Carrefure To Bloomin Hot,no Aircon

[percy2]

So we figured why waste time and get hot when you can park right outside Foodland and buy every item you need and then check out, all in less than 15 minutes.

One thing that amazes me is that some shoppers are prepared to shop in multiple locations just to save 5 Baht here and 10 Baht there.

I think we all know that retailers use loss leaders to attract you in and then try to get their money back (read increase profits) on other items.

I prefer a shop that has all/most of the things I want at a reasonable price, rather than wasting my time.

I would say my preference is Villa/Foodland , Carrefour and then Tesco in Pattaya.

It pains me to say (as a Brit) that Carrefour is better than Tesco, but it has a much better selection of goods.

Cheers

[OneMikeInBangkok]

So we figured why waste time and get hot when you can park right outside Foodland and buy every item you need and then check out, all in less than 15 minutes.

One thing that amazes me is that some shoppers are prepared to shop in multiple locations just to save 5 Baht here and 10 Baht there.

I think we all know that retailers use loss leaders to attract you in and then try to get their money back (read increase profits) on other items.

I prefer a shop that has all/most of the things I want at a reasonable price, rather than wasting my time.

I would say my preference is Villa/Foodland , Carrefour and then Tesco in Pattaya.

It pains me to say (as a Brit) that Carrefour is better than Tesco, but it has a much better selection of goods.

Cheers

Must agree Carrefour has a better and more extensive selection of foodstuffs.

Also a better selection of cockroaches dancing around the fridges.

Maybe that's the reason for the hot temperatures. Carrefour's attempt to uphold the biodiversity of Pattaya's wildlife.

[thaimate]

i find villa very good if a lttle expensive,but must say tesco far better and cleaner than carrfour any day,no one seems to shop in big c?

no recomends for it.

[tropo]

One thing that amazes me is that some shoppers are prepared to shop in multiple locations just to save 5 Baht here and 10 Baht there.

You've probably misunderstood the reason why many of us shop at mutiple locations. The reason I do is to get the items I want and not one of the supermarkets has all the items I require.

I do Foodland, Villa, Friendship and occasionally Carrefour and Tesco. I don't pay much attention to the small price differences, however Villa has pushed fruit and veges to a new level....I have my limit.

Edited January 10, 2008 by tropo

[thaimate]

villa seems to give free samples of everything ,by the time we finish shopping ime full has anyone tried their food counter ,i have heard the food is not up to much?

[tropo]

villa seems to give free samples of everything ,by the time we finish shopping ime full has anyone tried their food counter ,i have heard the food is not up to much?

I think it's a seperate business, but I've tried it many times. Average to below average would sum it up. The servings are unusually small for all the meals I've tried.

One guy reported that the Granny's turkey dinner was good.

[thaimate]

thanks for the info,we are just off to villa soon.

[farangfool]

the pattaya carrefour suffers definitely from a totally incompetent management. The checkout lines are far too long and when you complain the person (manager) even gets into denial and excuses. (I wonder if he is still under the impression that the New Year's shoppingrush is on...) - I had him called to tell him and show him the rows myself. The stupid smile on his face did not signal any comprehension of the issue.

The TGM products are very nice but they just had 15-20 % price hike which is outrageous. Plus the staff at that counter is extremely unfriendly (I would fire all of them right away) and simple refuse to slice the ham and sausages as their customers ask for it. The salami slices are more solid than most of the pattay condos. BKK TGM staff is first class.

The bakery is the real reason to shop there. Very fresh, good variety of bread and pastries. They have a French baker who knows his job and they produce up to 3 times a day fresh bread. Also here they increased prices and that pisses me off. 20-30% per year is a rip off.

Pattaya Carrefour compares well with the BKK branches for the bakery. TGM counter is a shadow of the BKK service and that staff needs training badly. Maybe they are not TGM staff like in BKK and thus dont care.

The Pattaya manager is a fully developed idiot. Unlike in BKK he insists on having only 1 entrance. So people sneak through the cashiers and bump into the waiting crowd. One cashier lane that is never used (Nos. 1-2) has been nice blocked off. So that manager knows what counts, certainly not the customers.

He also believes that the quick check out should take longer than the regular check out. So he opens only 1 counter while they once could have had 4 cashiers open. In BKK customers have access to at least 4 quick check outs if not 8 in rush hours.

Together with the aircon problems, the slow replacement of items (I had to ask staff to refill from the storage space on the high top shelves as the shelves within reach were empty...), slow check out, badly trained counter staff this place is a mess.

But, the bakery is superb and has no rival. So it is Carrefour and I keep on bitching with regular complaint forms at the customer service counter.

The Tesco bakery is not even close to carrefour, as for Villa, Tops etc. high prices and low quality bread - i m from the profession.

If Carrefour would sell all the bread at the lower level small outlet, I could save myself the horrors of the upper floor shop. But maybe they implant some brains into the manager's skull or, even better, offer him a position as a shoeshine boy.

[tropo]

The Tesco bakery is not even close to carrefour, as for Villa, Tops etc. high prices and low quality bread - i m from the profession.

This was the most interesting comment out of your whole rant.

I've had an inspection of the bread at Carrefour, but never tried it. I don't like the way they keep a lot of their items out in the open air.

Is it really good? I've found the Foodland bakery extremely disappointing too...and overpriced.

[Cuban]

>No one follows you around to see if you are stealing anything.

Hmmmm... Tesco and Big C staff following you round the TV & Radio sections, then jumping in when you pause more than a few seconds in front of something. Trying to show you how to close a fridge door or how loud an Amplifer will go.

My new game is to choose one "assistant" at random and the follow them round.

Home Works is the best for both extremes, if you pick up a few items someones always brings a basket to you - which I like. And and other times you find the odd member of staff hiding in an empty bay reading comic.

Talking of Tesco, not sure why the protesters made so much fuss, the new East of Sukhumvit Tesco is empty most of the time, shopping there is great - pity it's only half full of food.

[farangfool]

The Tesco bakery is not even close to carrefour, as for Villa, Tops etc. high prices and low quality bread - i m from the profession.

This was the most interesting comment out of your whole rant.

I've had an inspection of the bread at Carrefour, but never tried it. I don't like the way they keep a lot of their items out in the open air.

Is it really good? I've found the Foodland bakery extremely disappointing too...and overpriced.

Sorry, just makes me mad when I see the degree of incompetence at Carrefour when I know that their service in BKK is so much better.

The bread: Yes, they dont pack as it comes fresh from the oven to the display. They cant bag it right away. More importantly, they use the right temperature in the oven and the French baker keeps an eye on the dough. So you have hardly any bread that did not fully "develop" like in the BKK's carrefour. The 35 baht baguette is absolute high class like the 45 baht country sour (rye bread). The other breads are more the specialty types for once in while but I like the country sour as it has the same quality as in any good continental european bakery.

The 35 baht baguette is a wheat bread that keeps for a day unlike the 25 baht. The wheat has a better quality and the texture of the bread is really nice and the taste. The 25 baht is very direct consumption when it is fresh or even still warm.

Get a 35 baht baguette and some fresh TGM bbq-ham (35 baht as well). Let them slice it, dont buy the packed stuff. The combination is a perfect match.

If you see the young French baker, ask any question about his products and you will get a good answer. They produce fresh baguette for the 9 Am opening, then between 1 and 2 pm, and around 6,30-7pm again. Not bad at all.

Unlike the BBK Carrefours they are not great in donuts and other frieds stuff. The Pattaya bakery is definitely farang oriented. I just hope they dont push their prices over the top.