Online Grocery Shopping: Bangkok

[dddave]

I'm considering giving online grocery shopping a try.

Which Online Grocery retailers serving Bangkok do TV members prefer?  Which one's have you given-up on?

 

In particular: how are Villa, Tops, Foodland and BigC?

[internationalism]

macro for price.

probably they have also the biggest selection. They have also imported for section, stock vary. 

however, some items are more expensive, than in store, premium quality. Not possible to get value ones.

Also at store special discounts, end of date items, damaged packaging etc on which I do heavily rely. I do pop in there on my way to going somewhere, so don't lose much time 

[Darkside Gray]

For quality meats and imported stuff "Passion Delivery"

[Taxi]

For quality stuff, organic, also fresh and frozen meals Bangkok's healthiest grocery and fresh meals - Paleo Robbie

[grubman]

When i was doing my quarantine i ordered from Tops and the found the service to be very good, orders were accurate and delivery time was fast, however i did find that if you request express delivery via grab it was 50 baht cheaper that the regular delivery price, Top online will offer different time slot windows for delivery and depending on what time you order it will offer the appropriate time 

 

As for the other supermarket i can not comment as i have not used them 

[Fairynuff]

I haven’t used online suppliers largely because I use a lot of fresh produce and prefer to pick my own. I just don’t trust their staff to pick the best in the way that I would. I’d be exactly the same back home. 

[Craigf]

Does anyone know if you are allowed to order beer from the market during quarantine?

[edwardandtubs]

I've ordered from Makro, Tops, Tesco and Big C and all have been good. I like the fact that you can book a delivery slot with Tops, Tesco and Big C but I generally use Makro. A word of warning though, if you order fresh meat don't use the express services because it's delivered by motorbike and might arrive rotten. Standard delivery arrives in a refrigerated van in perfect condition in my experience and you can check before accepting it.

 

Avoid HappyFresh.

 

Anyone used annsfrozenfood or britishop? They both seem like good options for British meals.

Edited May 7, 2021 by edwardandtubs

[kynikoi]

On 5/6/2021 at 3:10 PM, Darkside Gray said:

For quality meats and imported stuff "Passion Delivery"

This post brought to you by Passion Delivery ®

[dddave]

On 5/7/2021 at 3:03 AM, Craigf said:

Does anyone know if you are allowed to order beer from the market during quarantine?

The government banned all residential delivery of alcoholic beverages before the pandemic even began.

[Liverpool Lou]

14 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

A word of warning though, if you order fresh meat don't use the express services because it's delivered by motorbike and might arrive rotten. Standard delivery arrives in a refrigerated van in perfect condition in my experience and you can check before accepting it.

I agree but you can also reject the items delivered by bike.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 5/5/2021 at 7:03 PM, dddave said:

I'm considering giving online grocery shopping a try.

Which Online Grocery retailers serving Bangkok do TV members prefer?  Which one's have you given-up on?

 

In particular: how are Villa, Tops, Foodland and BigC?

Tops

Tesco

Big C

Villa (expensive delivery compared with the others)

 

Didn't know Foodland offered an online delivery service.   Is it web-based or a phone app?

[dddave]

17 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Didn't know Foodland offered an online delivery service.   Is it web-based or a phone app?

Looks like Foodland has a conditional online service called "Chat & Shop"

https://www.foodland.co.th/en-en/reader-68-foodland-nbsp-chat-amp-shop-delivery.html

Aparently orders are done via chat through the LINE ap.   Looks kind of awkward.

Edited May 8, 2021 by dddave

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'm a regular and old hand at this stuff in BKK:

 

Tops has a decent and pretty complete online ordering website that allows you to save an ongoing list of favorites, they usually have what they say they have, and delivery is always free for orders over 888 baht, and often for lower amounts with promotions. You can use coupons online with them. And as noted, you can pick your delivery window times, but at least for me, their drivers invariably try to arrive unannounced sometimes hours ahead of schedule. Can pay online or with bank card or cash at the door.

 

Makro website for online ordering is OK also, though a bit more balky... They too allow you to keep and use an online shopping list of favorites. I order stuff there I can't get anywhere else and sometimes bulk stuff, but rarely routine groceries. Their delivery usually isn't next day but two days or so later. Can pay with bank card online or pay cash at delivery. No scheduling of delivery time. You get it when they come.

 

Tesco website is good for online ordering. You can't keep a favorites list, but they keep a list for you of items you've ordered in the past year. You can't add or change their list. Often have a lot of good discount promos for various products clearly marked on their website. Can pay with bank card online, or bank card or cash upon delivery. You get to pick the delivery window, either for next day or same day for smaller orders. They too have a tendency to want to show up hours early if you've asked for a night time delivery.  But Tesco has fallen in my view lately, as their BKK stores no longer carry their former "Tesco's Finest" imported line of products since the UK part of Tesco was lately bought out.

 

Villa Online  I gave up on using (I'll only shop there in person now) even though they have a decent website and products I want. Reason being, when you use a foreign bank debit card as I do, they charge you right at the point you place the order online. And then, as often happens with their main Soi 33 store, if they're out of half of what you've ordered, trying to get them to refund your card for the missing items is harder than pulling teeth. In my experience, for foreign debit cards, they don't do it automatically. And even when you call and complain, sometimes their promises go nowhere.  That said, they've told me, they don't have that same problem if you're using a Thai bank card instead. Last time I checked, 90 baht fee for delivery, the highest among all the places I've mentioned here. Though their standard delivery is same day, usually shortly after you've ordered.

 

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

6 minutes ago, dddave said:

Looks like Foodland has a conditional online service called "Chat & Shop"

https://www.foodland.co.th/en-en/reader-68-foodland-nbsp-chat-amp-shop-delivery.html

Aparently orders are done via chat through the LINE ap.   Looks kind of awkward.

And it looks as though it's only in Thai, subject to minimum orders of B1,500 and deliveries anytime during the day, not specified times.   Doesn't look like a lot of fun.  Tried calling them to ask about it but they couldn't find any English-speakers. 

[dddave]

2 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

And it looks as though it's only in Thai, subject to minimum orders of B1,500 and deliveries anytime during the day, not specified times.   Doesn't look like a lot of fun.  Tried calling them to ask about it but they couldn't find any English-speakers. 

It also appears that you have to do it through an individual store in your area, no central order location.  Looks pretty cumbersom.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

And it looks as though it's only in Thai, subject to minimum orders of B1,500 and deliveries anytime during the day, not specified times.   Doesn't look like a lot of fun.  Tried calling them to ask about it but they couldn't find any English-speakers. 

 

I've talked to my local branch manager about their deliveries in the past.... From what what I recall of the conversation, she said I could come into the store, pick out what I wanted, and then they'd deliver it for a fee... I think she might have also said I could do something like that by telephone with them, but it's been awhile, and I'm fuzzy on that detail.  Usually, at least at my center BKK branch, at least the main duty manager can speak passable English.  Because they don't have their own online ordering website as yet, I've never done a Foodland delivery. Online avoids the invariable language comprehension issues.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Liverpool Lou]

3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Tops ... you can pick your delivery window times, but at least for me, their drivers invariably try to arrive unannounced sometimes hours ahead of schedule. Can pay online or with bank card or cash at the door.

Their drivers always call me an hour or so before hand to check that the delivery time is ok.  Just had a delivery this morning with the preparatory phone call.

 

Paying upfront online with a card requires a credit card, debit cards are not accepted.   I think the Tops delivery vans have machines which do accept debit cards but the motorbike drivers do not have them.

[dddave]

11 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I'm a regular and old hand at this stuff in BKK:

 

Tops - has a decent and pretty complete online ordering website

TGJ

Great synopsis.  How is TOPS for perishables: meats, dairy, ect.?   Also with meats; are they pretty accurate at hitting weight targets, for instance if you ask for a 250G sirlion?

Edited May 8, 2021 by dddave

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Usually, at least at my center BKK branch, at least the main duty manager can speak passable English.

 

That's my experience also but they couldn't do that on their advertised H/O contact number.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Their drivers always call me an hour or so before hand to check that the delivery time is ok.  Just had a delivery this morning with the preparatory phone call.

 

Paying upfront online with a card requires a credit card, debit cards are not accepted.   I think the Tops delivery vans have machines which do accept debit cards but the motorbike drivers do not have them.

 

Couple things:

 

With Tops, I've only and ever paid with my US debit cards for their next day truck deliveries...so clearly they accept them. And their drivers in their trucks always come with the little portable credit card processing machines.  But I've never done a same day motorbike delivery with them.

 

In my case, they sometimes will call ahead also...  As in, I have an order scheduled for the 8 - 10 pm delivery slot, and they'll call me at 3 or 4 pm telling me they're on my soi heading to my home.....

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, dddave said:

TGJ

Great synopsis.  How is TOPS for perishables: meats, dairy, ect.   Also with meats; are they pretty accurate at hitting weight targets, for instance if you ask for a 250G sirlion?

You can only order Tops (and every other online supermarkets') items and weights that are shown as being available on their website.   If 250g sirloins are shown, you can order them, if they're not, you can't.  They don't take requests.

 

Normal delivery is in refrigerated vans so there's no problems with meat or dairy items.   

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, dddave said:

TGJ

Great synopsis.  How is TOPS for perishables: meats, dairy, ect.?   Also with meats; are they pretty accurate at hitting weight targets, for instance if you ask for a 250G sirlion?

 

Dairy is fine. I order milk and yogurt from them all the time, and it always arrives cold, as I believe they have cold boxes on their trucks.

 

I've never ordered beef from Tops for delivery. 1. I don't like their beef selections and brands compared to other places, and 2. I generally prefer to pick those things myself in the store.  But I have ordered their S-Pure brand of chicken and pork cuts, and they've always been fresh and delivered cold.

 

For beef, I use the Thai French butcher shop that's in the same side soi as Villa Soi 33. Better prices and vastly better selection. They also accept bank cards for 300+ baht orders... But I don't think they deliver.

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 minutes ago, dddave said:

TGJ

Great synopsis.  How is TOPS for perishables: meats, dairy, ect.?   Also with meats; are they pretty accurate at hitting weight targets, for instance if you ask for a 250G sirlion?

 

You might check the Villa website about beef... I  THINK, but not sure, you might be able to order some things to size there... though it didn't seem to be very well spelled out.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

With Tops, I've only and ever paid with my US debit cards for their next day truck deliveries...so clearly they accept them.

I had this discussion with them, and Bangkok Bank, yesterday after my debit card was not accepted, again. 

 

BBL said my debit card was ok and that they had contacted Tops who advised them that  it was rejected because Tops do not accept debit cards (from any issuer) for online payments, i.e at the time of ordering.   Tops "Chat" service also confirmed that to me.   Credit cards are accepted at the time of ordering, debit cards are not.

 

The van drivers do have the card machines that accept debit cards, the express delivery bikes don't, cash only with them.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I had this discussion with them, and Bangkok Bank, yesterday after my debit card was not accepted, again. 

 

BBL said my debit card was ok and that they had contacted Tops who advised them that  it was rejected because Tops do not accept debit cards (from any issuer) for online payments, i.e at the time of ordering.   Tops "Chat" service also confirmed that to me.   Credit cards are accepted at the time of ordering, debit cards are not.

 

The van drivers do have the card machines that accept debit cards, the express delivery bikes don't, cash only with them.

 

Ya, I only said I'd regularly used my home country debit cards to pay for deliveries with the driver of the truck.

 

I've never said I'd tried to pay for a Tops order in advance thru their website... After the experience I had with Villa, I always prefer to pay via card only once I already see and know what they're able to actually provide.

 

FWIW, lately Makro has been rejecting various of my home country debit cards when  trying to pay via their website... cards I've used successfully with them in past months. They may have changed processing companies or made some security change.

 

Basically, my bank said I wasn't completing the verified by VISA or Secure Mastercard challenge codes process... And in my case, the prompts for those simply weren't showing up on my webscreen... So in the end, last time, I had to use a U.S. VISA credit card instead, which worked fine.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Liverpool Lou]

34 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Villa .... Last time I checked, 90 baht fee for delivery

B180 now!

Edited May 8, 2021 by Liverpool Lou

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

B180 now.

 

I think their delivery prices vary depending on how far you are away from the store...or perhaps even what store.

 

I just checked online now on my account with them, mocked up a delivery from their Soi 33 main branch which is the one I deal with, and the delivery fee is/was 90 baht.

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Liverpool Lou]

8 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I only said I'd regularly used my home country debit cards to pay for deliveries with the driver of the truck.

 

I've never said I'd tried to pay for a Tops order in advance thru their website...

I see that now, I misread your post.

[digbeth]

On 5/8/2021 at 5:08 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

And it looks as though it's only in Thai, subject to minimum orders of B1,500 and deliveries anytime during the day, not specified times.   Doesn't look like a lot of fun.  Tried calling them to ask about it but they couldn't find any English-speakers. 

 

Online service for Foodland is at shop.foodland.co.th but it seems to be in Thai only, but beats going back and forth with the staff on LINE app