Back from the not-so Great Singapore Sale
We’re back from Singapore and all I got was a pair of sore feet. I tell you guys, the Great Singapore Sale is not so great after all. I was planning to buy some external hard disks, a portable DVD writer, a cheap digital camera and some Stikfas toys.
On our first day after touring Sentosa with her relatives, my wife and I decided to head to Audio House in Liang Court to get a cheap digital camera as advertised here. When we got there, we found out that we need a coupon from the Strait Times (local newspaper) to buy it at that price. So we bought a copy of the newspaper at a nearby Kinokuniya but we could not find the coupon that we need. Not only that, we found out that the camera can only be purchased with cash. Sigh.
So we walked to nearby Funan Digital Mall to check out some cheap external disks and a DVD writer. We went to Harvey Norman, Challenger and other shops in different floors to no avail. It’s still cheaper here in the Philippines.
AROUND CITY HALL STATION
The following day, we called up Noee to accompany us for some more shopping. We met up at Raffles Shopping Centre and looked around for nice deals. Nothing much there so we moved on to Citylink Mall and Marina Square. 
Still no toy store that carries StikFas. I also looked at some Reef sandals but they are much cheaper here in Manila.
AROUND ORCHARD STATION
Next we went to Orchard to have lunch and check out some more malls. After a quite expensive but really awesome Pepper Steak at PepperLunch, we continued looking for things to buy like a wallet for my wife. We went to Wisma, Takashimaya, Tang and Isetan but the wallets even on sale are still quite expensive. We finally found a store in Wheelock Place that carries Stikfas. Unfortunately, it’s still cheaper here at Hobbes & Landes.
AROUND BUGIS STATION
Our last chance for cheap electronics is Sim Lim Square at Bugis. So we went there after our Orchard shopping disaster. After some more walking, we were finally at Sim Lim. We looked around for some cheap 2.5″ external disks but the prices are quite similar to the ones here. The LG external DVD writer is cheaper here as well. I found a camera that I was looking for but it was way cheaper at Audio House. This is bad considering that SLS is the place to be in Singapore for cheap computer gadgets. Oh well at least lunch was very good.
We’re scheduled to go back to Manila on the following afternoon so we still went to Compass Point Mall for some more shopping in the morning. My wife bought a blouse and I bought 3 Giordano plain colored shirts for S$5 apiece.
Oh well, the sale runs till July so I guess we were way too early to experience the real sale.
For those of you who still wish to go to Singapore for shopping, here are some TIPS:
- Plan your trip to coincide with the PC Show on June 13-15
- Bring some cash, some of the cheap products can only be purchased with cash
- Check the GSS site for new promos
- Buy a newspaper to see some great deals that requires coupons
- Stay out of Mustafa… it’s always too crowded
Oh yeah, I failed to get some Ben & Jerry Ice Cream. I’m so disappointed. 
You might also be interested in:
- We’re off to the Great Singapore Sale
- MSI-ECS Warehouse Sale: Electronics Sale Galore
- Touring Beijing in Winter Part 11: Great Wall of China
- Terrible F1 Accident in Singapore
Filed under: Travel
haha so you gave in to the $5 shirts
yup. just to have something to bring home. Hehehe. too bad the shop at compass point don’t have some of the colors that I want.
Ben and Jerry’s dito ka na lang sa S&R bumili… with a coupon you can get them real cheap too..
*sarap naman bakasyon bakasyon … *
calvin: whoa!!! may jen & berry’s pala dito sa pinas? whoa!!! san ako makakakuha ng coupon? meron ka?
this is very helpful. im going to be in SG from the 13th to the 18th so maybe i can catch the PC Show. any idea where this will be?
calvin: ei jayvee thanks for droppin by. the pc show will be held at the suntec convention and exhibition hall. here’s some more info. hope you’ll do better in finding cheap stuff.
ill report my findings when i get back.:)
the last time i was in SG was about september last year and i noticed how the prices of tech here for semi-affordable devices like cellphones and cameras are almost the same as SG. the ones that are really cheap in SG are the more expensive items like iMacs.
do all stores accept the 7% airport rebate?
calvin: not all has the 7% rebate. always ask if they do because sometimes they don’t include it in the receipt. rebate doesn’t apply to attractions and food as well and i think you need to accumulate at least $100 for the rebate. check the receipts if it is indicated there that you can avail of the rebate at the airport.
dear calvin,
very many thanks for this post. ill be sure to keep your advices in mind and write about my experiences as well!
hmm…reading at the places you have been to…wrong places to go hehehehe.. GSS in the malls usually caters to tourist, if you dont have the tourist privilege card then, you are right it is not as cheap….dnt fret because the way to go is to look for the outlet stores which are usually very accessible by bus
Those are the cheap ones and also check EXPO…
Honestly I still think that GSS (if shopping at the malls) is very effective for those who go for high end products..LAst week I saw a Q in Takashimaya for LV hehehhe..hmmm and they are buying!! and they say “recession time”???
Also, SLS is not really a place to go anymore, they might give you a cheap price at first but they will scam you along the way by telling you, oh you cant use that with out this so u have to buy and this and so on and so on… Go there only if you have a local friend who knows a trusted shop… There are a lot of shop to go to, dnt get me wrong, but it is hard to tell which one…:(
Audio HOuse is decent specially now, unlike when you came in 2008 hehehehe…They are now trying to compete to other shops…Courts is quite expensive but caters to a lot of brands..Challenger is ok if you have a membership or ask a friend whoo has one, without it, it is expensive…
It is also best to look for shops that gives you a gift when you reach a certain amonth (which is reasonable) Suntec normally gives one for as low as 25 or 50 sg spending
Free vouchers in Singapore are really something you can use solely so u may wna check out for those too…
If you want to shop for shoes, go to Queenstown and Anchorpoint (in front of ikea Alexandra) They have some outlet stores there that might interest you…Or if you still want to stick to the malls then go to Royal Sporting HOuse, they do have good deals from time to time..Hush puppies, rockport, lacoste,diesel, merrell, nike, adidas etc…
I.T. shows cna get really cheap not usually on the price but more on the freebies that you will get..adn yes, you can still haggle for the price or be pushy with more freebies…I do that most of the time and even if they reallly dont have,I can still make them give me one hehehhe so it is possible…
Again, try to go to branded products and see what they offer, you will be surprise how they lowered the price and sometimes cheaper than the normal brands… Dnt worry every one falls for the 5 dollar shirts for the first time
Now that I mention that, say for GSS you buy shirts like that for 150 worth, then you will get a travelling bag for free!! and really nice one 
so next time you come over and still not satisfied, buy your chiristmas gifts in giordano and you can bring home the travelling bag which is worth 75-100 dollars for free 
just an example! 
Freebies here are good thay can be given as a gift too, unlike the ones they give in the Philippines hheheheh 