Foodland, especially Foodland Sukhumvit Soi 5 in Bangkok - why is it so empty?

[isaanistical]

9 minutes ago, transam said:

I don't think Tesco lost, they were paid a lot of money, in fact it was ....

 

10,600,000,000 US Dollars..................????

That was for Malaysia too, so maybe two-thirds that figure for TH. I meant CP lost, which has definitely shot itself in the foot. They had 'plans' to merge and rationalise with CP's other retail brands but it seems the panic delayed that and now they don't know what to do.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

These days, for our basic grocery shopping, the majority of it is done via Tops Online, which has a good and broad selection and for Bangkok comes from a central warehouse on Rama 3 -- not from a smaller local store like the Soi 17 Robinson's Tops branch.

 

And then supplement that with in-store shopping as needed from Central Chidlom Food Hall, which has a quite good in-store bakery, along with periodic online grocery orders from Villa, and an occasional walk over to Foodland Soi 5 to stock up on pinto beans and a very few other selected items.

 

For me, the basic difference is -- the current smaller Foodlands and Villas are what I would call grocery stores, whereas the current larger, more broadly stocked Tops Food Halls and Gourmet Markets are more like supermarkets.

Edited April 14, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[isaanistical]

5 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Shall I go on?

no need, I am sure we all agree, but your list of grievances hasn't changed in the nearly 30 years I have been here, so why do they only now cause people to up and away?

[transam]

11 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

That was for Malaysia too, so maybe two-thirds that figure for TH. I meant CP lost, which has definitely shot itself in the foot. They had 'plans' to merge and rationalise with CP's other retail brands but it seems the panic delayed that and now they don't know what to do.

You reckon.....................????

[mokwit]

2 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

no need, I am sure we all agree, but your list of grievances hasn't changed in the nearly 30 years I have been here, so why do they only now cause people to up and away?

It has virtually become a police state for foreigners - it never was before.

[BritManToo]

26 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Why are ex-pats leaving?

 

1. Overall, a declining quality of life.

2. An oppressive government that was not sincere about letting go of power. Ever.

3. High prices on most import goods, luxury goods, and wine. A horrendously crappy selection of beer.

4. Rampant xenophobic on the part of the goons and immigration.

5. A nation in reverse. No hope for a better future here.

6. Extreme timidity and destruction of the economy, many lives and businesses. Please, don't blame Covid. That is only one element.

7. Little in the way of good education available for kids.

8. The sanitization of Thai society, the elimination of anything that resembles character, and the tired, insincere, increasingly fake purity campaigns.

9. The continued environmental destruction and worsening air quality, coupled with no intent of effort to fix anything.

10. The worsening dependence on China. Will Thailand eventually be a communist colony?

Shall I go on?

Disagree with all your comments ..........

1. The only declining in my life is due to getting old, and it's still way better than anyone I know in the UK.

2. Don't care about the Thai government, and don't think it's any worse than our western governments. (Do you really think Trump was better than Prayut?)

3. My wine coolers have gone up from 25bht/bottle to 26bht/bottle, no big deal.

4. I don't mix much, so I don't care if they hate me, I can endure immigration 2x a year.

5. My kids have a great future in Thailand, and at an affordable price (for them).

6. Isn't there a thread saying the UK has the worst economy?

7. My daughter had a great education in government schools, and has a decent job.

8. Isn't this what globalism is all about, conformity and sanitisation?

9. Bit of a choker in CM, but it's been like this since I arrived in 2009, can't really blame Prayut.

10. China is the only country left still making stuff, everyone is equally dependent on China.

 

Lay back an enjoy your life, stop obsessing over things you can't change.

 

As for the lack of customers in Foodland,

I'll take a wild guess that it's because they are a little more expensive than everywhere else and most people, at this moment in time, are trying to be a little more careful with their spending.

Edited April 14, 2023 by BritManToo

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

A horrendously crappy selection of beer.

Central Food Hall at Chidlom BTS has a quite good selection of imported beers, including from the US, UK, Japan, Korea, etc... My personal favorite is the Rogue brand from the U.S./Oregon.

 

Yes, the prices are going to run in the $7-$9 per bottle range. But I figure I can afford a few and still come out far ahead based on what I'm saving on rent vs. what I'd otherwise be paying for housing in the U.S.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

16 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 dealing with trusts and wills for their remaining Thai families, properties, etc. 

 

AFAIK, there are no legal "trusts" in Thailand. There isn't such a thing provided for in Thai law.

 

[jimn]

If its the same as the Pattaya branch its way overpriced. Much better options elsewhere

[chalawaan]

Don't believe the hype, Thailand is still practically empty compared to pre Covid. 

Sure you see tourists, but it's still a fraction of the past. 

Chicken and egg situations like airlines in line to bring planes back online (need to wait for engineering to clear global backlog) keep prices high, keep people away, keep aircraft from returning faster, even though there's a backlog!

 

China international flights to ANYWHERE are still 80% below pre Covid levels. Their diplomatic and internal issues are not winning them any new friends beyond the banana republics like Honduras and some pacific islands with their hands always out.

 

But we digress.

 

Places are empty, because it's the new reality.

 

Expect unfolding crises to keep visitor numbers from increasing soon. 

 

I reckon a decade.

 

Meanwhile, if Thailand is smart, they'll pivot to super efficient, modern mass manufacturing, instead of relying on "quality tourists" and eat China's lunch.

 

 

[driver52]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Does anybody know what is going on or have a good idea for some reason(s)?

a) excess deaths.....certainly happening in the UK, due to nudge nudge, wink wink, 'dangerous narcotics' ???? have you seen the stats for Thailand?

b) excess deaths due to the heat?

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I think COVID really accelerated the trend toward online grocery shopping

That is an interesting point I never thought about.

Now I buy a lot of things online which I never ordered online before Covid. But I still never did supermarket shopping online. 

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

and for Bangkok comes from a central warehouse on Rama 3

Not for us in Latphao area - comes from Central Eastville shopping center for last several years.  But starting this month they no longer accept debit cards or foreign credit cards it seems.  ????

 

As for Foodland they lost my business soon after Covid appeared when they removed all shopping carts from Latphao branch and I had to carry hand basket to shop.  Have not been back so not sure how many customers they have but suspect many people . like me, have found on-line shopping/delivery to be the norm these days.

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, marin said:

My Foodland in Laksi has gone to hell. Looks like a cheap Thai supermarket. The aisles now have items on sale down the middle of them making shopping difficult. Many western items are no longer stocked (...)

Spot on. 'Western' supermarkets in recent years have either moved away from imported products, or sell them at ridiculous prices. IMHO they have scared away many of their former customers. While a large part of the product range is not different from a 7-Eleven convenience store anymore, at the same time these products are sold at higher prices, so that they don't appeal to local customers. At the same time, cutting down on products favoured by expats or tourists, they have lost appeal among them too. Add the ridiculous prices of 100s of baht for one unit of some  imported products, and it is easy to see why even expats shop less at such stores these days.

Edited April 14, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That is an interesting point I never thought about.

Now I buy a lot of things online which I never ordered online before Covid. But I still never did supermarket shopping online. 

It can be a whole lot more convenient that going out in the smog and heat.

 

Tops online does free delivery on orders 1000b and above. Gourmet Market I believe is 1500b and above, but still will deliver lower orders for a set fee...

 

And these days, you can order groceries from Tops, Gourmet Market and LotusS -- but not Foodland or Villa -- via either the FoodPanda or Grab apps, and get either free delivery or for a very low fee even with small sized orders.

 

These days, I'd say 75% or more of our grocery shopping is done online, even though I'm within walking distance of Villa, Tops, Foodland branches, and short BTS trips to either Central Food Halls or Gourmet Markets.

 

PS - FWIW, I haven't noticed in my increasingly rare visits that Foodland Soi 5 is doing any big business in deliveries..... but I'm not hanging out there watching all day every day, either... so who knows.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

16 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Not for us in Latphao area - comes from Central Eastville shopping center for last several years.  But starting this month they no longer accept debit cards or foreign credit cards it seems.  ????

 

That's interesting. So Tops may have more than one delivery hub for the Bangkok area... Sukhumvit area customers definitely are served by their Rama III location.

 

I guess my main point was, AFAIK, Tops Online at least in central BKK doesn't just deliver from whatever is the nearest local store to your home. I've got a dozen or more different Tops market and Central Food Hall locations far closer to my home than the Rama III branch that our deliveries come from.

 

As for foreign bank cards, I've always had trouble using mine if I try to pay via the Tops onllne website... But instead, I choose the "pay on delivery" option, and the delivery folks carry with them the handheld bank card reading machine. And I've never had my US cards declined once via that route over many years of use with Tops.

 

I used to have the same problem with Tesco... Couldn't get the Tesco website to accept my US bank cards... But the hand-held card machines carried by their drivers worked perfectly fine.

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[theoldgit]

Totally off topic posts removed.

[John Drake]

My Foodland, way out on Phutthamonthon Sai 4, is doing just fine. Still first rate deli and all the imported goods I want--except no jalapenos. BTW, I am the only foreigner there. Been going there since it opened in 2012 and during all that time, I can remember seeing just one or two others. Maybe they've shifted their marketing to the Thai middle class and your old store just didn't bring in too many???

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

That's interesting. So Tops may have more than one delivery hub for the Bangkok area... Sukhumvit area customers definitely are served by their Rama III location.

 

As for foreign bank cards, I've always had trouble using mine if I try to pay via the Tops onllne website... But instead, I choose the "pay on delivery" option, and the delivery folks carry with them the handheld bank card reading machine. And I've never had my US cards declined once via that route over many years of use with Tops.

 

I used to have the same problem with Tesco... Couldn't get the Tesco website to accept my US bank cards... But the hand-held card machines carried by their drivers worked perfectly fine.

 

That strange as have had no problem using either credit or debit card until this week - and note they have disclaimer that not accepted on website so assumed was a new thing.  Have resorted to paying in cash last several delivers and provides bit extra for MC driver this way.  They made switch to Lalamove from Grab and at least normally get address right now (before luckily if even correct mooban and would have to call for directions).  Not sure if MC drivers would have card reader. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, John Drake said:

no jalapenos

Villa's are the best/easiest place for jalapenos (Mezzetta brand from the U.S.)... unless you want to go big time to Makro for the 2+ kilo Casa Fiesta tins they sometimes have in stock.

 

[jaywalker2]

Foodland gets a little busier when the Arabs are in town. I go there a couple of times a month mainly to buy cheese and butter (butter 227 gms for 89 baht!), But it's a tired and unattractive store with a poor selection so unless you live in that area, I don't know why you would use it.

 

Tops on Soi 17  has been surprisingly empty as well lately , though it's a better store than Foodland. Usually, they just have a couple of cashier lines open.  Even the food court has been empty on the few occasions I've gone there.

 

I do most of my shopping at the Chitlom branch of Tops as well.  It's a bit expensive but there's a bigger selection particularly of fresh fruits and vegetables. The imported food prices are ridiculously expensive though and I don't know who's buying all that American junk food.  The store is always crowded , the service is good. the employees helpful, and everybody speaks a little English. So you get what you pay for I guess.

 

The Villa at the end of Lang Suan is new and nice and shiny. They had 400 gm blocks of decent imported European cheddar for 229 baht, which was a good deal and one of my main reasons for going there. Two huge price increases later, it's now 279 and I stopped buying it on principle. Villa is still the best place to buy wine though. They have a good selection and you can find decent wines in the 400 baht range (and not Mont Clair).

 

It's the Big C at Ratchaprasong that gets the most traffic though. The meat there tends to be about half the price of Tops Chitlom and their fresh vegetables are quite reasonable too, as a rule.  You have to fight your way through the Chinese tourists though.

 

I suppose a lot of people are doing their shopping online these days as I often see the delivery truck from Tops at my building. Lower Sukhumvit, on the other hand, just doesn't have much to offer except for an ever growing number of weed shops.

 

 

[John Drake]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Villa's are the best/easiest place for jalapenos (Mezzetta brand from the U.S.)... unless you want to go big time to Makro for the 2+ kilo Casa Fiesta tins they sometimes have in stock.

 

2 kilo!!! The way I go through jalapenos that would be great! Used to buy them by the 2 gallon jar back in the US. Will check on Makro then. Thanks.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

That strange as have had no problem using either credit or debit card until this week - and note they have disclaimer that not accepted on website so assumed was a new thing.  Have resorted to paying in cash last several delivers and provides bit extra for MC driver this way.  They made switch to Lalamove from Grab and at least normally get address right now (before luckily if even correct mooban and would have to call for directions).  Not sure if MC drivers would have card reader. 

 

It sounds like you've got some entirely different kind of delivery operation going on in your area.

 

Our Tops Online grocery deliveries, ordered via the Tops app or website, always come via a delivery truck, never a motorcycle.

 

I'd only get a motorcycle if I was instead doing a small Tops order via Grab or Foodpanda. And with Grab or Foodpanda, you can pay via cash upon delivery, but also can pay via stored bank card within their apps. My US bank cards work just fine with both the Foodpanda and Grab apps for all purposes.

Edited April 14, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

16 minutes ago, John Drake said:

2 kilo!!! The way I go through jalapenos that would be great! Used to buy them by the 2 gallon jar back in the US. Will check on Makro then. Thanks.

Makro sometimes has them, sometimes doesn't... And probably depends on the branch involved.  This is what they look like. And it seems they've changed the brand they're carrying also. From the Sathorn branch.

 

 

 

Villa also stocks the smaller jars of the El Sabor brand of sliced jalapenos... But I've never cared for them, as they come out of the jar soft and soggy.... Whereas the Mezzetta brand from the US comes out firm and a bit crunchy, as you'd expect from a fresh cut jalapeno pepper.

 

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[OneMoreFarang]

Some people here mention fruit and vegetable, etc.

I buy all those at the Klong toey fresh market. It's fresh, tastes better and is cheaper.

My Thai gf buy there also fish and seafood - she knows how to judge the quality.

I don't buy any meat at the fresh market because just looking at all that raw meat in the open and with the dirt all over the place I just don't want to risk that. 

 

On 2nd thought about Foodland Soi 5: I walk to that place or take my bike, and I can park in front of it. But if people have a car that is definitely more difficult. 

[John Drake]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Makro sometimes has them, sometimes doesn't... And probably depends on the branch involved.  This is what they look like.

 

 

 

I'll take a look at the Makro Salaya. I've never been there and suppose it's unlikely to carry them. But it's close. 

[digbeth]

The Arabs has pretty much overtaken soi 5, to the detriment of other clientele,

Who would want to stay in Nana except sexpats and arabs? the Chinese and Vietnamese in the hotels are bussed in and don't spend. Big Spender Chinese independent travellers don't stay in places like Grace Hotels

It's no longer the metropolitan melting pot of embassy workers from wireless road like it was 30 years ago, those crowds are better served by Central Chidlom or Embassy and how many posh community malls down Langsuan road over there.

 

Middle Class Hi-So Thais further down Sukhumvit has so many High End Tops and Gourmet Market opening left righ and center from Asok to Thong Lor,

 

Foodland itself has their new posh store in Thonglor for the Thai middle class, and their Sukhumvit 16 has decent western clientele. The Soi 5 remains for old timers who refuses to move with the time.

It only looks empty right now because it's the middle of Ramadan, it'll be swarming with Arab come next month. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

On 2nd thought about Foodland Soi 5: I walk to that place or take my bike, and I can park in front of it. But if people have a car that is definitely more difficult. 

I thought the Soi 5 branch used to have car parking available in one of the structures nearby there.... but I'm not a car driver here...so can't say for certain.

 

PS - one of the reasons I've stopped shopping at Villa stores in person so much over the years is I kept getting OLD fresh produce from their veggies section. Whereas, the fresh veggies at Foodland Soi 5 always were kept well refrigerated and I never got rotten tomato or wilted lettuce from them. 

 

The old Villa branch on Soi 11, before it relocated further into the soi, used to keep a lot of their vegetables sitting out on counters or shelves, non refrigerated. They used to sell packages of tomatoes, two per tray wrapped in plastic wrap....and I can't tell you the number of times I got them home, opened the package, and found the underneath/down facing parts of the tomatoes had gone bad, and no way to see or tell that while looking at the package in the store.

 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

7 minutes ago, digbeth said:

The Arabs has pretty much overtaken soi 5, to the detriment of other clientele,

Who would want to stay in Nana except sexpats and arabs? the Chinese and Vietnamese in the hotels are bussed in and don't spend. Big Spender Chinese independent travellers don't stay in places like Grace Hotels

It's no longer the metropolitan melting pot of embassy workers from wireless road like it was 30 years ago, those crowds are better served by Central Chidlom or Embassy and how many posh community malls down Langsuan road over there.

 

Middle Class Hi-So Thais further down Sukhumvit has so many High End Tops and Gourmet Market opening left righ and center from Asok to Thong Lor,

 

Foodland itself has their new posh store in Thonglor for the Thai middle class, and their Sukhumvit 16 has decent western clientele. The Soi 5 remains for old timers who refuses to move with the time.

It only looks empty right now because it's the middle of Ramadan, it'll be swarming with Arab come next month. 

Are you maybe just a little racist?

I also see the Arabs and (presumable) Africans in that Soi and in Foodland. And I had never trouble with any of them. There are rumors that the African's sell drugs. Maybe they do. But nobody ever asked me to buy any. At least for me the nationality and the skin color of the customers don't matter as long as behave. And IMHO drunk farangs are a lot more likely to misbehave.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Some people here mention fruit and vegetable, etc.

I buy all those at the Klong toey fresh market. It's fresh, tastes better and is cheaper.

I'd be a bit leary of fresh produce from the Khlong Toei market... Thailand has problems with excessive pesticide use and residues on their fruits and veggies.... as has been documented in the past by the private group ThaiPAN, which ran its own lab certified random testing in past years.

 

And the stuff that ends up in fresh markets is probably untracked and little regulated... though even the major supermarkets also had problems with this in the past... even among items labeled "organic," which tends to have little meaning/value if it's a Thai government "organic" designation.