Great Singapore Sale

Call the Great Singapore Sale (GSS) madness, ecstatic, thrilled, exhausted and delightful. These wholesome mixed emotions have been encircling the soul and mind of my friends, Pete and Christina, when their visit to Singapore happened to coincide with the Great Singapore Sale.

From the moment they stepped down from Changi Airport, they were overwhelmed by the mood of festive shopping in this tiny island. The epidemic spilled from the shopping district of Orchard Road (downtown area) and Marina Promenade to the outskirt of the city and into the neighbourhood of Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio and Tampines.

“It’s really contagious!” Christina exclaimed. “Everywhere is having sales!”

Christina’s husband Pete initial skepticism was really a BIG doubt! “What sales? It’s just another of those gimmicks by the retailers to mark up the prices high and then giving out big discount!” Pete lamented. “Overstock goods and cheap quality products left to clear or perhaps out-dated products!” waving his index finger to his wife not to believe in such marketing ploy.

But the scale of the event took everyone of us by surprise, including me. When we drove into the heart of the city, busy shoppers, with their hands full of branded carrier bags, hurried and scuffled along the famous street of Orchard Road. They risked their lives crossing menacingly across the congested road (with cars already being squeezed in bumper to bumper) and headed straight into the main entrance of the already jam packed shopping entrance – there must be a big sales going on there.

Needless to mention the whole tiny island of Singapore was overflowed with sales. Ludicrous discount, rock bottom prices and unbelievable price tags were flashed everywhere. Somehow you just had to convince yourself that the whole episode was real, you just had to join in the fun. And Pete’s wife, Christina, sure did…

The Great Singapore Sale event is co-organised by the Singapore Tourist Board together with the retailers to promote Singapore as a shopping paradise. It seemed my friends were completely oblivious to this region’s popular event. The eagerly anticipated annual event will last about 8 weeks (between June to July).

The place – Orchard road – will turn into an infectious shopping paradise with offerings of huge discount. Almost all retail outlets in the tiny city will participate in this mega event. Shopping centers, hotel chains, restaurant joints, and places of attraction will be dishing out bargains to entice you.

Pete, even complained to me their original itineraries was messed up! His wife wanted to devote more time on shopping instead of sight-seeing. He was really in a limbo as he now needed to extend his stay and extend his credit limit (he would probably have to sleep on the street and starve if he didn’t).

This annual shopping event always attracts locals and tourists who love shopping to spend Big. But I would say that tourists coming to Singapore at this period will have a greater advantage. I was told that tourists can apply for a tourist Privilege Card in the Singapore Visitor Centre to allow them to enjoy fantastic discount. They can even make full use of the card to gain entry to Singapore Zoo, Duck Tours and other places of interest.

I wasted no time to inform Pete and Christina about this special treatment that they could enjoy. There are also airlines and hotels that have made special arrangement like the special airfares and tour packages to coincide with the Great Singapore Sale. Alas! It was too late for my friends…they had already booked and made their own arrangement.

Most shops will extent their operating hours to the late nights during the Great Singapore Sale. This will allow shoppers to have more time and shop in a more relax manner, instead of hurrying and being force to miss out on their schedule. Christina even boasted about how she enjoyed the free body and foot massage given to her (located at the Tourism board visitor lounge in Orchard Road) after a long day shopping trip. “How thoughtful!” grinned Christina.

However, my friend, Pete, was visibly upset when he complained to me the long queues in getting a taxi. With their hands tight and full of shopping bags they didn’t enjoy the wait. It left a sour experience in those enjoyable moments of shopping. In the end, they cautioned me… better to dial a cab, spend a little to make the whole shopping trip more enjoyable.

After having extended another week stay of the original 4 days trip, Pete, left the country broke and dried, but was amazed at how the Singapore Tourism Board could galvanize the retailers to make the Great Singapore Sale so successful. As for Christina, she left the country with great satisfaction at the expense of his husband…she even did a last minute duty free shopping in the Changi Airport before flying off.