People this year are RICH! I tell yah... RICH!
By ahgong
@ahgong (10064)
Singapore
January 13, 2012 12:35am CST
As with most people celebrating Chinese New Year, I did my pilgrimage to the bank in the hope of getting new notes for the money I am preparing for the red packets.
When I reached the bank, the queue had already snaked outside the branch.
For those who do not know, red packets are little red envelope of money that married people give out to the singles, the old and the young to spread wealth to signify starting the year with wealth.
Anyways, my main gripe is this. This activity is a yearly affair. And banks oughtta know roughly how much new notes they have to carry in order to satisfy the needs of its customers.
Imagine, I went to the bank, queued for 30 mins only to reach the middle of the queue to be told by the service staff that was randomly serving customers in the queue that the larger denominations of notes are out of stock!
I am talking about $100 and $50 notes! Out of stock!
Even the $10 ones are no more!
Sheez~~~! And I am not even seeking to change a lot. Just a few pieces for the special relative I want to give to.
"$100 and $50 note got no stock sir"
"Then why the heck did you not put out a notice at the bank entrance to inform people!"
"We do sir, the note is at the counter"
I turned to look, and scanned for quite a while before I see an A5 piece of paper with fonts, like size 9 or 10.
And I was thinking... !(*@)(#*!@)$*... such a small piece of notice, a person queuing at the end of the queue that starts outside the bank branch will NEVER notice till he is very close to the counter!
"Like that call put up a notice ah? I queue like half an hour only to find out there is no notes available for exchange?!? You put that notice on the counter for who to see?"
"We did put a notice sir. So sorry that you did not see it"
I was pissed!
At the same time amazed! People are giving out $100 and $50 dollar red packets this year! I sure the hell hope that I get some of those!
2 people like this
9 responses
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
17 Jan 12
lol :D I guess i won't have the luck to receive such a big ang bao when my biggest among relatives is only $10! haha 
My mom also went to change some new notes at the back and she's lucky she doesn't have to wait long. I guess some change stacks of hundreds or fifties so that it's not too heavy or thick, compared to those smaller notes? I used to change at Standard chartered bank, and they usually have lots for exchange 
My mom also went to change some new notes at the back and she's lucky she doesn't have to wait long. I guess some change stacks of hundreds or fifties so that it's not too heavy or thick, compared to those smaller notes? I used to change at Standard chartered bank, and they usually have lots for exchange 1 person likes this
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
14 Jan 12
Personally I doubt if people give 100 and 50 dollar red packets. If a bank would tell me it's out of stock my first thought would be: you just did not order enough of them.
And I strongly believe this is the case (and also a great way to force the customers to order some other notes.. good for the economy).
1 person likes this
@choybel (5042)
• Philippines
13 Jan 12
You could have taken it to the manager or somebody who is charge and give them a piece of your mind. It might not be that big a deal, but I know how you feel.
Anyway, I have heard this tradition and have seen it in occasions as my place have many Chinese people. I do hope that I get to receive one, too, although I'm not Chinese.
1 person likes this
@yanzalong (18988)
• Indonesia
13 Jan 12
If I were you, I'd've been mad, too. They should have told people to stop queueing. It was only a waste of time, wasn't it. Did you complain to the bank manager in charge?
Well, the chinese new year is approaching. The people are getting busy with their preparation to welcome the celebration. What is significant is that the habit of giving out money. This does not necessarily follow that those who give out money are rich. They do the best they can to get the money to be distributed in the Chinese New Year Celebration.
1 person likes this
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
16 Jan 12
Yeah... I was ranting more on the shortage of notes and made to queue for nothing!
Complaining to the manager in charge is only gonna make the day worst!
All I did was to tell the customer service officer to make sure they put up a BIG sign to inform the world that they ran out of note!
Amazing! Just one day after they made announcements that they have the notes for exchange, the next day it is all gone!
@succeednow (1633)
• Singapore
13 Jan 12
Hi ahgong,
I can understand your frustration. It's no fun queuing for nothing. I'm sure you can better use your time than to stand in line with nothing to do, nothing interesting to see. What you could have done is to come back and write the bank a 'nice' letter explaining the situation and maybe asked for 'compensation' for wasting your time. Hopefully they'll then learn and improve on their customer service.
Anyway when I go to the bank to get new notes and if I see a long queue I would go and ask first before I start queuing. Somehow I cannot trust them to 'inform' the customers that they have run out of 'new money'. Just my habit I guess. Have a nice day.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
16 Jan 12
Compensation? here? In Singapore?
hmm... not likely to happen lah!
The thing is this. When I joined the queue, the Customer Service Officer was randomly picking people to ask if they are exchanging notes. Then she filled up a form and brought it into the office (I am assuming that she is preparing the denominations to speed up the processing time).
And then she disappeared for quite a while.
I am not wrong to assume that there are notes to exchange since she is asking and going to the back office to prepare them.
No where was there any hints that only $2 notes are available!
That is why I was so mad!
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
13 Jan 12
I am not surprise at all as many people think that the more you give the more you receive especially during auspicious occasion like CNY. Even during christmas my mother has overturned tradition of giving gifts, instead she distributed RM100 each to all her 25 grandchildren minus her children. She considered us too old to get 'angpows'. And getting $100 sing dollar as angpow would surely send everyone smiling broadly.
1 person likes this
@bluerhapsody (161)
•
13 Jan 12
What?!? I did not know there was this kind of ritual every Chinese New Year for banks! I wonder if my bank gave some green today...
1 person likes this
