Big C asks for Passport when purchasing groceries

[Ventenio]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Now, my girlfriend is not Thai, but she is from Myanmar and speaks perfect Thai.

Ah, impossible.  Perfect Thai but not from Thailand.  Impossible.  Perfect Thai also would mean she looks perfectly like a Thai and was born in raised in Thailand.   I hear this all the time from Filipinos.....perfect English.

 

yea, no way

[Just Weird]

16 minutes ago, Susco said:

This is clearly another example of, we make up our own rules on the spot.

Quite possibly, but it sure isn't evidence that Big C wants a passport for cash purchases as the OP alleges.

[ThailandRyan]

6 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Will you get a reply? I'm all ears - well both really.

One can only hope...…..

[Liverpudlian]

Be afraid ! VERY afraid. 

[Peterw42]

7 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Peterw42, maybe you have a point there or the system needed to be updated.  A simple explanation from these folks at the time or asking me to go to the customer service counter after the sale would have been the right thing to do.  It could have been easily told to myself, as well as my girlfriend, we both speak Thai.

Bluesofa says the same in post 55, was asked to update details one time and switched over to pink ID.

 

Its probably been flashing away for 6 months saying expired ID and the staff has been instructed to now update expired IDs

 

As you say, it could be explained better.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Peterw42

[yogi100]

1 hour ago, Felt 35 said:

Home country demand you to show passport when paying with a Visa card??? Must be a sad home country..... could it be one nearby

I'm from the UK, a pretty sad country these days by anyone's standards but I've never ever been asked for ID when paying for anything with a debit or credit card. We don't even have to carry ID.

[ThailandRyan]

Just now, Peterw42 said:

Bluesofa says the same in post 55, was asked to update details one time and switched over to pink ID.

 

Its probably been flashing away for 6 months saying expired ID and the staff has been instructed to now update expired IDs

I can only hope this was the reason.  I carry my Pink Non Immigrant card with me, and not the passport.  

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, Ventenio said:

Ah, impossible.  Perfect Thai but not from Thailand.  Impossible.  Perfect Thai also would mean she looks perfectly like a Thai and was born in raised in Thailand.   I hear this all the time from Filipinos.....perfect English.

 

yea, no way

Oh, I don't know.

I worked for a company who had a promotional stand for Children's Day at the Utapao Naval Base.

We needed to go in a couple of days early to set everything up.

The soldier on security at the main gate asked the Thai girl sitting next to me why a ferang wanted to come in. She explained in Thai that I also worked for the company and I was part of the group.

He was satisifed and let us all in.

Only the "Thai" girl wasn't - she was Chinese and happened to work for the same company. Fooled the military anyway.

[Matzzon]

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I hope you knocked on wood as you were posting that.  Because I've followed TVF long enough to see some of the guys who felt the same way devastated when their Thai brides didn't.  The divorce statistics are pretty grim, and many of the stories even grimmer.

 

Keep up your scaremongering! You do a fantastic work. If you plan all as it should be planned, it will not be any talk about divorce. As another fact, you will always see to that you are covered for all eventualities. That´s what the guys that are the main characters in your so called grim stories didn´t understand. I understand that sucks, but that´s life. Be stupid, and life bites you in your ar5e.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Matzzon

[Andrew Dwyer]

27 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Good post guys make a refreshing change from all these virus post getting boring now

But maybe she was checking he wasn’t Chinese ??

Sometimes you gotta think outside the mask.....er..box ????

[fhickson]

let me tell you, big c is about the best place you can shop as a foreigner even with the passport hassle.

 

i shop locally wholesale clothes regularly, and most of these blokes are so stupid they dont even want the sale or wont take the sale, even when your paying the price asked. you get an insult 6 times out of 10. they are so used to people browsing and not buying they dont believe in the sale and will sabotage the sale when your just standing there looking and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. i even have stranger ideas about it being some type of karma thing, but too long to go into here.

 

any place you can consider a purchase at your leisure and take the time you need without a sales clerk hovering over the sale is golden here.

 

in other words, going local your going to get more clerk interaction which in my experience causes more hassle with no added benefit. the only improvement over something like a big c would be if they started getting self checkout automated kiosks which would be the way to go.

Edited February 5, 2020 by fhickson

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

My wife quotes her phone number to access her big c reward card. I ALWAYS PAY WITH KASIKORN Creditcard. Never have to sign.

Yes to collect rewards my wife has to show her ID Card.

 

 

[DaRoadrunner]

Like a frog in a well. Thais are insular and don't trust anything from outside their small world, including us! We can take our lavish patronage elsewhere... hasta la vista Big C. I have always wondered what the C stands for, now we know.

[Thian]

2 hours ago, Susco said:

One almost would start to think we are unwanted here, and they do everything to make life as difficult as possible.

 

I don't do cards and always pay cash...if they have any problem at all i just tell them to keep all my shoppings and i walk out...to not come back. I've done it several times already.

[Susco]

9 minutes ago, fhickson said:

start loading trolleys with "perishable go-backs" as they call them in the usa. stuff like milk, frozen and refrigerated type stuff that cant sit out long like fresh salmon etc.

 

say you dont have the passport when checking out. the trolley full of stuff gets left there.

Good try, but in Thailand they don't care.

 

I have seen them multiple times in a big supermarket with the grade in their name, remove the cellophane packing from unsold seafood items in the evening.

 

The only thing I can imagine this is done is because the next day it will have a packaging with a current date.

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, luckyluke said:

I have a BigC card, in fact it is my telephone number.

Last week the cashier told me I had a 20 ThB discount, but she needed to see my passport.

As I didn't had it with me, I didn't get the discount.

Actually @luckyluke you've hit the nail on the head, maybe without realizing it.

 

To get a Big C card you have to show your ID. When you come due for a discount, you have to show that ID to ensure that you are the person that is entitled to it. It's as simple as that.

 

You don't loose the discount if you can't produce the ID, it's simply held over for another time. Our card is in my wife's name. I was caught out like this once, so I now have a copy of her ID in case it happens again.

[Why Me]

1 hour ago, MarcB said:

If they were to ask my passport 1 day, I would tell them to stick it

You sir are a stud. Thailand is blessed with your presence. As are we on TV.

[Trujillo]

The 1 Card serves no other purpose than to track you like a dog. Never sign up for it. 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Matzzon said:

Keep up your scaremongering! You do a fantastic work. If you plan all as it should be planned, it will not be any talk about divorce. As another fact, you will always see to that you are covered for all eventualities. That´s what the guys that are the main characters in your so called grim stories didn´t understand. I understand that sucks, but that´s life. Be stupid, and life bites you in your ar5e.

 

Well, good luck with that.  Because no matter how well you plan, a divorce is still going to suck worse than getting asked for a passport at BigC.

 

Edit:  And it's happened to a lot of guys who are smarter, and planned better, than me.

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by impulse

[Dumbastheycome]

40 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

As I said, the reason that you were asked for ID was because you were using the membership card in conjunction with the purchase. 

 

Big C is not asking foreigners to show their passports for a normal cash purchase when it is unassociated with anything else such as membership cards.

Yes. But what is the  purpose of that? I have noted   numerous examples  of this sort  of  request but to date  have not had the experience. I have  various "loyalty  cards" which I sometimes present mostly  to satisfy the  routine request rather than  because it actually is of  any advantage for significant discounts or  other. Admittedly I  always pay  cash but even if I present a  "membership"  card I have  never been asked  for a Passport number. If I were to  be so asked I  could  not  comply anyway  but  I would simply walk away on principle.

I can understand  that in the  case of using a credit  card that a Passport  number associated with the usage of  could provide some indemnity  against  claims of fraudulent  use as in stolen cards. Cash purchases are a  different  matter.

There are,of  course,  various possibilities that could  be attributed. In this concurrent era of incessant appeals via electronic media which has included  the insidious "Data Collection"  of consumer expenditure in the usage of  debit  or  credit  cards which  links almost  every aspect of such expenditure into a secondary statistical data of saleable commercial interest that it has  been identified that layers of  such  data as derived from non nationals in locations such as Thailand are an extension of  informational value.

Such  data may seem irrelevant unless consideration is given  to what it  can reveal according to the interests of those who pay for  it be it.

If it  can be acknowledged  that Corporate interests have significant influence on Government policy and edicts that are  justified as  matters of  "security" in  whatever terminology seems appropriate that the primary application of that policy is in the interest of commercial advantage then the seemingly illogical

may be  comprehended rationally. It does  not even need to  be  legislative by Government as it  can be imposed directly as Corporate policy for franchises but as such cleverly presented as such.

It is that motivation that is a component in the ultimate desire for a  "cashless"society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[metisdead]

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[Metropolitian]

There are two times Big C asked me for any form of identification, and this is also with Thais.

 

Thais are used to ask for the card for Thai persons or the passport with foreigners.

Foreigners CAN show their plastic ID and Thais CAN show their passport, it is up to what is registered in the system when applying for the member card.

 

The only one time they asked for my ID is when the system needed an update. I got my member card before the 'full information registration' was needed,

which was the same as with getting new sim cards (Now you need give ID, back then no.) and the card for collecting point at gas and coffee'stations' (Now you need ID when apply, back then no.).

I gave my 'pinky' number and now the Big C membercard is not only registered with phonenumber but also with the (13) ID number.

 

Second (and recurring) times they ask for the ID is when you want to redeem the collected point on the card for 'cash' to pay the groceries.

Which sound good, no other can use your (lost? stolen? lent?) card and use your point to pay a small part of their bill.

 

This they will ask the customer before the middle of every year, starting from February if the accumulated points are reasonably high to be able to redeem. As the collected points are valid till the 30th of June.

 

For promotions like the 100bath off the price when 500thb and up spent in one bill which is printed on the end of one of your last bills, no ID is required but the membercard is.

 

 

Tesco members get their collected point converted into coupons which is sent to their registered address. It has the name of the member printed, at Tesco they can check and sometimes ask for any proof of ID. But if the membercard number and coupon name/number match they will mostly accept without asking.

Promotions from the bills, no ID needed.

 

 

 

[codebunny]

The rib has a 1card, and I just go with her, and let her pay... tell her "I am not Thai - your country, your tab", but she recoups it later anyway, and we get the discounts. In my local Big C, several of the cashier ladies seemed to be sweet on me and enjoyed me chatting to them in Thai, and reading out the phone number, never any passport questions, but plenty of doe-eyed smiles, handsy helping, and running around for me. 

My eldest doesn't look Thai at all, and enjoys flashing their ID card, and demonstrating their complete lack of Thai - the mai-ben-rai gland seems to kick in quickly.

Edited February 5, 2020 by codebunny

[gk10002000]

5 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

to ask for passport information when a foreigner is paying

They can ask for anything they want. I aint giving it.  If I pay cash, conversation over.  If merchants think I am going to give out passport number everytime I shop, well, that would be just another nail in the coffin for long time staying or semi retirement in Thailand.

[gk10002000]

4 hours ago, Thongkorn said:

Simple answer let your wife or girlfriend use their Id card. Unless your a singleton.

Not a bad idea.  Let the Thais deal with the Thais and if some savings or specials or promos are only available to "members' or card users, this is a reasonable workaround.  I certainly would not routinely be carrying my original passport nor giving out passport numbers and information to merchants

[Metropolitian]

3 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

I tend to think the same, they probably just wanted to update the OP passport as it is now expired etc,

 

3 hours ago, bluesofa said:

That happened to me in Big C last year.

I persuaded the customer service staff to enter my pink ID card details instead, as that number stays with you for life.

 

Those two members are spot on, that is one of the times Big C could ask for your passport (as they are used to) and then you can choose to use the passport or the pink ID they will update that at the service desk.

 

The second time they will ask for the ID is when you want to redeem your collected point on the card. _{(There are exceptions, they didn't always need mine)}

 

I already wrote this in post #83

 

Additional they could ask for your ID when purchasing at the technology area for insurance or registration procedure, but then it would be done there and not at the cashier.

[Tropicalevo]

Sorry, but I could not be bothered to read 6 pages of words from conspiracy theorists.

If this has been said before, I apologise.

Having a Big C membership card entitles you to special offers and discounts.

To prove that you are the genuine owner of the card, and not a 'friend', the staff ask for id. Thai id for a Thai and passport number for a foreigner.

I have been asked for this information for years.

I show my Thai driving licence with my passport number on it and I get an extra discount. (Or a voucher to use in the future.)

I do the same with the Central No 1 card.

Why are people complaining about having to show genuine membership to allow the receiving a discount?

(It may surprise you to know that not all customers are honest!)

[White Christmas13]

3 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Sorry, but I could not be bothered to read 6 pages of words from conspiracy theorists.

If this has been said before, I apologise.

Having a Big C membership card entitles you to special offers and discounts.

To prove that you are the genuine owner of the card, and not a 'friend', the staff ask for id. Thai id for a Thai and passport number for a foreigner.

I have been asked for this information for years.

I show my Thai driving licence with my passport number on it and I get an extra discount. (Or a voucher to use in the future.)

I do the same with the Central No 1 card.

Why are people complaining about having to show genuine membership to allow the receiving a discount?

(It may surprise you to know that not all customers are honest!)

Show me any country where you have to produce a passport to buy groceries.

Yes maybe in North Korea, I've been to most countries in Europe many in Asia

and African,not the US but I never ever need it to show my passport.

Not talking about discounts on certain cards.

[Pattaya46]

23 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

Show me any country where you have to produce a passport to buy groceries.

You don't have to show an ID to buy groceries at BigC !

But you must show it when you want to use the (monthly?) reward that your BigC card allows you. (a reduction of your price to pay)

[White Christmas13]

1 minute ago, Pattaya46 said:

You don't have to show an ID to buy groceries at BigC !

But you must show it when you want to use the (monthly?) reward that your BigC card allows you. (a reduction of your price to pay)

errrm maybe I read this wrong but he was refused to pay in cash who cares about discounts