Despite some misbehaving customers, central Singapore stores are positive about CDC vouchers as the scheme enters its fifth year

SINGAPORE: Despite some customers misusing Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, most traders and hawkers in the heartland have adopted the scheme in recent years to boost their business.

The latest cash vouchers were released on Wednesday (January 3), with Singapore households receiving S$500 each.

The CDC scheme was first launched in June 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to help address living costs and support local businesses.

Vouchers can be used at participating Heartland shops and hawkers, as well as selected supermarkets such as NTUC FairPrice and Giant.

When these were first introduced, Madam Seet Kwee Mang, who runs a traditional Chinese medicine stall in Clementi, found that customers often trusted her when she handed over their vouchers. .

However, when I later checked the transactions, many of the vouchers were invalid or had already been redeemed. And she said there was nothing she could do because her customers had left the store a long time ago.

“Many people in this hawker center were facing the same problem, because we are very busy and cannot confirm or wait until the transaction is completed. Customers will be waiting.” she said.

“If you wait too long for the transaction to be completed, the customer may not be happy and the interaction may become adversarial.”

Mdm Seet ultimately chose to opt out of the CDC voucher scheme after the first round in 2020.

The 73-year-old said, “There are benefits to participating because people come and buy things using vouchers.But for us elderly people who run our own stalls, it’s not so easy.” ” he said.