Is Tops supermarket getting worse?

[Irrumator]

Has anyone else noticed a deterioration in service at Tops supermarkets?

 

I've always liked shopping there, but about 6 months or so ago I started finding that prices on shelves were often wrong when you got to the checkout. They'd be marked at say, 85 baht on promotion but when you went to pay they were charged at the original price of say, 110 baht.  Similarly with reduced items with a yellow sticker - they'd be scanned and the reduction not applied.

 

Also I find that often the wrong item is placed under a price ticket so eg, I bought what I thought was a certain kind of ham and didn't notice that they'd hung it under the wrong price ticket. Very annoying when you get to the till and it's not the one you wanted and then they have to void the purchases and start all over again.

 

If you point it out, the cashiers don't seem capable of rectifying it and I have numerous cases where is there is no supervisor and the cashier has to leave the till and a lengthening queue while they go to search, because the supervisor doesn't answer the signal. If they do go in search, sometimes I just leave everything on the belt and leave them to it.

 

As well as that, they don't seem to have as many cashiers on duty as before.

Then some time back they introduced some scheme which seems to involve the customer scanning some QR code for points or a discount or whatever. This seems to back up the queues like anything - the customers can't do it, or remembers too late and wants to do it after they've paid.  The cashiers are usually useless and can't do it either and have to call a supervisor who never seem to be around as above.

 

And it isn't just one Tops store - I use three near me quite regularly and another one further away and I have this problem with every single one.  They don't seem anything like as well trained as the Tesco cashiers near me and as I said, there never seem to be enough of them.

 

I'm getting to the stage where I am now super-vigilant at the tills and also beginning to think it's all too much bother to shop there. That's a shame because their products are usually better quality than Tesco and there's a better range.

 

Is it just me or have other people noticed these issues?

[bkk6060]

14 minutes ago, Irrumator said:

I'm getting to the stage where I am now super-vigilant at the tills

Haven't noticed any issues.

But if it emotionally upsets you, probably better to stop going there.

[timendres]

Not much of a confirmation, but in the past month, I have purchased 2 for 1 bakery products, and no problem getting the 2 for 1 discount applied automatically at checkout. This in the Century Mall at Sukhumvit 81 Bangkok.

[ukrules]

Supply chains have been collapsing since last summer, trade in the stores will be massively reduced and in fact the retail industry is collapsing in on itself.

 

Perhaps what you're seeing is a part of that, I expect mass retail closures this year, not all of them will make it or consider it worth spending the money to carry on.

 

That there are less staff available is a tiny visible part of what's going on.

 

If you look behind the first row of those seemingly full shelves you will often find nothing there - they're running on empty in a lot of places.

Edited January 13, 2021 by ukrules

[Orton Rd]

Def not many tills open, sometimes the lines are so long I go somewhere else. Then they had some promotion where every other Thai customer had something on the phones that they have to get processed at checkout, taking ages. Always take a pic of any special offer then if there is a problem show them the, usually, lower price. I prefer foodland as almost all products have the prices on them. Baskets seem to have disappeared at ours for some reason.

[OneeyedJohn]

The last time I was in Tops, there was noone at the checkout, only when I turned up with my trolley did some guy trot over.

Not impressed.

[lopburi3]

Just now, Orton Rd said:

I prefer foodland as almost all products have the prices on them. Baskets seem to have disappeared at ours for some reason.

They removed carts at the Foodland I used to use near start of Covid and I have not returned (but had hope it was just for a cleaning).  Bad enough having to bring your own bags but to have only hand baskets to shop with was totally idiotic.  For Tops had same false flag tags years ago and have not returned - only use delivery service from them. 

[Irrumator]

10 minutes ago, ukrules said:

If you look behind the first row of those seemingly full shelves you will often find nothing there - they're running on empty in a lot of places.

Good post.

 

Yes, I'd noticed that in Tesco too, and there is less of a range of products as well. 

 

Tesco in particular have been selling off electrical goods at 30% off for quite a while but that may also be due to them being bought out by CP.

Edited January 13, 2021 by Irrumator

[userabcd]

Don't know if they are getting worse, never had a problem with shopping in Tops, they seem the same to me.

 

My experience is to get the discounted price one has to give the membership number (tel number) and then the cheaper price is applied to one's bill.

 

I find most of the food stuff I like, some in Tesco, big c, villa, foodland and makro.

 

Rarely shop in Tops now as most of the things can be found in the other supermarkets for cheaper.

Edited January 13, 2021 by userabcd

[Irrumator]

13 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

 

But if it emotionally upsets you, probably better to stop going there.

Another one who reads his own perception into things which were never said, implied or meant ...  ???? 

[Irrumator]

1 minute ago, userabcd said:

Don't know of they are getting worse, seems same to me.

 

My experience is to get the discount price one has to give the membership number and the discount is applied to ones bill.

 

I find most of the food stuff I like some in some in Tesco, big c, villa and makro.

 

Rarely shop in Tops now as most of the things can be found in some of the other supermarkets for cheaper.

 

I find that Makro is not at all cheaper than eg, Tesco.  The only thing I go there to buy is a 2 kg block of Anchor Cheddar cheese for about 640 baht - it used to be 730 so that was a nice surprise.

 

I don't much like Big C and although there are two Villas not too far from me, they are expensive and I don't think as good as many Tops products.

[Disparate Dan]

4 minutes ago, Irrumator said:

Another one who reads his own perception into things which were never said, implied or meant ...  ???? 

and another who can't see irony when it's thrown........

[userabcd]

7 minutes ago, userabcd said:

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by userabcd
Deleted

[Irrumator]

16 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Def not many tills open, sometimes the lines are so long I go somewhere else. Then they had some promotion where every other Thai customer had something on the phones that they have to get processed at checkout, taking ages. Always take a pic of any special offer then if there is a problem show them the, usually, lower price. I prefer foodland as almost all products have the prices on them. Baskets seem to have disappeared at ours for some reason.

 

Yes, that phone scanning promotion thing they have had for a while is infuriating.  To be fair to Tops, it isn't just them, it's the numpty customers who have no idea and expect the cashier to sort it out, but they have obviously never been trained in it and are useless.

[Lacessit]

Not AFAIK in Tops Chiang Rai, they have quite the range of products there, plus fresh meals. Plenty of stock there and at the opposite Big C.

I just pay cash at the registers. Point taken about phones, IME cash is a lot quicker.

Edited January 13, 2021 by Lacessit

[Irrumator]

6 minutes ago, Disparate Dan said:

and another who can't see irony when it's thrown........

That wasn't irony, that was just a typical  TV snide remark.

[stubuzz]

Last time Tops charged the wrong price at the checkout i received the item free.

[geisha]

33 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Supply chains have been collapsing since last summer, trade in the stores will be massively reduced and in fact the retail industry is collapsing in on itself.

 

Perhaps what you're seeing is a part of that, I expect mass retail closures this year, not all of them will make it or consider it worth spending the money to carry on.

 

That there are less staff available is a tiny visible part of what's going on.

 

If you look behind the first row of those seemingly full shelves you will often find nothing there - they're running on empty in a lot of places.

Thailand food stores will suffer greatly from the Covid pandemic due to the lack of tourists , snowbirds etc. Restaurants not working and the regular foreign tourists missing . On the the other hand, supermarkets in Europe are doing very well with one Casino manager telling me it was “ Christmas” every day ! Here, with restaurants and pubs etc all closed , people working from home, everyone is eating at home. Plus the fact when you’re stuck home you eat more. 

[Susco]

35 minutes ago, OneeyedJohn said:

The last time I was in Tops, there was noone at the checkout, only when I turned up with my trolley did some guy trot over.

Not impressed.

 

Not impressed that he turned up? ????

[OneeyedJohn]

15 hours ago, Susco said:

 

Not impressed that he turned up? ????

Don't be so stupid, not impressed that there was noone at the checkout.

 

Is that too hard to understand?

[Susco]

2 minutes ago, OneeyedJohn said:

Don't be so stupid, not impressed that there was noone at the checkout.

 

Is that too hard to understand?

 

Jeez, the wife didn't let you today, or were you born without a sense of humour, or both?

[OneeyedJohn]

Sense of humour, ur aving a larf ain't ya, u .....

[ICELANDMAN]

And for at least two years Tesco has been missing many items that arrive occasionally, probably a lack of organization in supplies, Macro is better organized in the supply generally if an item is missing it is restocked a few days later.

[Susco]

1 minute ago, OneeyedJohn said:

Sense of humour, ur aving a larf ain't ya, u .....

 

Well, you clearly not

[Andy from Kent]

1 hour ago, Irrumator said:

'm getting to the stage where I am now super-vigilant at the tills and also beginning to think it's all too much bother to shop there. That's a shame because their products are usually better quality than Tesco and there's a better range.

 

Is it just me or have other people noticed these issues?

 

I don't blame you for your frustration and venting.

Unfortunately what you describe is just the kind of thing that falangs in Thailand need to understand  and adjust to.

 

We will never change it. 

Just try to be patient and smile.

 

 

[darksidedog]

TOPS discounts only apply to people who have a "ONE" membership card. If you don't have one, you don't get the discounted price. Takes 2 minutes to get one. It collects points for you, but not generously so and no idea how to redeem them. I just got one so I would get the discount or 2 for 1 offers.

I agree that the check out service is poor, but then again at Tesco Lotus round here it is rare to see 2 checkouts actually staffed.

TOPS is also pretty expensive on most of the items I want, so Makro and Foodland get most of my business, even thought the TOPS on Kaonoi is closer. Handy for odds and ends though, if you can deal with the check out issues.

[bartender100]

10 minutes ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

I don't blame you for your frustration and venting.

Unfortunately what you describe is just the kind of thing that falangs in Thailand need to understand  and adjust to.

 

We will never change it. 

Just try to be patient and smile.

 

 

Years of living in Thailand taught me one thing. Patients

 

Coming in very handy at the moment in the UK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Irrumator said:

I've always liked shopping there, but about 6 months or so ago I started finding that prices on shelves were often wrong when you got to the checkout. They'd be marked at say, 85 baht on promotion but when you went to pay they were charged at the original price of say, 110 baht.  Similarly with reduced items with a yellow sticker - they'd be scanned and the reduction not applied.

 

Also I find that often the wrong item is placed under a price ticket so eg, I bought what I thought was a certain kind of ham and didn't notice that they'd hung it under the wrong price ticket. Very annoying when you get to the till and it's not the one you wanted and then they have to void the purchases and start all over again.

 

Encountered the same things many times in the past year or so at my local Tops market in downtown BKK. Particularly the issues about wrong pricing, wrong price tags for the wrong products, etc.

 

I always watch carefully at checkout, and check my printed receipt afterward. They're just making too many mistakes to be casually trusted. PS - And I'm a One Card member, and none of the issues I encountered with them had anything to do with One Card member pricing.'

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Susco]

1 minute ago, darksidedog said:

TOPS discounts only apply to people who have a "ONE" membership card. If you don't have one, you don't get the discounted price. Takes 2 minutes to get one. It collects points for you, but not generously so and no idea how to redeem them.

 

I never go to Tops, because no convenient location for me, but you mean discounts labelled on the shelves, apply only to members?

 

If so pretty confusing, and misleading, if you ask me

[OneeyedJohn]

15 hours ago, Susco said:

If so pretty confusing, and misleading, if you ask me

U could always ask one of the checkout boys/girls to explain it to you, if u can find one.