ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – Amid the rows of food stalls at Singapore’s West Coast Food Centre – most featuring QR codes on their storefronts – Angie Sim’s noodle stall stands out with a “Cash Only” sign.
She is part of a group of hawkers who accept only cash for transactions, while others have embraced cashless payment methods, such as QR code payments through the Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR) platform.
“For me, using cash is easier and more convenient,” said the 65-year-old, who added that most of her customers are older, less tech-savvy, and usually carry cash.
“When I see physical cash, I feel happy,” said Sim, who has worked at the food centre with her stall partner for over 20 years.
They are among stall owners across eight hawker centres in Singapore that The Straits Times spoke to who continue to resist digital payments.
They cited reasons such as a lack of digital literacy, poor eyesight, and fear of inconveniencing customers while they struggle with devices.
They still jiggle coins and count paper notes even though more than 11,500 other hawkers have started using SGQR, a standardised QR code launched in 2018 to simplify e-payments from multiple mobile e-wallets.
On SGQR, hawkers need not pay the 0.5 per cent transaction fee for their first SGD20,000 of monthly transactions under the Hawkers Go Digital programme, which started in 2020.
On October 10, Enterprise Singapore and the Infocomm Media Development Authority said the fee waiver will be extended to end-2025, as part of a plan to get the 18,000 stallholders in government-run food centres on board with digital payments.
At ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre, a drinks stall owner in his 70s, who declined to be named, said he has trouble remembering how to navigate digital platforms due to his age.
“If I learn today, I will forget tomorrow,” he said, adding that he also has eyesight problems, and it would be difficult for him to check whether payments have gone through, especially during peak hours.
“If customers do not have cash, I will still make the drinks for them… They usually come back and pay us another time,” he said, adding that he may retire soon.
An Albert Centre Market and Food Centre drinks stall owner, who wanted to be known only as Tan, said it is “very troublesome” to use e-payment. “I still have to check if the transaction has gone through,” said Tan, who is in his 60s.
A 60-year-old vegetarian food stall owner at Alexandra Village Food Centre said she is afraid that customers may tell her the payment has gone through when it has not.
She added that most of her customers use cash, and in a day, only one or two customers will not purchase her food as they do not carry cash.
Cornelius Tan, 38, who sells cuttlefish at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, said hawkers, especially those who are more senior and detached from the digital world, may find it harder to get out of their comfort zone.
“They prefer to hold physical cash as they feel comfortable and safe, knowing nothing can go wrong when the cash is with them,” said Tan, who is chairman of the Chinatown Complex Hawkers’ Association. “It gives them a sense of security.”
Some have also been put off by latency issues where the transaction takes some time to go through, especially during peak hours, he said.
But those who have gone digital say e-payments are convenient. Some even reported an increase in sales, particularly from younger customers.
Madeline Chen, who operates a stall on her own said digital payment reduces the hassle of handling cash, especially when she is busy.
“Some of my regulars even took a photo of my SGQR and pay me before they come to pick up their food,” said the 46-year-old.
