Showing posts with label Digital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digital. Show all posts

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Smart and not-so-smart face of our smart-to-be nation

Experienced the smart and not-so-smart face of our smart-to-be nation today.

Went to NTUC at Tiong Bahru Plaza to grab an isotonic drink after a run in the afternoon. Started drinking while queuing to pay via the self-service machine. For those of you who are familiar with the self-service machine, the drill goes like this - (1) scan the item(s), (2) place the item(s) into the bag and (3) pay. Was stopped at (2) with a message that assistance is coming my way.

Weird, I thought. So it turned out that the machine detected that the isotonic drink weighted less than it was supposed to be (because I drank half of it!). According to the assistant, some customers buy 2 items but only pay for it and the machine can help to detect this! OMG - so smart right?


Decided to grab tomorrow's breakfast and I only had a credit card with me. And guess what, I did not managed to because Old Chang Kee and Four Leaves do not accept credit cards! Only NETS and cash. I thought these popular shops should have the basic credit facility! OMG - you mean I might go hungry in a smart nation?

Well, I shall not make a mountain out of a molehill. This scenario is not new. Some of the food places like food court only accept cash or their own cashless card too. And that's the time I had to dig my wallet for the notes or the coins  to pay for my food. Well, I am quite cashless these days because I want to use my credit cards to meet my minimum spending and clock points. Must make every dollar and cent spent worked harder right?

Well, it's part of the journey towards a smart nation. I guess. Some amazing discoveries and some expectations not met along the way. We will get there, slowly and surely.