Supermarket chain NTUC Fairprice has imposed further buying restrictions in a bid to discourage hoarding and reselling amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Effective today, shoppers are only allowed to purchase five liters of cooking oil, six canned products, two packets of paper products instead of four, and 10 kilograms of rice instead of two bags of rice.
Shoppers can continue to buy S$30 worth of vegetables, S$30 worth of poultry, 30 eggs, and two packets of instant noodles or pasta.
“As a precautionary measure to discourage resellers and ensure as many customers have access to daily essential items, we have adjusted our purchase limits per customer for the following items at all stores effective today,” an online statement by the chain read. “Please be assured that stocks of daily essentials remain sufficient.”
The supermarket chain imposed buying limits for the first time on March 17, weeks after scenes of panic-buying broke out across Singapore after the government raised the coronavirus disease threat level from yellow to orange, indicating that COVID-19 was spreading locally.
Online grocery store RedMart said it also saw a 300 percent spike in demand.
However, Fairprice supermarkets, which is located in nearly every Singapore neighborhood, is the only chain imposing buying limits. Cold Storage has advised shoppers to “only buy what you need.”
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