Kiasu in Singapore: 10 Best Kiasu Stories We Received From You

How kiasu are we? Let us count the ways. We bring you the 10 best kiasu stories we've heard, submitted by you.

Being kiasu is in our DNA. There isn’t much that will ward us off snagging the best deals, being the first in line or just getting a cheaper/free product. At the end of it, Singaporeans just want what’s best for themselves and their loved ones.

Celebrating our #KiasuAndProud moments, we ran a Facebook contest asking our fans to share their most interesting or funniest stories. We weren’t disappointed!

Watch: Ordinary Singaporean share their best kiasu stories with us

Among the many stories that were submitted, we picked 10 of the best ones. These selected winners will receive a S$50NTUC FairPrice or Cathay Movie vouchers. Follow us on Facebook to continue receiving campaign updates including giveaways, contests, quizzes and great deals on your credit cards, bank accounts, personal loans and insurance applications.

(Free) Wifi@Cafes

#1 My BFF and I love hanging out at cafes. The thing is we only go to cafes that offer free WiFi so that we can stay there for a long time and maximise our data usage at the same time!

At first, we used to jot down new locations that we found, especially those offering 1-for-1 dining or kids-eat-for-free deals, as well as the timings we had to stick to. It’s been a while since we started, and now, we have all the information at our fingertip.

- Kelvin Chow

Free Samples Go a Long Way

#2 One particularly kiasu story was when I was taking care of my toddler. I signed-up to receive free samples from all the baby formula and diaper brands. Every month, I would use the packets of milk formula and diapers that they sent for trial – this went on for quite a while!

I even started going on Carousell to search for free samples and coupons for these products that other parents wished to give away! In the long run, this amounted to quite a substantial amount of savings for our whole family that were put to better use.

- Ester Em

Our Kiasu Culture… Down Under

#3 The most kiasu thing I have ever done was to queue…for food…in Australia! I exported our kiasu brand down under and started queueing outside a McDonald’s outlet before it had opened. I thought it was quite apt as Singaporeans are renowned for being big foodies!

- Grace Soh

6 Months’ Supply of Sanitary Pads! Need We Say More?

#4 I started a bargain-hunting squad over WhatsApp. We checked out supermarket deals, contests and discounts, and shared information with one another. We always took pictures and uploaded them so we don’t forget or miss any.

Once, we ended up buying more than 6 months’ supply of sanitary pads because there was such a good promotion and we encouraged one another to stock up!

- Hwe Jun

Latest Promotion: Turn on your kiasu mode, and stand to receive up to $420 worth of rewards on your next credit card application

Friends-With-Benefits

#5 I have many friends-with-benefits relationships. They’re with my credit cards, membership cards and subscriptions! I have so many of them and just use the one that offers me the most benefits at the point of time.

I use my POSB card for grocery shopping at Sheng Siong because of the rebates. My OCBC card offers 1-for-1 dining promotions as well as discounts, which I use frequently for family meals out. I also have a miles card that allows me to accumulate miles and offers free, but basic, travel insurance at the same time.

I also keep membership cards, like NTUC, Passion card, which allow me to accumulate points and have them deducted off my total bills. And my subscriptions to online shops, airlines and merchants allow me to be the first to get to know about various promos and discounts!

- Kris Lyn

Anything for a Kiasu Cause

#6 This happened when GAP was shutting down its Vivo City store some time back. They had a massive sale of up to 70% off, and an additional 15% off for anyone buying 3 items or more.

After shopping for a really long time, I could only pick out 2 items I really liked and would fit me. Instead of shopping for the 3rd discounted outfit, I started shopping for discount buddies!

As fate would have it, I found 2 other people needed to team up as well. So, us 3 perfect strangers gathered our products and paid for it together to receive the additional 15% off. The first thing we did when we got out of the shop wasn’t to get our stuff – we immediately whipped our phones out to calculate how much each of us had to pay.

- Issa Gee

Split the Family, Double Our Lucky Draw Entry

#7 Once, when we were having dinner at a shopping mall, we split the family up into 2 tables. This was because there was a lucky draw entitling shoppers to one entry for every $50 spent.

We decided to go into the restaurant in 2 groups but sat at tables close enough to still chat and have a good time. At the end, we paid separately and got two receipts, giving us two lucky draw entries.

- Caroline Guo

Best deals and promotions: Compare credit cards, bank accounts, personal loans and insurance to get the best rewards today

“Planning In Advance”

#8 When I get wind of sales, I would go down to stores the day before right when it’s about to close. I would try on the items I want and leave them in a specific location on the racks. The next day, when the store opens, I’d rush towards my stash and be the first to buy, without even having to stand in queue!

- Regina Wong

Super(market) Lurker

#9 I consider myself a lurker! I lurk at supermarket’s hot food and sushi isles during closing hours to wait for the staff to stick “reduced to clear” price-tags on the food. Then, I quickly rush to buy them up for my dinner/supper!

- Lovinne Sham

You Can Never Have Too Many Toilet Rolls

#10 I remember rushing to 5 different supermarkets during my lunch break just to stock up on toilet paper that was on sale! I ended up going back to office really late, and bumped into my boss while I was carrying cartons of toilet roll! I was so embarrassed!

- Jasmine Hui

We’ll continue celebrating kiasu-ism by offering even better deals, promotions and freebies in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more!

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