Tops supermarket at Ruam Chok mall

[Trujillo]

Inside they have a sort of cafe/restaurant that has four glass walls where you can see the cook doing his thing. 

I looked at the menu the day they opened and they had a beef burger for 99 baht. Since there are no burger places anywhere near there, I went over yesterday to try one. 

 

Sat down and twiddled my thumbs for about five minutes. The two or three waitresses did not even come to the side of the area where I was, and some woman inside the glass prep/cook area noticed me but did nothing. After a few more minutes I knocked on the glass, got the attention of the woman and shrugged. She said something to one of the waitresses and she came over with a pad and asked what I wanted. 

"How about a menu?"

Uh....off she goes and brings me one, and I tell her I want a beef burger. She turns to the woman inside the prep/cook area and asks in Thai if they have burgers. They do. 

So off she goes with my order. Another five minutes go by and finally I see a burger patty going on the grill. 

So I'm reading some article on the phone and notice that at least another five or 10 minutes have gone by and the burger is off the grill, but I'm still high and dry. 

Then the cook himself comes outside the glass enclosure and has a bag of sliced sandwich bread with all the crusts taken off and says they don't have the right bread and will this do?

Needless to say I said no and walked out. 

 

Time wasted, hunger increased, suffering fools. 

 

I wanted to complain to the manager and heard the customer service person say that they needed to find someone to speak English. No one working in the entire store could. It didn't matter; I told the bewildered manager what I wanted to say and left. 

 

A real professional start to the new store opening...hope things improve. 

[searcher22]

17 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Inside they have a sort of cafe/restaurant that has four glass walls where you can see the cook doing his thing. 

I looked at the menu the day they opened and they had a beef burger for 99 baht. Since there are no burger places anywhere near there, I went over yesterday to try one. 

 

Sat down and twiddled my thumbs for about five minutes. The two or three waitresses did not even come to the side of the area where I was, and some woman inside the glass prep/cook area noticed me but did nothing. After a few more minutes I knocked on the glass, got the attention of the woman and shrugged. She said something to one of the waitresses and she came over with a pad and asked what I wanted. 

"How about a menu?"

Uh....off she goes and brings me one, and I tell her I want a beef burger. She turns to the woman inside the prep/cook area and asks in Thai if they have burgers. They do. 

So off she goes with my order. Another five minutes go by and finally I see a burger patty going on the grill. 

So I'm reading some article on the phone and notice that at least another five or 10 minutes have gone by and the burger is off the grill, but I'm still high and dry. 

Then the cook himself comes outside the glass enclosure and has a bag of sliced sandwich bread with all the crusts taken off and says they don't have the right bread and will this do?

Needless to say I said no and walked out. 

 

Time wasted, hunger increased, suffering fools. 

 

I wanted to complain to the manager and heard the customer service person say that they needed to find someone to speak English. No one working in the entire store could. It didn't matter; I told the bewildered manager what I wanted to say and left. 

 

A real professional start to the new store opening...hope things improve. 

I sat at the same counter today and was treated like royalty. Yes, the staff is not up to speed yet, and they do some silly mistakes, but they seem eager to please. All I can recommend is that we Westerners be patient and forgiving as they learn the ropes and also remind ourselves that we're not in Kansas here. After all, this is a great new store for all of us who like farang products. 

 

By the way, there is a chubby girl who works at the food counter who is surprisingly good in English. I seek her out whenever I have a more complicated question. She also encouraged me to bring my own tupperware to save the 10 B takeout fee, while helping to "save the world" too as she put it.

[bkk6060]

On ‎11‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 6:14 PM, Trujillo said:

Across the street we have Tesco; next door we have Rimping Market. How on earth would anyone think they can fill some sort of niche that the other two miss? 

It's crazy. The only thing they might have that Tesco and Rimping don't is magazines and newspapers (Tesco never sold them and Rimping discontinued stocking them).

Because it is a better market then those places.

Was in Sunday the place was packed.

Much better then Rimping I bet they will go out of business.

[bkk6060]

5 hours ago, searcher22 said:

I looked at the menu the day they opened and they had a beef burger for 99 baht. Since there are no burger places anywhere near there, I went over yesterday to try one. 

Ever hear of McDonald's?

It is a 5 minute walk from there.....

[BritManToo]

23 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Since there are no burger places anywhere near there

McDonald's about 60m from the door.

[BritManToo]

10 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Was in Sunday the place was packed.

Opening weekend, everyone goes and has a look.

Can't imagine anyone entering a second time.

[simoh1490]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Opening weekend, everyone goes and has a look.

Can't imagine anyone entering a second time.

I went to take a look today, the bakery stuff is all shipped in from Central Festival which is disappointing, otherwise, it's just another same old same old supermarket with no advantage over Rimping that I could see.

[worgeordie]

On 11/27/2018 at 8:34 PM, Trujillo said:

Inside they have a sort of cafe/restaurant that has four glass walls where you can see the cook doing his thing. 

I looked at the menu the day they opened and they had a beef burger for 99 baht. Since there are no burger places anywhere near there, I went over yesterday to try one. 

 

Sat down and twiddled my thumbs for about five minutes. The two or three waitresses did not even come to the side of the area where I was, and some woman inside the glass prep/cook area noticed me but did nothing. After a few more minutes I knocked on the glass, got the attention of the woman and shrugged. She said something to one of the waitresses and she came over with a pad and asked what I wanted. 

"How about a menu?"

Uh....off she goes and brings me one, and I tell her I want a beef burger. She turns to the woman inside the prep/cook area and asks in Thai if they have burgers. They do. 

So off she goes with my order. Another five minutes go by and finally I see a burger patty going on the grill. 

So I'm reading some article on the phone and notice that at least another five or 10 minutes have gone by and the burger is off the grill, but I'm still high and dry. 

Then the cook himself comes outside the glass enclosure and has a bag of sliced sandwich bread with all the crusts taken off and says they don't have the right bread and will this do?

Needless to say I said no and walked out. 

 

Time wasted, hunger increased, suffering fools. 

 

I wanted to complain to the manager and heard the customer service person say that they needed to find someone to speak English. No one working in the entire store could. It didn't matter; I told the bewildered manager what I wanted to say and left. 

 

A real professional start to the new store opening...hope things improve. 

So did you end up at McDonalds...just around the corner?

regards Worgeordie

[Trujillo]

Um, I don't consider MacDonald's to have actual burgers. I think of them more as a food-product in the shape of a hamburger. I think you know what I mean. 

 

10-baht take out fee? <What the gosh darn> is that? I have never heard of that anywhere. 

Edited November 29, 2018 by Trujillo

[chingmai331]

Take-out fee in place for years at Tops food court in KSK. As plastic bags and styrofoam trays become more despicable in T'land such fees will become more common. And i agree with such fees.  I can recall my first fish & chips wrapped in old newspaper.  Just as good today, maybe better with no lead print.

 

Didn't someone mention 'save 10 baht' in own container?

[elektrified]

19 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Because it is a better market then those places.

Was in Sunday the place was packed.

Much better then Rimping I bet they will go out of business.

I can't say it is better than Rimping, just different. But it is clearly the best Tops in C.M. with excellent stocks. The only thing is that the bakery is very small and has limited stock.

 

No, Rimping will not go out of business...????

[elektrified]

3 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Um, I don't consider MacDonald's to have actual burgers. I think of them more as a food-product in the shape of a hamburger. I think you know what I mean. 

 

10-baht take out fee? <What the gosh darn> is that? I have never heard of that anywhere. 

They are doing that all over now. It is to encourage people to bring their own containers when ordering take-out food. We do that at the few places we order take out from. It helps to cut down on the plastic that is destroying the environment.

Edited November 29, 2018 by elektrified

[Trujillo]

I've never seen any fee for take out in my 12 years here. 

I don't know what "all over" is to you. 

And 10 baht is about 90% more than a take-away container costs them. So it's nice to see some gouging the customer under the auspice of "saving the environment." 

[elektrified]

4 hours ago, Trujillo said:

I've never seen any fee for take out in my 12 years here. 

I don't know what "all over" is to you. 

And 10 baht is about 90% more than a take-away container costs them. So it's nice to see some gouging the customer under the auspice of "saving the environment." 

All over means all over the city. I can think of several places that charge for the containers now. It's fairly new; within the last 3-4 months.

[BritManToo]

Found Robertson's Mincemeat in Rimping next door.

Not cheap at 185bht/jar (near the dried raisins)

[cmtg1]

On 11/28/2018 at 7:54 PM, simoh1490 said:

I went to take a look today, the bakery stuff is all shipped in from Central Festival which is disappointing, otherwise, it's just another same old same old supermarket with no advantage over Rimping that I could see.

I asked the head baker that question. If it came from another store and he proudly said the t it's all baked on the premises 

[watcharacters]

On 11/20/2018 at 2:07 PM, simoh1490 said:

Not to be pedantic but to be clear.....the supermarket at Central Festival is badged Central Food Hall, I have no idea who owns the food hall in the same building:

 

 

 

 

From the link I supplied earlier:

 

"Central Food Retail Company Limited (CFR) is the largest supermarket chain in Thailand operating since 1996, and is one of the business units under Central Group (CG). Currently, Central Food Retail Co., Ltd. Operates 205 supermarkets in six different formats: Central Food Hall,Tops market, Tops SUPERSTORE, Superkoom, Tops daily, Eathai."

 

Maybe world class for Thailand but seriously calling  it that dilutes the meaning of "World Class".

 

[watcharacters]

On 11/20/2018 at 2:07 PM, simoh1490 said:

Not to be pedantic but to be clear.....the supermarket at Central Festival is badged Central Food Hall, I have no idea who owns the food hall in the same building:

 

 

 

 

From the link I supplied earlier:

 

"Central Food Retail Company Limited (CFR) is the largest supermarket chain in Thailand operating since 1996, and is one of the business units under Central Group (CG). Currently, Central Food Retail Co., Ltd. Operates 205 supermarkets in six different formats: Central Food Hall,Tops market, Tops SUPERSTORE, Superkoom, Tops daily, Eathai."

 

Maybe world class for Thailand but seriously calling  it that dilutes the meaning of "World Class".

 

[sammieuk1]

About 15 people stacking shelves 10 people at the check out and 2 tills open usual tops service nice looking shop but just the same old products at the same as everywhere cartel prices ????

[BritManToo]

37 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

About 15 people stacking shelves 10 people at the check out and 2 tills open usual tops service nice looking shop but just the same old products at the same as everywhere cartel prices ????

Heidi dark mint chocolate 99bht for an 80gm bar, 89bht in BigC.

So not the same price but 10% more expensive.

[bkk6060]

29 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Heidi dark mint chocolate 99bht for an 80gm bar, 89bht in BigC.

So not the same price but 10% more expensive.

Sure, you can pick a few items out of 1000's that may be more.

I personally could care less about 30 cents.... 

The new Tops out plays the other places in the area in my opinion.

Clean, new, fresh food (especially the cooked chickens) and a nice restaurant. Many people eating at the restaurant when I have walked thru.

But, go where you want to each their own of course when it comes to shopping for groceries.

 

 

 

[Mark1066]

On 11/30/2018 at 3:05 PM, watcharacters said:

 

Maybe world class for Thailand but seriously calling  it that dilutes the meaning of "World Class".

 

Sure, because no Western retailer would ever engage in hyperbole when advertising themselves would they? ????

[lexilis]

The new Tops seems pretty good but I found a couple of things, such as coffee beans, that their selection is not as good as Rimping. It seems that the competition is making Rimping up its game some. They have recently put a (small) salad bar and more prepared food options and also improved the arrangements in the aisles.