It’s a Saturday morning in Woodlands. You’ve got $30 in your wallet, a grocery list somewhere in your phone notes, and a snack craving that decided to show up uninvited. Here’s the thing though: you don’t need to travel far. Everything you need is already stacked inside one building: Woodlands Civic Centre at 900 South Woodlands Drive.
NTUC FairPrice anchors the basement. Daiso sits on Level 2. And Scarlett Supermarket, the cult-favourite Chinese grocery chain, rounds things out just metres away on the same floor, right beside DBS and Starbucks. Three very different stores, three very different strengths. So which one do you actually head to first, and, more importantly, what do you buy?
We’ve done the legwork. Here’s the definitive guide.
Meet the Contenders
NTUC FairPrice is the reliable backbone of any Singaporean household grocery run. Open daily from 7 AM to 11 PM, the Woodlands Civic Centre outlet is a proper full-sized supermarket. With no wet market in the immediate vicinity, it more than fills that gap and has all the necessities you need all under one roof. There’s even a ready-to-eat section with proper meals like Butter Chicken Briyani and Nasi Lemak with Chicken Sambal from just $3.50, including diabetic-friendly options.
Daiso took over two former restaurant units on Level 2, making the Woodlands outlet one of the larger stores in the north. It runs on its signature tiered pricing model: most items at $2.16, with select products priced higher. It’s part Japanese novelty shop, part life-hack headquarters, and 100% a place you walk into for one thing and leave with six.
Scarlett Supermarket only arrived in the North in December 2023, but it’s already built a loyal following. Specialising in food and daily necessities imported from China — snacks, beverages, condiments, frozen foods, and household goods — it’s become the go-to for anyone who’s deep in their Chinese drama era or simply wants snacks that feel genuinely exciting.
Trending & Viral Snacks: Scarlett Wins, No Contest
This is Scarlett’s home turf. At the Woodlands outlet specifically, you’ll find BESTORE (良品铺子) ready-to-eat snacks, instant beverages from as low as $0.50, and the beloved Hai Chi Jia sour and spicy rice noodles at just $1 per cup. Across Scarlett outlets islandwide, shoppers consistently rave about the freeze-dried yogurt (melt-in-your-mouth, not overly sweet), the taro rice jelly that somehow tastes like a love child between pulut hitam and orh bee, and Genki Forest drinks at $2 for three bottles.
Self-heating meals like spicy mushroom rice and tomato hotpot go for 3 for $9.90, which is a solid deal for a lazy weeknight. The snack wall featuring individual packs of konjac jelly, bean curd rolls, and sunflower seeds at 20 pieces for $5 is a dangerous place to stand for too long. You will not leave with just one.
Quirky Packaged Snacks: Daiso’s Department
Daiso’s snack aisle doesn’t get enough credit. Beyond the household staples, you’ll find premium Yan Yan in matcha, tiramisu, and mixed berries & cheese variants — two packs for $2.16. There are churro snacks dusted in sugar, green soybean chips (yes, really), and Meiji Chocorooms for when you want something that looks as good as it tastes. Milky coffee candies in cappuccino and caramel make a surprisingly good desk snack, and the seasonal limited-edition finds near checkout are always worth a browse.
One underrated Daiso move: it’s one of the few places in Singapore that stocks locally-themed snacks and novelty items exclusive to Singapore stores — handy if you need a last-minute gift that doesn’t feel like an afterthought.
Weekly Staples: FairPrice, Obviously
No debate here. FairPrice runs a weekly Fresh Buys promotion with automatic discounts on fruits, vegetables, and kitchen essentials. No vouchers, no app sign-ups, no fuss. Just walk in and the savings are already reflected at checkout.
Go Fresh packs of kailan, kang kong, xiao bai cai, and spinach go for $1.40 per 300g pack. Tempura-battered chicken nuggets by Tasty sit at $3.55 per pack and reliably sell out. NTUC Union and Link members get an extra edge with exclusive 50% off Union Deals every week; just flash your Link card or the FairPrice app.
The $10 Challenge
If you had just $10 to spend at each store, here’s what your haul looks like:
Scarlett — Hai Chi Jia rice noodles ($1), three Genki Forest drinks ($2), a self-heating snack pack, and a bundle of mixed konjac jelly. Most exciting haul of the three, hands down.
Daiso — Four snack packs (matcha Yan Yan, churro bites, Chocorooms, soybean chips) plus one practical household item you didn’t know you needed. Maximum chaos, maximum value.
FairPrice — Two packs of fresh vegetables, one protein (eggs or a small pack of tofu), and a ready-to-eat meal. The most responsible $10 you’ll ever spend.
Final Thoughts
Here’s the honest truth: there’s no single winner. And that’s exactly the point. Scarlett is where you go to feel like you’ve discovered something. Daiso is where $2.16 somehow solves three problems at once. FairPrice is where you stock the fridge with things that actually keep you fed through the week.
The smartest Woodlands Civic Centre run? Do all three. Start at FairPrice in the basement for your fresh staples, take the lift up to Daiso for a few clever buys, then wander into Scarlett to see what’s new. Budget $30, give yourself an hour, and don’t say we didn’t warn you about the 20-snacks-for-$5 wall. The real winner here isn’t any single store. It’s anyone who lives within five minutes of this building.