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Quote from Yahoo News: 2 shophouses partially collapse at Syed Alwi Road, 6 injured Two shophouses partially collapsed at Syed Alwi Road in the early hours of Tuesday (8 Oct). According to a Facebook post by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the team was alerted to the incident at 1.30am. "Upon arrival, SCDF immediately commenced a search of the area to ascertain if anyone was trapped under the debris. Two search dogs and a drone were also deployed to augment the search operation," they wrote. As passersby reported hearing a loud blast, a firefighting machine was deployed as a precautionary measure, to disperse any potential build up of flammable gases using its water mist spray function. Firefighters rescued a victim who was trapped on the second storey of the affected shophouse at 84 Syed Alwi Road using a ladder. No one was found trapped under the debris, said SCDF. SCDF shared, "Two persons were assessed by paramedics for minor injuries and conveyed to Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Four other persons were also assessed for minor injuries but they declined to be sent to the hospital." CNA reported that, according to the Building and Construction Authority, the cause of the incident is "suspected" to be a gas explosion.
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Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/i-might-have-to-close-in-a-few-years-singapore-s-mamak-shops-could-soon-disappear SINGAPORE - The Hwa Lee Provision Store has been an enduring fixture of the void deck at Block 304 Shunfu Road for 40 years. Its shopfront and nondescript signboard have remained the same since Madam Chong Meng Choo, 90, first opened the store in 1984, when the Housing Board flats in the area were built. But the store, which has survived financial crises, pandemics and much more besides, might be on its last legs, said Mr Kelvin Lim, Madam Chong’s youngest son. “We are being forced into a corner by higher costs, online shopping and lower foot traffic. Worst of all, it is very hard to find someone reliable who is willing to take over,” said Mr Lim, Hwa Lee’s second-generation owner. “I might have to close the shop in a few years, maybe even next year. I’m very tired, and there are many other things I want to do with my life, like travelling or product design.” Known colloquially as “mamak shops” (mamak means uncle in Tamil), standalone kiosks that sell provisions and sundry goods like Hwa Lee have been a fixture of HDB living for many decades. But many of these businesses have shut, and operators who still run them say earnings have fallen over the years as they face growing pressure from supermarkets, chain convenience stores and online grocers. Operators also say there are few candidates willing to take over their businesses as they approach retirement. Newer HDB estates also have less expansive void decks which do not cater space for these stores, meaning the stores that remain could be the last mamak shops here. Selling everything from soap and canned goods to toys, these void deck sundry stores were introduced by HDB in the 1970s. At their peak in the 1980s and 1990s, there were as many as 560 of such provision shops. But figures from HDB show that the number of such shops has fallen over the years. In 2014, there were around 380; that number has fallen by more than a third to about 240 today. As for Hwa Lee, the store originally began as a provision shop that Madam Chong opened in 1977 in the Bukit Brown kampung where the family then lived. It moved to Shunfu in 1984, after the family was relocated there. Mr Lim, who is in his 50s, took over full time from his mother when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020. Previously a sales director at tech firm HP and the founder of a lighting company, he had left the corporate world in 2011 to help his elderly mother part-time at Hwa Lee as she grew older. Business took a 20 per cent to 30 per cent hit after the Upper Thomson MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line opened in 2021, as people no longer had to walk through Shunfu estate to get from Marymount Road to Upper Thomson Road, said Mr Lim. “Our regulars used to come here for their newspapers and little things like bread and snacks. But people now read and buy things online, and there are so many convenience stores near train stations. The newspaper vendor now brings about five copies of each paper, when it was 20 to 30 copies in 2022,” he added. Madam Jannathun Abdul Hamid, 68, runs another mamak shop that might soon shut after serving residents in Tampines for more than 30 years. The unnamed shop was opened by her husband Noor Mohamed, 70, at Block 425 Tampines Street 41, after the Sun Plaza View estate was completed in 1985. Selling sundry goods and Indian spices, business was brisk for the first 20 years. But Madam Jannathun said the shop’s earnings fell by more than 50 per cent after a Sheng Siong supermarket opened in 2015 just a 10-minute walk away. “The supermarket is so near, and it sells more things, so people don’t need us that much any more. Now our business mostly comes from selling snacks and drinks to the pupils of the primary school across the road,” she said. While the monthly rental for her shop – which she leases from HDB – has crept up slightly to around $1,500 currently, daily takings have fallen to about $200 to $300 a day, down from about $1,000 a decade ago. Madam Jannathun, who intends to work for as long as she can, said it does not make sense for her son, a chemical engineer in his 30s, to take over the store as he has a promising career and will soon have his own family to provide for. But some provision shop operators said they are trying to stay relevant by offering digital payment methods such as PayNow, and selling products that might not be stocked in supermarkets, including tobacco rolling paper and henna. Other shops, including Hwa Lee, also offer collection services for Shopee orders. Mr Lim, who made his store a Shopee collection point in September 2023, said doing so has improved foot traffic slightly, but said also that the time taken to find customers’ parcels sometimes leads to queues and lost business. “Especially after special shopping sales like 11.11, it gets very hectic, and it’s tough for me to be digging for their parcels alone while managing the queue,” said Mr Lim, who stores between 100 and 200 Shopee parcels at his shop at any one time. But growing economic pressures aside, experts said that the changing architecture of HDB estates is another reason why mamak shops might soon be a thing of the past. Professor Thomas Schroepfer, director of the Singapore-ETH Centre’s Future Cities Lab Global programme, said void decks in newer HDB estates are built to be much smaller than those in older ones, so there is less space for retail units like standalone kiosks. Neighbourhood centres and shopping malls have also become more common in HDB estates, reducing residents’ reliance on provision shops, he added. “Beyond their practical function, provision shops hold a special place in the hearts of many Singaporeans,” said Prof Schroepfer, who also teaches architecture and sustainable design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. “These small, often family-run businesses often became trusted fixtures in the neighbourhood, contributing to the ‘kampung spirit’ of close-knit community ties.” Many of these mamak shops have been in neighbourhoods for so long that many patrons said they remind them of the years gone by. Retiree Ramaiyan Rangarajan, 65, has shopped at Hwa Lee for 35 years. He would buy bread and eggs there, among other necessities, each time he visited his mother, who lived in the Shunfu estate until her death in August. “I’ve been returning to my late mother’s flat just to keep her things. But I like coming here to see Mr Lim and the shop,” he said. “My mother came here often, and it reminds me of her.”
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Just about to take my sil to A&E and see that my nearside rear tyre is flat. So she has to go to A&E by taxi. I change the tyre which is so much heavier than they used to be, and see there is a nail/screw through the tyre right vertically and in the center of the tread. Car has only done 5000Km. Bit suspicious I'm thinking especially as for the last three or more years some nutter in this HDB block has been throwing NTUC bags of smelly rubbish underneath cars. Anyway two questions: - do the AAS come out to a HDB car park to change a tyre?? - Is there a good tyre repair place close to Clementi central?? Thanks.
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Hello all, Tyre/Rim almost is the most expensive comsumable parts of car, to benefit motorists, kindly list down those you encounted dishonest Tyre shops, in future we should avoid them, 1. Kempas road: Toyo tires, Cheating, selling defect product,
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Just wanna share my experience ... About 2 months ago went to a tyre shop @ First Centre to change a set of tyres. Skip the brand & model part, price was slightly lower than tyrepac, which I am still ok. They bad mouth the famous shop at amk industrial park 1 blar blar blar, and say they provide after sales service (free patching, free rotation, etc) lah lah lah ... Suay suay last night punctured one tyre. Today went to them ask for replacement. I did not expect it to be as cheap as when I purchased 4 pcs, but the price they quote was horrible ($65 more), giving all the lame excuses etc. The boss even say if someone offer that price please go with them. I told him off so much of his after-sales service and went off. Went over the other end of the stretch and asked for quotation, price is $15 more than when I purchased 4 pcs ... fine with price and satisfied with service. Maybe tyre shops think how soon can a owner return to change tyre ? so they don't bother about keeping customers. But for the latter shop, I am impressed, and they will get a potential customer. I will go back to them when I need tyre replacement. I know getting 1 pc definitely will cost more than 4 pcs, fine .. but not to that cut-throat extent. All the bullsh*t about after-sales service, I know those are non-promises, but they are as good/bad as the famous tyre shop in amk park 1. And I know it's willing buyer/seller's world, so I am cool to walk off and let my hard earn money (though not much) earned by some other who deserves it more. Just wanna share my experience ... Thanks
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Hi guys, im having some issues with my speakers and i suspect they are defective. Any audio shop to recommend to replace my speakers? I am very fresh into car sound system and am already quite lost. I am looking to replace to a better speakers and hope you guys could guide me along. Thanks alot.
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Hi guys, Anyone knows or can recommend a tyre shop here in SG that offer good price and service? I planned to do it in JB but when I read in the forum, some of them said that the price not much different or even more expensive compared to SG perhaps due to tax, but alignment is cheaper in JB. Well I am looking for 224/45/17 for my car. Please share if you guys knows any shops. Thanks in advance
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Any shop to recommend to trade in my brand new factory fitted tyres and replace with F1A5?
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Do you guys know any neighbourhood shop in the north near punggol with best/super prices as compared with Harvey Norman, Courts and Best Denki? Sengkang, Toa Payoh, Bishan, AMK, Hougang, Serangoon North ??? I'm looking for 42" plasma full HDTV and some kitchen appliances. Many thanks in advance.
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Hi Have a Toyota Picnic and was recently asked by workshop to change the steering rack assy. Quite expansive, and looking for 2nd opinion and quotes for replacement. Any good workshop to recommend.
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Hi MCF bros, anyone knows of any furniture shop selling teak wood furniture to recommend? I'm thinking of buying a TV console, dining table and cabinets. I only know of 2 shops - located at Thomson plaza and railway mall.
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Would anyone know whether there's any florist that is opened for business now? It seems like they are still not allowed to open shop yet? Or would the big supermarkets sell flowers? Preferably in the Northeast area, if there is any... Thanks.
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This is a shop I would avoid. Prices quoted on their facebook ads and carousell listings are completely different from prices quoted over the phone. The price on their carousell listing says 190 for Michelin PS4 225/45/18. Call them up to confirm, the price goes up to 240. WTF!!! Then later when I ask what the manufacture date is, they tell me it is made in 2016. The tire is 3 f**king years old. No wonder so cheap. Then a few days later I see the facebook ad listing it as 220. Call the guy up to confirm what the year of manufacture is, he says it is 2017 although I highly doubt that. It is probably the same 2016 tire. I asked the guy over the phone about whether got new stock for the Michelin PS4 and whether it is $220. He brushed me off saying he is not in office and will get back to me. What a c**t! I eventually got tired of waiting for this c**t to get back to me, I went nearby and snagged a set of 2019 PS4 tires for $235 a piece. At least the other tire shop was straightforward and also an authorised dealer of Michelin tires. Given how sketchy they are about answering questions, I will avoid them. It seems they try to toss old stock to unsuspecting people who don't ask about manufacturing dates. They give different prices over the phone and in their listings. So hard to stay consistent meh? There is always a catch with their pricing. If you visit this place, visit at your own risk.
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Hi Everyone; BEWARE of this shop! Lian Kiat Alloy Tyre & Battery Center along Jalan Jurong Kechil. Recently I was duped and conned by this dishonest shop owner in his 60's. He charged me $950 for 4 Falken Tyres whereby the usual price is around $440. You may ask why I paid so much without comparing prices. The reason was that I had done some tyres change at this place and found him to be decent and therefore I let my guard down the last time thinking that he would be honest as usual. Also I realized his tricks are to act innocent, speak very fast and mumble to himself; he will unscrew and take out your old tyres and then he will tell you there is no stock and recommend you some brands made in China. You will get very frustrated waiting for him to get his tyres from elsewhere and you are at his mercy as you cannot drive away without the tyres. I went back to ask his why over-charged me by more than $500 and he told me all kinds of stories saying COE and house prices have gone up. I told him this does not give him the right to overcharge by 200%. He said it was a done deal as it was done willingly by both parties. Hope no one get conned by him again!
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Because his chopper broke into two pieces after slamming it on the glass display case He then picked up the broken pieces of the chopper and fled. Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/bedok-pawn-shop-attempted-robbery-man-with-chopper-fled-11715288
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SINGAPORE - A florist here said her online shop set up on the popular e-commerce platform Shopify was hacked in May, resulting in a loss of $24,000. Checks by The Straits Times showed dozens of other merchants around the world have had their accounts hacked as well. They posted their experience on online forums. The Canadian e-commerce firm has more than 500,000 merchants that use the platform to set up online shops for which the business owners pay a fee for services provided by Shopify. Transactions are made through Shopify, with merchants holding accounts with the company. Shopify then transfers the proceeds to the merchants' bank accounts. Florist Wendy Han, 32, said when she was settling bills on June 12, she logged into her account only to discover that her business had zero proceeds for the month. She said the shop's revenue on average per month is between $70,000 and $90,000. Ms Han, who set up the online flower shop Floristique in 2018 with her husband Shaun Chuan, said hackers had entered the shop's Shopify account and changed the company's bank account to the hackers'. As a result, sales proceeds went directly to the hackers' account instead. "We got the shock of our lives when we realised that we might have been hacked," said Mr Chuan, 33. The couple made a police report here and also alerted their bank. A police spokesman said investigations are ongoing. The couple also contacted Shopify, which investigated and informed them that their account had been compromised on May 28. Losses they suffered were from that day. According to Ms Han, the company claimed to have notified the owners about this via e-mail, but the couple denied receiving any notification. Shopify had also clarified with them that it was "not liable for any damages or losses incurred as it is the merchants' responsibility to keep all username and password information secure and confidential". The e-commerce platform has since temporarily stopped transferring the company's earnings to all bank accounts, to prevent further losses. Mr Chuan said the company should have asked for verification before changing the bank account details. "It's a feature they should implement," said Mr Chuan. Ms Han posted her experience on Floristique's Facebook page on Friday (June 14), warning other business owners to protect their hard-earned money by changing their passwords often and to set up two-step verification for their accounts. "As a florist business, we don't earn a lot. This loss has made quite an impact on us," said Ms Han. "I never expected that this would happen to us. I hope that people will be more vigilant as there are more of such online scams," she added. The Straits Times has contacted Shopify for a response.
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Head unit wiring - any shop has the skill to convert?
Ultimax posted a topic in In-Car-Entertainment
Hey bros, Long story short, I bought an Android head unit that was supposed to be compatible with Renault Clio. But turns out it's only compatible with the wiring harness of the lower spec version of my car. The spec sold in Singapore comes with a TomTom unit which uses a different set of connectors. This is what it looks like And this is what I need Any bros know of anyone which can help me? Thanks!- 4 replies
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- renault
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need a quick help here... one tyre kena nail and i wish to get it fixed today... weekday hor, busy with work.... any tyre shop open on sunday that u know??...
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I am not sure whether this has been brought up before. Kindly advise any place in Thailand (Bangkok) to shop for car accessories.
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Hi. Can any bro recommend a performance tuning (Stage 2) for Audi - in JB or any other parts of Johor? Going to sell off the car but wants to make sure the car is properly tuned for the next buyer. That's why I am kindof price sensitive. Thank you.
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Anyone here know where else we can find a good range of car care products? Here's a list of what i know but wondering if there are actually more places to check out 1. Petrol Stations 2. Giant 3. Mustaffa Centre 4. Autobacs TIA
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Any mcfers can recommend a good PSS shop in JB? My car is a Toyota Wish 06 model and would like to do PSS to make it shine for another few years.
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Hi, Anyone has any experience when you bought any items /accessories from the local online auto car parts and accessories shop below? I am thinking of buying from them but not sure if they are cheap or good. https://littleredcarshop.com/ocart/index.php?route=common/home thanks.
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wat you think? will it be the next Asia euro travel company to close shop.....
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Hi, Anyone know other than Ikea and Courts. Is there any large Furniture shop in the East? going to there for window shopping with my families this weekend. (maybe looking for toddler bed to put in my room.)