Retailers, wholesalers face logistical challenges halfway through beverage container return scheme transition period

For beverage distributor Mohammad & Brothers at Desker Road, a 43-year-old worker, who declined to be named, said staff often relied on experience and memory to distinguish where the old and new inventory were placed in storage. Only about 10 per cent of its current inventory carries the BCRS deposit mark.

The store has no formal inventory system to keep track of stock.

“I know which one is the S$0.10. When I keep here I know, because every day (I am) here,” he said.

It’s a similar case for Ah Yeow provision shop in Serangoon, which said only its 100Plus and 100Plus Zero products carried the deposit mark for now.

Shop assistant Loh Kah Tin said manually adding the deposit charge in the store’s point-of-sale system was manageable as only limited products currently carried the deposit mark.

However, she acknowledged that it would become more challenging for staff members to remember which products required the deposit as more BCRS stock arrived.

Anecdotally, there have also been instances of customers who are mistakenly charged the deposit for beverages that were ineligible for BCRS.

In May, a FairPrice hawker stall at Our Tampines Hub Hawker Centre mistakenly applied the deposit to a beverage that did not carry the deposit mark, according to a Reddit forum user who posted about the incident.

Confirming the incident, a FairPrice Group spokesperson said the charge was “immediately stopped” and that the group contacted the affected customer to issue a refund.

“This was an isolated case and we are working directly with our tenants and stakeholders to ensure full compliance with BCRS requirements through better education and ongoing guidance,” the spokesperson said.

Online platforms, such as Shopee, have also seen instances of incorrect BCRS deposit charges.

The merchant involved in one such case, Kevin Chloes Shop, said incorrect deposit charges resulted from system glitches when uploading bundled drink products and occasional human error during manual bulk orders.

“Administratively, we face (a) heavy workload to audit all product listing for deposit settings daily, and spend much time handling numerous daily refund applications from affected buyers, which creates obvious operational burdens for our store,” the merchant said, adding that it was taking steps to minimise mistakes. The deposit charge was eventually refunded. 

Shopee said its platform allows sellers to indicate whether a beverage product is subject to the BCRS deposit.

“Eligible listings will have the applicable deposit automatically applied at checkout, while listings for products without the deposit mark will not,” said a spokesperson, adding that users can submit a refund request if they were incorrectly charged.

When contacted, two other major supermarkets, Sheng Siong and Cold Storage – which also runs the Giant chain of supermarkets – said they had not received any feedback or complaints relating to incorrect BCRS deposit charges.

Both said their point-of-sale systems identify eligible products automatically, while customers can seek refunds from stores if incorrectly charged.