UOB, DBS, Citibank, HSBC, SG50 notes and the folders!

I was actually quite happy to wait until the fervour dampens before going to get my share of the SG50 notes. Then, a reader posted this on my FB wall:

OMG! Like this also can? Are the folders made of some precious metals? Is our country's budget in such a bad shape that we could not produce more folders? Must we get the President to unlock our national reserves to do this?

Anyway, not to take any chances, I took leave from work and went to a shopping mall where I knew I could find a few of the banks which are doing the exchange of notes.

I went to UOB. "Sorry, sir, we are out of the folders."

I went to DBS. "Sorry, sir, we are out of the folders."

I went to Citibank and got quite an experience.

Bank officer (and let's just refer to him as "BO" for the sake of economy and not because he was giving off some repulsive aroma): "Are you a CitiGold member?"

AK: No. I just want to change some SG50 notes and get the folders.

BO: Are you a Citibank savings account holder?

AK: No. I have a Citibank credit card though.

BO: Sorry, you must have at least a Citibank savings account to exchange for the SG50 notes.

AK: ....... (OMG! KNS! Simi LJ?!)

If I wasn't in such a rush to go to HSBC to try my luck next, I would have given the BO a piece of my mind!

I did a piece for my imaginary GE rally in the last blog post. This time, it is a piece for my imaginary speech in Hong Lim Park:

"The SG50 notes (and the folders) are produced by our country and Singaporeans have priority to get these. The SG50 notes (and the folders) are not owned by Citibank! They are here because of taxpayers' money!

"What do they mean I couldn't get the SG50 notes at their branches because of some house rules they came up with? I just had to produce my IC and they should allow me to get the SG50 notes!

"No wonder people call them "Shittybank". That's it lah. I am cancelling my Citibank credit card. They can stuff the card up their XXX where the Sun doesn't shine.

"If they tidak kamwan to do this, don't. Otherwise, make sure to do it in the right spirit and that is to serve all Singaporeans equally and whole heartedly.

"Simi Shittygold customer or Shittybank savings account customer then can be eligible. Pui! Just because of what happened today, I will never ever be a Shittygold customer!"

Crossing fingers, I went to HSBC. "Sir, please fill up this form and join the queue. Folders are still available."

Wah! WAH! WAAAAH! Happy like don't know what!

I saw people who were already holding two folders in their hands in the queue in front of me. So, it is true that some people just keep rejoining the queues. Alamak!

Then, I heard the teller advising one such person that as it was her second time collecting the folders, she would not be getting the folders the third time. Good on you, HSBC!

After today's experience, HSBC has been upgraded a couple of notches in "AK's Bank Ranking Table". Citibank has been downgraded to a level so low in a chasm that we would need a searchlight to see even a hint of them. DBS and UOB, ok lah, since this is SG50, I "pang chance" the two of you.

Hey, you say simi? Simi nepotism?

So, if you are a Singaporean, don't think you have plenty of time to get the folders. Go and do the Singaporean thing now.

30 minutes in the queue to get these at HSBC.

I just got this SMS from a friend a while ago:

Go and queue now. Now, I tell you. Now! Otherwise, you will have 50 years to repent.

Related post:
Could long queues for SG50 notes have been avoided?

20 million pieces of $50 notes and 75 million pieces of $10 notes. (Could the long queues for SG50 notes have been avoided?)

Unless you don't read or watch the news, you would know that there are special SG50 notes available for purchase from today onwards. They are available at branches of nine major retails banks:

DBS Bank and POSB

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation

United Overseas Bank

Citibank

Standard Chartered Bank

Bank of China

HSBC

Malayan Banking Berhad

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

I didn't know that ICBC was a major retail bank in Singapore. Well, now, I know.

Wait! Before you rush to purchase these special SG50 notes, look at this:

I was on my way to buy lunch at a food centre when I walked past this UOB branch. 

OMG! Are they giving away special SG50 Hello Kitty toys as well?

Apparently, this is happening island wide and some of the queues started forming at 6am in the morning! 

Despite advice from the government not to rush for the notes, the kiasu mentality of Singaporeans' cannot be suppressed. Hey, I am not being derisive here hor. I am Singaporean too.

I would like to say that this kiasu mentality is part of being Singaporean and the government should have taken this into consideration when deciding on how to get this done without long queues forming. 

Not only are the queues a waste of time, they also show the not so nice side of us Singaporeans. This is the truth lah. Hurts a bit is normal lah. Laugh! Laugh now! Laugh at ourselves now! See, OK liao! So simple!




This is where AK says something to make a bid at being elected a Member of Parliament at the next General Election. This is what AK would say during his campaign rally:

"A way to avoid such a situation is to send out letters to each Singaporean household and to let them know that Singaporeans have priority and with that letter, they are assured of at least 5 sets per household. They could make an appointment to exchange for the new notes at a local retail bank of their choice before the end of the year. After which, the notes will be available to other interested parties. Is this so difficult to do? Seriously."

There, any reasonable person would be able to tell that AK is MP material after this.

Anyway, according to the MAS, they have produced some 20 million sets of the SG50 notes. So, really, if you are thinking of rushing down to join a queue because the notes might run out, I don't think you have to worry.

"A total of 20 million pieces of $50 notes and 75 million pieces of $10 notes - 15 million pieces of each design - will be printed." Source: The Straits Times.

More importantly, what did I have for lunch?

The queue was rather short. Thank goodness.

UPDATE - 29 Sep 15:

I tried my luck at balloting for some uncut sheets of limited edition SG50 notes and I got a sheet of $50 and a sheet of $10 notes!

Special serial numbers for the limited edition notes.
The note on the left is a regular SG50 $50 note.

There are only 50 sheets per design for the uncut $10.
So, I feel really very lucky to get a sheet through balloting!

Related post:
McDonald's Black Kitty.
What? You don't think this is related? OK lor.