Tips To Maximise Your Savings At Giant

Giant often comes across as the supermarket that provides the best value for money in Singapore. With daily promotions, exclusive giveaways for its members and the highest discount for Seniors Citizens, Giant’s customers undoubtedly get the best bang for their buck. We are letting you in on the best tips to maximise your savings when shopping at Singapore’s best value supermarket!

The first order of business is to join the Giant Super Savers Club (GSSC) for free and receive instant rewards! Members gain first-hand access to promotion news before everyone else does! Enjoy member exclusive discounts on selected items and earn points in exchange for exciting deals! Do you know that members previously received a free pair of movie tickets just by spending $52 in a single receipt? How awesome was that!

Be rewarded for bringing a senior citizen in your household out for grocery shopping. Every Tuesday, Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents aged above 60 years enjoy 3% off their purchases storewide! Giant offers the BEST Senior Citizen deal in town because there is no limit on the total amount of purchase. Another incredible tip is that Seniors can double down on their savings by earning TapForMore points when they tap their Passion Cards.

Do you know that you can try standout products at amazing prices in Giant? Look out for items marked “Top Picks” as these have been specially selected by Giant for customers to enjoy high-quality premium products. Go ahead and try because there is a 7-day money-back-guarantee if customers are not satisfied with the product!

Don’t forget to check out Giant’s Dare To Compare since it guarantees the best prices for shoppers. For these products, feel assured that you will ALWAYS be paying the lowest possible price at Giant! That is because Giant will double the difference if it fails to deliver on this promise.

Even if you are buying promotion items, do not assume that you cannot earn bonus points! Simply tap your Passion Cards to earn 1 TapforMore point for every $1 spent at Giant. Since 150 TapForMore Points = $1 off, getting doubly rewarded means even more savings for Giant’s customers.

The final measure to maximise your savings would be to pay with the UOB Delight Card to earn up to 8% cash rebate. UOB Delight Card holders enjoy a further 10% discount for over 4000 products under Giant Housebrand & Giant Top Picks. They also receive complimentary home delivery with a minimum of $150 spend at Giant Hypermarkets. In this way, you can save the transport cost (more savings!) and never have to worry about carrying these heavy groceries home. A must-have credit card if you are tasked with getting the groceries from Giant in your household!

Promotional deals are updated on Giant’s website at 2359hrs daily. Always be sure to take advantage of the crazy promotions rolled out by Giant. Don’t say bojio.

Read More...

Samsung’s Most Expensive Flop

Considered as one of the biggest product failures of all time, Samsung Galaxy Note7 floats on the same boat as Apple Lisa (1983) and Ford Pinto (1971). It started off as a promising product with special features such as iris scanner, improved S-pen, expanded internal storage, and 5.70-inch touchscreen display. It was supposed to be Samsung’s answer to its rival Apple’s iPhone 7.

It quickly became a fiery disaster when a number of Note7 devices either emitted smoke or caught on fire. These reported cases resulted to injuries and property damage. In October 2016, Singapore Airlines announced that passengers were not allowed to bring their Note7 device on both carry-on and checked-in baggage due to fire hazard. Other international airlines (e.g., Virgin Australia and Air Berlin) followed suit.

Having massive companies ban the device only highlighted its cautionary tale. Samsung needed to clean up their act! They started replacing the first batch with a “less combustible” substitutes. However, that did not work too!

Samsung learned its lesson – the hard way. Recalling the Note7 was so costly that operating profit for the company fell 30 percent to about US$4.57 billion. Needless to say, Note7 wiped out 13.5% of its market share or about US$17 billion off the company’s market value.

THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

Samsung conducted an in-depth study to investigate the downfall of Note7. Seven hundred dedicated staff were accompanied by three laboratories: UL, Exponent, and TUV Rheinland. These people tested 30,000 batteries and 200,000 devices before coming to its conclusions.

Firstly, there was a manufacturing defect in the corner of the batteries. A particular flaw made the electrodes prone to bending. This could lead to a short-circuit in the battery itself. It was responsible for some of the reported fires. This was the problem in the first batch of batteries, which Samsung reported that it would replace.

Secondly, it started switching production from one battery manufacturer to another. There may be some welding problems that occurred.

Lastly, some of the issues were possibly tied to the lack of insulation tape. These insulation tapes should have been shipped standard on the hardware, but were not.

THE ESSENCE OF THE STORY

This setback illustrates how complex it is to create a smartphone. The problem came down to a short-circuit flaw and to an ambitious pursuit to take a share from Samsung’s primary competitor.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

We learned that success takes time. It is important to carefully inspect every aspect of product development before setting a launch date. Otherwise, you will feel pressured to meet the deadlines and to rush through the vital steps. Same goes for other areas of your career.

Sources: 1,2,3,4, & 5

Read More...

How To Spot A Counterfeit Designer Bag

Aside from owning luxury watches, one expensive hobbies that many Singaporeans partake in is collecting designer bags. Times have changed and fake designer bags are becoming harder to spot.

Consider these warning signs before purchasing a new bag:

DOES THE HISTORY CHECK OUT?

The first step to filtering out a counterfeit bag from a real one is to do your research. Familiarize yourself with the brand and the specific product that you want to purchase. If possible, inspect the overall craftsmanship of the product in person. Look at the hardware, material, shape, logo, and stitching. Go to the online forums to learn more about the specific history of a product.

For instance, Chanel stopped gold plating their hardware beyond 2009. This information is crucial. If you are interested to purchase a 2007 flap bag with gold hardware then, it should be plated.

IS IT MADE OF PREMIUM LEATHER?

No matter how much you try…you cannot fake leather! Leather items have a distinct smell and texture. If it smells like chemicals or glue, skip it. Premium leather should feel like it is soft yet dry.

How about for leather straps or handles? After a few weeks of wearing the bag, you may notice a slight discoloration of the straps or handles. This is normal. Fake leather handles will remain unchanged and shiny!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Do not forget to study the cut of the leather too. Gucci bags will have the same cut of leather, especially around the interior zippered pocket.

DOES THE STITCHING SEEM UNEVEN OR SLANTED?

Sloppy stitching has no place in the luxury book. Notice how your new bag is stitched. Uneven, frayed, or slanted stitching is a sign of a poorly made item. It can potentially be a counterfeit!

You see, brands are known for owning specific stitching codes. These codes are key indicators of the product’s authenticity. For instance, Hermès’ famous stitches are handmade by craftsmen (or piqures sellier).

IS IT TOO LIGHT?

Notice the weight of the product. Quality hardware are typically made of metals such as gold and brass, which will not tarnish over a period of time. These metals are heavier than the metals found in the fake items. Furthermore, they do not show any imperfections.

It is important to note that counterfeit products are getting more sophisticated nowadays. Since some of them are using real metals, weight should not be your only determining factor.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

If you are not comfortable with distinguishing a real bag from a fake one then, you may seek help from professional sources. Interestingly, there are companies that offer authentication services through a photograph that you will send.

Sources: 1 & 2

Read More...

Credit Card With Best Sign-Up Bonuses

There are many benefits to having and using a credit card. From enjoying cashback and discounts to chalking up air miles for your next holiday, the credit savvy are charging everything to their credit card.

When used wisely, it could actually help you save money while letting you enjoy the perks exclusive to the cardholders.

And for a limited time only, receive up to $500 cash, vouchers, cash backs and more when you apply for any of the selected credit cards before 30 November 2018.


Read More...

Debunking The Myths On Frugality

Do you seek to attain financial independence? Well, you may consider taking “frugality” at heart. Frugality is the quality of being thrifty, prudent, or economical in the consumption of consumable resources (e.g., food). This quality is embodies while avoiding waste and extravagance.

For people who are mystified by this term, keep reading along.

MYTH #1: FRUGAL PEOPLE HAVE NO CHOICE

For a fortunate number of people, frugality is a choice. They see frugality as a method to create a strong link between time, labor, and money. Every purchase represents the time and effort they have spent working. It is a conscious decision to plan ahead for their short-term and long-term financial goals.

MYTH #2: FRUGAL PEOPLE ARE CHEAP

On the surface, people may assume that frugality and cheapness are one and the same. Similarities may be present, but these two are entirely different characteristics. A frugal person sees the best value for his or her money. While, a cheap person focuses on the lowest price.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Say that you are grocery shopping for the entire family. A frugal person will use accumulated coupons and purchase items that are only on his or her shopping list. On the other hand, a cheap person will highly decline to spend more than S$50 on a week’s groceries.

MYTH #3: FRUGAL PEOPLE NEVER SPLURGE

Even frugal Millennials splurge from time to time! When you are able to skip on things that are not essential to your lifestyle, you will be able to free up more money for the things that are important to you. It’s a no brainer! For instance, I spend most of my money on quality food and cosmetics.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Frugality is not all about self-sacrifice. If you are skilled in long-term savings, you may choose to spend the excess on something that you deem to be priceless. Personally, catching a sunset in Santorini sounds like a great idea to me!

Read More...