a gentle rebuke is enough to inform the
offending opportunist that he or she is dealing with someone who
is aware of the real price and a more appropriate figure is
agreed upon.

I have to admit that when I first arrived in Jakarta, my
outrage at being continually cheated was greater than that
expressed by Mrs. Fauzia but, as time went on, I became used to
this petty larceny and I no longer feel that my intelligence is
being insulted. It is too stressful an emotion and in any case I
have a higher regard for my own intellect than those who seek to
cheat me. I have therefore adjusted my way of thinking so that
now I only find it irritatingly amusing when dealing with them.

Unfortunately, tourists visiting Indonesia rarely have enough
time to adopt any attitude other than that of outrage at being
systematically overcharged and return to their own countries with
tales of the dishonesty they have encountered here. Lamentably,
in the retelling of their stories of mistreatment, all
Indonesians are tarred with the same brush, perhaps unfairly so.
This is causing untold damage to Indonesia's attempt at
developing its tourist industry and is partly responsible for
Indonesia's poor image abroad.

Indonesians traveling abroad should arm themselves with
information about the countries they are about to visit. Duty
free shops will almost always have lower prices for luxury items
than those found on high streets. Duty free, as the name suggest,
means you don't pay tax, hence the lower price for perfume quoted
by your aggrieved contributor.

As a final note to Mrs. Fauzia, by way of apology for my
unwarranted mirth, it might be some consolation for you to know
that you have been avenged a thousandfold for your misfortune by
your own people who have undoubtedly relieved untold numbers of
unsuspecting tourists of their hard earned money in the time that
it has taken me to pen this letter.

Should this fail to mollify you, I suggest that you look upon
your experience more philosophically. It is impossible to change
human nature. Look upon your losses as a sort of wealth tax. I
do.

R. GULLIVER

Jakarta