Research: Shopping in Singapore

Modern Singapore!

Everyone loves shopping. Every year millions of tourists come to Singapore to shop! Orchard road is the most popular places tourist like to go. Singapore is one of Asia’s most

sophisticated yet a year-round shopping paradise, the best time to visit is during its annual

eight-week Great Singapore Sale when all kinds of discounts and deals pop up island-wide

 from late May through July.

 Electronic Tourist Refund Scheme

As a tourist in Singapore, you may claim a refund on the seven percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) paid on your purchases made at participating retail shops when you leave Singapore and bring your purchases home. Simply spend SGD100 or more to qualify. A handling fee for the refund service may be deducted from the GST amount.

To attract even more tourist to come to Singapore the government implemented the

Electronic tourist refund scheme! Tourists can get back the GST they paid at the departure

hall at the airport. From 21 January 2013, tourists who are departing from Singapore on an

international cruise via Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore and the International Passenger

Terminal at HarbourFront Centre will also get their tax refund. This will attract more tourists

as they can shop more for a lower price!

Most common area tourists like to go is Orchard Road. Orchard Road is a one-stop shopping area as many shopping malls are situated there. Like ion orchard, 313 somerset, orchard

Central etc. Tourists can buy their branded good at shops like LV, Gucci, Dior and Channel.

All these shops can be found in Ion orchard. The transport is also very convenient so the

tourist can shop with ease.

My opinion

I feel that “shopping” is indeed a modern Singapore’s identity.

Not only does this boosts Singapore’s identity but it also promotes Singapore so more

people will consider migrating to Singapore. This will increase our population(which

s currently a big issue!) as well. One stone kill two birds! Singapore government should

continue to invest in the shopping districts so that it is even more convenient and interesting.

To find out more (well u should haha) ... visit these sites! (they are also my sources!)

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/shopping%20in%20singapore

http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/plan-your-trip/travel-essentials/tax-refund.html

http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/browse/shopping/shopping-in-singapore/orchard-road.html

HAHA ITS 12AM OPPS.

-sleepy lisa :( -

Interview #6: Lin Wei, Interview #7: Siyana, Khadija and Shivanne

Interview #6:

What does the Singaporean identity mean to you? No originality, creative in some aspects as we depend quite a bit on our economy for trade so... and  they are creative in incentives. Do you think it is important to have a national identity? Maybe, not really because you have to face the fact that Singapore are with immigrants. Even if we have an identity, they may not respect it and there is no point of having a national identity. But we still have things like communicating in English.  What do you think- How o the foreigners view our national identity? Although they may think it's something stupid, it has been part of our tradition so yea... since they don't even understand it. Are you proud of being a Singaporean? Because it's known as a safe place and urbanized but we still have our own areas where we still have our own work-life balance.  Does being Singaporean mean you have  to be born and bred here? No, it's all about your heart and you may be a foreigner but since you have been here for so long, you know how Singapore works so you still feel like a Singaporean.

Interview #7: Siyana, Khadija and Shivanne

What does the Singaporean identity mean to you? Singlish. Because it's unique to Singaporean, Is it a good representative of Singapore? No not really, because it's rubbish. They won't really like Singlish. Why do you think Singlish developed in Singapore? Because we have so many languages in Singapore. If you take CSP, you will realize Singlish has a lot of Chinese in it. Do you think it's important to have a national identity? Yes, but if it is something that reflects bad on the country, what is the point of having it in the first place? Is there anything good about Singapore? Being clean and green. But it's really the cleaners...but the cleaners are Singaporean. What do you think the foreigners think of the Singaporean identity? Impressed especially because of the clean and green reputation. Does being Singaporean mean you have  to be born and bred here? Yes, because if you still feel attached to your own homeland even after migrating to Singapore. It's more about your emotions.

Interview #5: Ms Liu :)

What does the Singaporean identity mean to you? A sense of  pride and belonging to the country. Why? Our country has done very well, very prosperous. Why did our country prosper? Because we were a fishing village and then now we are a metropolis. I think LKY helped the country a lot, our govt is not corrupt, it's stable. What can be changed in our society? I think we are too diverse, leads to a lot of contentions. Why do you think diversity is a big problem? Because we need to learn to see eye to eye, many Singaporeans argue a lot. For example, we are already a very diverse society now with even more races coming in, Singaporeans are feeling like they do not belong in this country. Maybe, it's because their voices are not heard. Do you think that due to our diversity we do not have an actual identity? No, I disagree. I think we are unique in the sense that we live in HDB blocks, in a lot of countries, they just have their own private homes. It kind of originated from the Kampong spirit, community spirit, everyone was close to their neighbours, although now we are not as close as we were before. Why do you say that we are not close anymore? Because now the only reason why you meet nowadays with their neighbours is during Chinese New Year or Hari Raya and Deepavali. Are you close to your neighbours? Yes, quite. I would give my keys to my neighbours, I trust them that much. Once, I forgot my keys and my neighbours were Japanese and they allowed me in their home to relax. So, what exactly is the Singaporean identity? Love for food, especially for different cuisines, very integral part for every society but more so in the Singaporean society. Multi-racial society, non-corrupted government and the kampong spirit which is still there.Is it important to have a national identity? So that people feel like they belong and they are rooted to one place. Is the government doing enough to make Singaporeans feel Singaporean enough? Have a lot of events going on, especially national day with the same songs playing every year and a new song every year. I guess people become more bonded when there are shared activities. How do you think the foreigners think of our Singaporean identity- kiasu, complaining? They find us amusing. We speak with a very weird accent, which is not British or American. What kind of impression does this create? They still like our country. I think they still like us a lot because a lot of foreign men still marry Singaporean women. We are educated people and they find our country very efficient. The benefits outweigh the demerits. What is good about Singaporeans? We are hospitable people, most of us are open-minded as we are accepting of foreigners. Does Singaporean mean you have to be born and bred here? No, people can easily learn how  we speak so no.

Research: What the government has done to make Singapore a better place to live in

What has the government done to make our society a better place to live in now?

1)      The government has not been corrupt so people are satisfied with the government and there aren’t any riots and demonstrations in the country.

2)      The government has conserved land for parks and for recreational purposes which encourages the people to enjoy outdoor life instead of staying in the office, Singapore now being a ‘Garden City’ is a pleasant place for people to live in.

3)      The government has ensured that all contagious diseases and viruses are kept out of the country by having strict policies about people coming in a leaving the country during H1N1 for example. This prevents Singapore from being an “unclean” country, thus making Singapore a safer and better place to live in.

4)      Singapore being a multi-religious and multi-racial country has many different festivals. The government has taken all these festivals seriously and with an open-heart. The government has set a good example of having racial harmony and learning to accept people of different backgrounds and ethnicity. Thus people live harmoniously together.

5)      The government ensures that the law is put to place and taken seriously.

6)      The government has ensured that healthcare environment is clean, efficient and safe for people to enjoy the best healthcare.

~Inez