Tops, Poor Quality!

[thaigerd]

Had the same issue with their butcher section in the past but today it happened again(why always me???)

On my wau home I,ve bought 2 fresh chicken. After a couple of minutes in my oven I could smell it :

One or both of them has been totally gone.......so I digged out the 2 packages from the garbage to check.

One of these pack smelled horrible. Went back with my half roasted chicken to show them, they agreed to the bad smell and got my money back. But it's not the question about 180.-Baht it's about the poor control system they have(or not have).

Couple of weeks ago I've had a piece of very expensive imported beef tenderloin and the same......

2 days ago a pack with sliced meatloaf, not expired bot smelly that I could not eat it.

I think they have a big problem with their chilling/cooling chain.

Gerd, who is looking now for another supermarket!

[donna]

thats a bit gross gerd. i would send them a written complaint and see how you go there. they cant let this happen. were they over their use by date? i always check before i buy, but i guess you do too.

[thaigerd]

thats a bit gross gerd. i would send them a written complaint and see how you go there. they cant let this happen. were they over their use by date? i always check before i buy, but i guess you do too.

Both my chicken had the same production/expire date label; 6.7.2007/exp. 9.7.2007.

The smelly one had a red 30,-Baht discount sticker on it.........guess why

As I am living only 3 minutes away from TOPS I went back to show them their product, got me money back after a test smell.

During my visit I offered the manager from the meat section to eat some of his chicken but he was not hungry

Store manager on duty(big display with photo) was not available coz he went home already............

Took my chickens back home to send them to a lab test.

Gerd

[leisurely]

TBH I don't think it is just TOPS. Any supermarket I've used here in BKK seems to have trouble with the chilling or freezing of food. Often I squeeze something in the freezers and find it has defrosted. I don't buy that much frozen stuff - normally just fish fingers for the girls and frozen roti for us. As far as chicken goes, I did once have one that stank the house out as it cooked. I found out that all the guts were still inside

[Ping]

Sounds like it could be another of these places that turns its refrigeration/freezers off after hours. I mentioned a similar story in a previous thread - the employees did not know that the freezers had to be left on overnight (These little locally manufactured annoyances tend to mount up. If you let them get to you, you could go craaaazyyyy )

[Chantal]

Which branch of Tops Gerd?

Had a similar experience at the supermarket at Big C a couple of years ago. Bought a chicken within the sell by date only to find when I got home that they simply re wrapped new plastic with a new sell by date over the old one. It really stank!!!

I was so p***ed off - not an issue of returning for a refund but an issue of being stumped for what to cook that evening especially after a long days work!

Makes one wonder if there is any real quality control in the supermarkets?

[HDRIDER]

Hi

Is there more than 1 tops? (central festival)

[thaigerd]

Hi

Is there more than 1 tops? (central festival)

Mine was in CENTRAL the only TOPS I know here on the island.

Gerd

[Mid]

Robinsons , in town ,

still there ??

[thaigerd]

After checking their website they are running 2 different brands:;

and

so we have 2 TOPS here in Phuket.

Gerd

[YaiJung]

I have had the same problem with Carrefour in Patong. All was well while the cheerful frenchman was in charge when they first opened, but nowdays he is no where to be seen and the meat section has gone way downhill IMHO. Its frustrating to get home and open the meat pack only to be repulsed by the smell coming out. Makes me think twice nowdays about buying BBQ from the street vendors as I know for a fact some of them purchase out of those filthy discount bins they have out near the packaged section. Tops, Lotus, and BIg C are much the same I have found.

Anyone know of a good, clean butcher shop other than the Deli in Patong?

[chinthee]

I have had the same problem with Carrefour in Patong. All was well while the cheerful frenchman was in charge when they first opened, but nowdays he is no where to be seen and the meat section has gone way downhill IMHO. Its frustrating to get home and open the meat pack only to be repulsed by the smell coming out. Makes me think twice nowdays about buying BBQ from the street vendors as I know for a fact some of them purchase out of those filthy discount bins they have out near the packaged section. Tops, Lotus, and BIg C are much the same I have found.

Anyone know of a good, clean butcher shop other than the Deli in Patong?

There is a meat shop that we've been buying from for years in Patong on the 2nd road, the first shophouse on your left as you enter the soi to the Patong Language School. Ask for the Bai Dang (red label) Australian beef. Granted, it is frozen.

Fresh fish/meats are also at the big open market behind the hospital I believe. Not sure, wife does the shopping.

[YaiJung]

I have had the same problem with Carrefour in Patong. All was well while the cheerful frenchman was in charge when they first opened, but nowdays he is no where to be seen and the meat section has gone way downhill IMHO. Its frustrating to get home and open the meat pack only to be repulsed by the smell coming out. Makes me think twice nowdays about buying BBQ from the street vendors as I know for a fact some of them purchase out of those filthy discount bins they have out near the packaged section. Tops, Lotus, and BIg C are much the same I have found.

Anyone know of a good, clean butcher shop other than the Deli in Patong?

There is a meat shop that we've been buying from for years in Patong on the 2nd road, the first shophouse on your left as you enter the soi to the Patong Language School. Ask for the Bai Dang (red label) Australian beef. Granted, it is frozen.

Fresh fish/meats are also at the big open market behind the hospital I believe. Not sure, wife does the shopping.

Thanks, I will check that place out. Never knew it existed although I pass by there almost daily.

[chinthee]

I have had the same problem with Carrefour in Patong. All was well while the cheerful frenchman was in charge when they first opened, but nowdays he is no where to be seen and the meat section has gone way downhill IMHO. Its frustrating to get home and open the meat pack only to be repulsed by the smell coming out. Makes me think twice nowdays about buying BBQ from the street vendors as I know for a fact some of them purchase out of those filthy discount bins they have out near the packaged section. Tops, Lotus, and BIg C are much the same I have found.

Anyone know of a good, clean butcher shop other than the Deli in Patong?

There is a meat shop that we've been buying from for years in Patong on the 2nd road, the first shophouse on your left as you enter the soi to the Patong Language School. Ask for the Bai Dang (red label) Australian beef. Granted, it is frozen.

Fresh fish/meats are also at the big open market behind the hospital I believe. Not sure, wife does the shopping.

Thanks, I will check that place out. Never knew it existed although I pass by there almost daily.

Yes, the fresh market is called Baan Saan, and is the fairly new open-air big building in the road behind the Patong hospital. This took the place of that messy previous open air market further up the hill.

[borracho]

No fresh chicken at tops! You go there only for imported items unavailable other places.

Carrefour is pretty good for all a round shopping. Their vegetable and meats may leave a bit to be desired.

The open air market behind has great selection.

The Deli on 200 pee rd has a good variety of fresh sausage, meats, and wines at prices much cheaper than Carrefour.

[Tony Clifton]

The Local Tesco Express, since their opening a few months ago, all of the ice cream in their freezer has melted while being transported from the main store. You can actually see an inch thick of syrup has deposited at the bottom of each container. The ice cream is no longer smooth but icy.

They also carry a reasonable selection of "fresh" meat there but I figured they transport it in the same unrefrigerated truck.

[thaigerd]

The Local Tesco Express, since their opening a few months ago, all of the ice cream in their freezer has melted while being transported from the main store. You can actually see an inch thick of syrup has deposited at the bottom of each container. The ice cream is no longer smooth but icy.

They also carry a reasonable selection of "fresh" meat there but I figured they transport it in the same unrefrigerated truck.

This is more than disgusting!!!

Gerd

[geriatrickid]

I almost always buy my food at Carrefour (and infrequently from the Deli). My Thai friends that sometimes go with me thought I was a bit odd for sniffing my packages and refusing to buy anything from the open containers at carrefour, but I can see now, I wasn't so odd. As one poster wisely stated, he doesn't buy frozen. Until, they get the logistics of shipping frozen food down, nothing is going to change anytime soon.

I probably don't get sick because I'm one of those guys that burns everything and eats it well done. Might explain why my friends that come for BBQ insist on doing their own cooking.