Sim Lim Square
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| Facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Rochor Canal Road, Rochor Planning Area, Singapore |
| Opening date | 1987 |
| No. of stores and services | 150 |
| No. of floors | 6 with 2 basements |
| Website | Official website |
Sim Lim Square (Chinese: 森林广场), commonly referred to as SLS, is an established 390,000 square feet (36,000 m2) commercial shopping centre specialising in electronics and IT Products in Singapore[1], and is generally regarded in modern day Singaporean culture as perhaps the most established "IT mall" compared to its closest competitors. Popular with both tourists and locals[2], CNET Asia has called it the "electronics hub of Singapore". [3]
Located at 1 Rochor Canal Road, Singapore, SLS is opposite to historic features such as the Little India district and is footsteps away from one of the earliest HDB developments. SLS is accessible via MRT at Bugis or Little India MRT Stations.
Sim Lim Square stands out by offering greater range and variety of a single product, compared to the more streamlined arrangement found in electronic malls such as Funan DigitaLife Mall.
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[edit] Product partitioning
The six-storey complex is equally partitioned for different lines of products. Stores on the first storey are commonly called the “Tourist Trap” by locals in the Tekka district, due to their preference for tourists, who are argued to have no specific knowledge in the local currency, and thus willing to pay more; the first storey collates the consumer electronics stores, such as DV camcorders, mobile phones, compact digital cameras.
Pro-AV equipment providers occupy the first level. That also include several stores that cater to high quality, yet low-cost home entertainment products, such as home theater systems. Consumer-graded digital SLR camera dealers are partitioned in this storey as well. Although Sim Lim Square vendors collectively offer a wide range of electronics, many retailers in the past have been accused of selling inauthentic or unlicensed items, misleading consumers, and overcharging for certain products or bundles. [4]
Most IT-related products providers or dealers are found on the third to fifth storeys; most of the stores offer reasonably-priced IT-hardware. The top few storeys are also a haven for competitively priced consumer and high-end laptop and tablet PCs. Throughout the years, SLS has garnered reputation for offering competitive prices despite its cluttered and seemingly disorganized layout. Sim Lim Square is often the venue of choice for locals, and establishes its position via word-of-mouth.
Retailers in Sim Lim Square are known to get by with the aid of a thin marginal profit, and rely on high turnover for earnings. Rent for retailers in the mall has doubled for the past 1.5 years, making it comparable to retail space of those along Orchard Road. [5] During the late 1990s, the mall was flooded with as many as 20 stores dedicated to selling pirated software and movies. Towards the end of the century, however, the government's actions against piracy removed all of them.[1]
[edit] Scam Tactics
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This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (December 2008) |
Due to stiff competition and rising rental prices, more shops in Sim Lim Square now resort to scam tactics to reap higher profits. The unwary shopper might fall into the traps of these unscrupulous sellers.[6]
[edit] No Pricetag Scam
Products without a pricetag are subjected to varying quotes from the seller. The seller will judge how the buyer approaches them before quoting a price - usually higher than stores displaying pricetags. Sellers will also try to convince the buyer after a bargaining session that the price they offer are the best by making the conversation seem secretive.
[edit] Goods and Services Tax (GST) Scam
In this scam, sellers would first quote potential buyers a price and then just before the buyer makes the payment they'd tell the buyer that they'll need to pay 7% GST on top of the quoted price. Most people would take this as something that they have no choice but to pay for. However, this is not true.
GST registration is not mandatory for all shops in Singapore; GST registration is only mandatory if the turnover of a business entity exceeds S$1m annually. A proper GST registered retailer is also required to quote prices inclusive of GST during a sale and at the same reflect their GST registration number prominently on the sales invoices along with the exact amount of GST paid.
[edit] Missing Component Scam
In this scam, the seller would quote the buyer a price that seemed either unbelievably cheap or very reasonable. After the buyer makes the purchase, the seller would then ask the buyer if he/she would like to purchase an accessory that would otherwise have been bundled with the product.
For example, if a buyer is making a purchase for an Apple iPod, a seller using this tactic may inform the buyer after a purchase transaction that they'd have to buy the USB data cable. Without the data cable, the buyer can neither charge nor sync the iPod and is thus forced to make the purchase.
[edit] Counterfeit Scam
This largely applies for software, but also to hardware at times. In early 2008, some SLS shops were busted by the police for selling counterfeit copies of Microsoft Windows.[7]
Many stores are also selling counterfeit copies of the popular Apple iPod music players. They have the same packaging, material, shape and even colour choices. But what's inside of these Chinese "MP4" players are nothing like a real iPod.
[edit] Top-up Scam
In this scam, the seller would convince the buyer to purchase something that he/she would later find to be unsatisfactory (e.g. faulty) and then offer the buyer a top-up for a pricier product.
Note that SLS shops usually do not allow the buyer to test a brand new unit unless they commit to buy it.
Also, unlike large stores like Harvey Norman, most SLS stores do not have a refund policy. In fact, it is almost impossible for these small shops to honour a refund policy due to the way their business operates with cash stock. So before making payment, buyers should insist that they test the product. If it's a product that can't be tested (such as RAM or hard drive), make very sure that it's covered by a manufacturer's warranty, not the store's own warranty!
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Where geeks roam - Funan v Sim Lim, Alfred Siew, Digital Life on Singapore's 25 Years of Computerisation (The Straits Times), October 10 2006, p 14-15.
- ^ Oakley, Mat (February 2006). Lonely Planet Singapore (7th Edition ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 1-74059-857-1.
- ^ "CNET Asia". ""Notebook Price Watch"". http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/hardware/notebooks/0,39001749,39219594,00.htm.
- ^ Computer Times (November 5, 2003). "Wading in an IT jungle". AsiaOne. http://computertimes.asia1.com.sg/specials/story/0,5104,1553,00.html.
- ^ Crunch time as rents rise for Sim Lim Square shops, Alfred Siew, The Straits Times, October 16 2006, p3.
- ^ "I'm not visiting Sim Lim Square ever again". December 9, 2008. http://detach.qqblogs.com/blog.php?entry=15591.
- ^ "High-end fake software seized in raid". April 26, 2008. http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_231233.html. Retrieved on 30 December 2008.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Daily Computer Parts Price Update from Sim Lim Square
- Computer Price List updated weekly
- SLS Bargains/Service Discussions
