Boycott Haagen Dazs Ice Cream In Thailand

[bingobongo]

if it is any consolation to the OP, i am sure the lactose intolerant will support your boycott

[lannarebirth]

So, what's the deal with Swensons? Average or worse ice cream and toppings, yet opening franchises everywhere. I'd sooner pay double for some Haagen Daz than eat that crap again.

Anyone know if there's a place comparable to Thrifty's drug store here? A chain in the US that used to sell their own ice cream. Not too bad at all and pretty reasonably priced. Some more Baskin and Robbins would be nice too.

edit: Gelado seems to be making inroads here in the Kingdom and that's nice to see.

Edited April 8, 2008 by lannarebirth

[mrtoad]

When I saw the initial herading of this thread, I assumed that it may be something to do about the ethics employed by the company and reasons to boycott it. Alas, no it's a whine about the prices. Of course it's going to be more expensive, it's imported.

Simple question, do you like Thai food? If so, I suspect that you pay 10 times the price of what we pay here to eat it back in your own country? An example, Som Tam in my local restaraunt back home comes in at 4.50 GBP. What can I say, bloody expensive, but you pay more as it's a non local food.

It's a price you pay of living in a different country, and wanting to eat some of those home comforts.

[steveromagnino]

Simple question, do you like Thai food? If so, I suspect that you pay 10 times the price of what we pay here to eat it back in your own country? An example, Som Tam in my local restaraunt back home comes in at 4.50 GBP. What can I say, bloody expensive, but you pay more as it's a non local food.

It's a price you pay of living in a different country, and wanting to eat some of those home comforts.

I AGREE. All people living in Thailand should boycott eating any Thai food overseas as long as we are living here.

That will teach 'them'

[Spee]

Thanks Grant, good point. I think I will add Haagen Dazs to my list of expensive things that I am currently "boycotting". So far I have Ferraris, private jets, rolex's and gold toothbrushes.

But jeez, c'mon, isn't having and enjoying luxury items lke Hagen Does a basic human right? All of these sleazy greedy manufacturers should be forced by the government to slash their prices so everyone can afford everything. If someone could just the get politicians to start with something simple, like posh, designer ice cream, then within a few years we could all afford a furrari. Of course if would be made in god-knows-where, come with a 1 liter, 2 cylinder, 10bhp motor and fall apart every week. But it would be a furrari. Just think where we could all be in a few years with all that motivation to produce the best product for the best price the market will bear. Ummm ... oh wait ... been there .... done that .... Soviet Union .... bad idea.

[MengWan]

Thanks Grant, good point. I think I will add Haagen Dazs to my list of expensive things that I am currently "boycotting". So far I have Ferraris, private jets, rolex's and gold toothbrushes.

I agree and applause to that !

Just can add 18th century samurai swords to the list ... (I keep my swiss knife)

[JetsetBkk]

Too expensive ?? Quite simple, DON'T buy it. Boycott, why?

Isn't "don't buy" the same as "boycott"?

OP should think himself lucky. Lipton's tea just went up 33% - 150 baht/100 bags to 199 baht. I can't boycott it. Sorry. Instead I bought a teapot - now I get three cups from one bag!

Downside: up all night, peeing.

[mrtoad]

Too expensive ?? Quite simple, DON'T buy it. Boycott, why?

Isn't "don't buy" the same as "boycott"?

OP should think himself lucky. Lipton's tea just went up 33% - 150 baht/100 bags to 199 baht. I can't boycott it. Sorry. Instead I bought a teapot - now I get three cups from one bag!

Downside: up all night, peeing.

But why would you want to buy Liptons tea?

[hp8000]

CALL TO BOYCOTT HAAGEN DAZS ICE CREAM IN THAILAND

The fact that it is owned by Nestlé (since 2002) is reason enough for me to boycott it, regardless of the price in Thailand.

If you boycott Nestlé you will quickly ending with not much to eat.

[lotus eater]

The price is not more than it is in England - where it was not far off £4.50 I believe. So why the complaint? How many other farang foods are of similar to that in England?

[popshirt]

OK you can flame away at me but.............about 4 years ago I was passing the Haagen Dazs cafe on Silom with 3 friends and, on impulse, I said let's have some ice cream------MY TREAT! Wow was that a shocker. I haven't had Haagen Dazs since.

[Huey]

Yeah that is getting re-F-ingdiculous 329 baht for a pint of ice cream. I love Hagen Das but thats just stupid. Especially when there are so many other good brands out there.

[howtoescape]

<deleted> all this hagen daas crap any way itll kill you.

The way forward is 19bht chocolate sundaes from the "Dairy Queen" the young girls in there always look so cute with their pig tails and asian style make up. And the ice cream is delightful.

I thought it was only women who paid silly amounts for ice cream.

[Ijustwannateach]

Treated myself and a friend to a double cone recently (was his birthday, I'm not much of an ice cream fan myself); total cost: 440B! That's nearly $15 for two people to have an ice cream cone- silly by any measure; and almost certain to be a really, really high percent profit. Not a big deal for me; as I said, I rarely eat ice cream- but simply silly in a place where a little bit more (say, 700-800B) could get two people into a quality buffet with home-made ice cream as only one of the desserts on offer (not to mention the rest of the food). Still, caveat emptor, a fool and his money, etc., etc.

"S"

[JetsetBkk]

Too expensive ?? Quite simple, DON'T buy it. Boycott, why?

Isn't "don't buy" the same as "boycott"?

OP should think himself lucky. Lipton's tea just went up 33% - 150 baht/100 bags to 199 baht. I can't boycott it. Sorry. Instead I bought a teapot - now I get three cups from one bag!

Downside: up all night, peeing.

But why would you want to buy Liptons tea?

I must've been here too long - I actually like it!

As for Haagen Daz, it wasn't worth the money in England and it isn't worth the money here!

[PattayaParent]

My missus makes her own ice cream.

No added sugar and full of fresh fruit.

Delicious.

[bendix]

Those who cry that products like HD (irrespective of its merits or quality) are overpriced fail to grasp the fundamental laws of economics.

A company will price its product at the top level at which it thinks it can develop, sustain and retain demand for that product. If it can raise prices without affecting demand, it will do it. If it raises prices and demands falls away to such an extent that long-term profitability is diminished enough to worry the producer, it will drop prices (if it's feasible to do so). It's called the freemarket, baby.

It might amaze you to know that Nestle produces icecream to generate sales and - god forbid - generate profits. It doesnt do it for charitable reasons.

Anyone complaining the price is too high needs to rephrase their objection to "the price is too high for me".

[JonnieB]

Agree with everyone...no need for a boycott...like that would do anything. Some people can afford it and choose to buy it and there are other cheaper (and decent) local icecreams for everyone else. Baskin Robbins ice cream is very good and about half the cost. Even the Nestle and especially Cremo ice creams are pretty good for the price.

On occasion, I will treat myself to a pint of HD coffee ice cream or a couple of their ice cream bars...they are the best around. The ice cream bars here in Thailand (imported from Japan I think) are even better and bigger than the ones in the USA. The chocolate coating on them is about twice as thick as US bars

The way I justify it is that a couple pints or bars is still way cheaper than a little nite company and much more pleasurable to boot

[lomatopo]

I'm not sure where H-D manufactures ice cream for the Thai market, but whole milk prices (wholesale) have doubled in Thailand in the last 12 months, so manufacturing costs are higher. Local pricing is controlled by the local franchisee, a Thai person or group. Ice cream also has a lot of additional handling/shipping concerns (temperature control) which add to the cost. (Walls ice cream moto just drove by!)

Nearly all food, staple, commodity prices have increased here in the last 12 months.

Obviously the solution is for the OP to take their business elsewhere.

Given that all Thais over the age of 8 are lactose intolerant it is always amazing to see the ice cream shops packed. In Central World H-D might have 10 customers (all Thai or Asian), while the Swensons ( a few meters away) might have 30 (again, all Thai or Asian).

[tahaan]

You lucky, lucky b@ggers! I can only dream about boycotting Hagen Daz here in Isaan. I don't think I've ever seen any but adding the cost of the 200km round trip to the nearest possible source would give me even more reason not to buy.

Oh well, kao nieow and metmuang again!

[Jingthing]

There is such a thing as gouging. I suspect HD and B&J have decided to go for small volume/high profit strategy in Thailand. This is different than their US strategy where they are priced at a level most people can afford (I have seen B&J's for as little as 70 baht a pint there). I am just guessing without seeing their cost factors. In that sense, they can be criticized as overpricing. I reject the idea that there is such a thing as totally free markets and also even if there were that they make for a perfect world.

Of course boycott is the same as don't buy. I don't buy. But I don't eat low quality ice cream either. People really don't need ice cream.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Jingthing

[soundman]

I'm not a great ice cream eater, in fact I can't remember the last time I had some, but do recall that HD's is quality stuff.

However, when I'm in Thailand and I'm bluddy hot and sweaty I will consider the following set of figures.

1 pint Haagen Daz ice cream : 329 Baht.

2 x 325ml bottles Singha beer (a little over a pint) : 80 Baht (Wonderful bar happy hours).

So I'll buy a beer and sit and wait for a fresh fruit trolley vendor to come by and get some pineapple and water melon and I'll still be in profit.

329B icecream - 5 minutes of eating pleasure

or

four hours of massage

or

1 case of beer - three days of dinking pleasure.

[grantbkk]

Those who cry that products like HD (irrespective of its merits or quality) are overpriced fail to grasp the fundamental laws of economics.

A company will price its product at the top level at which it thinks it can develop, sustain and retain demand for that product. If it can raise prices without affecting demand, it will do it. If it raises prices and demands falls away to such an extent that long-term profitability is diminished enough to worry the producer, it will drop prices (if it's feasible to do so). It's called the free market, baby.

It might amaze you to know that Nestle produces ice cream to generate sales and - god forbid - generate profits. It doesn't do it for charitable reasons.

Anyone complaining the price is too high needs to rephrase their objection to "the price is too high for me".

I thought that the title of this post that included the word "boycott" would stir interest and it has. Haagen Dazs is produced for Thailand in France and deserves to make a healthy profit, just not too heathy. General Mills sent me an email in French. After I had it decoded I was informed that Customer Relations is on the case and they may or may not contact me at a later date. Tops called and said the ingredients are very expensive and comes all the way from the United States. I was told they don't set the price for the product and to contact Haagen Dazs.

Rather than "boycott" lets just say this is just my attempt at an awareness campaign.

[zorro1]

Thanks Grant, good point. I think I will add Haagen Dazs to my list of expensive things that I am currently "boycotting". So far I have Ferraris, private jets, rolex's and gold toothbrushes.

[BigSnake]

Never had the stuff, probaly never will.

[Ijustwannateach]

Yup, the price is what the market will bear (if they can find a buyer). Not complaining, but laughing at those who'd pay such prices. Diminishing returns, etc., etc.

I think recently scientists demonstrated that a fair amount of the increase of pleasure in consuming a very expensive bottle of wine was due to the knowledge of the price, not the actual quality increase (in other words, when the taste test was price neutral only small improvements were noted, and when a poor quality wine was ascribed a high value its perceived quality jumped up way out of proportion). Same thing operating here- for the same thing, some people would like to pay 100B, 1000B, or 10,000B. Which of those people is it better to be?

"S"

[bendix]

There is such a thing as gouging. I suspect HD and B&J have decided to go for small volume/high profit strategy in Thailand. This is different than their US strategy where they are priced at a level most people can afford (I have seen B&J's for as little as 70 baht a pint there). I am just guessing without seeing their cost factors. In that sense, they can be criticized as overpricing. I reject the idea that there is such a thing as totally free markets and also even if there were that they make for a perfect world.

Of course boycott is the same as don't buy. I don't buy. But I don't eat low quality ice cream either. People really don't need ice cream.

But doesnt their pricing strategy - such that it is - show that it is, in fact, a freemarket? They are completely within their rights to price i at 100 baht, 300 baht or 30,000 baht. We, as consumers, are free to buy or not. Even if rival producers collude, it's still market forces in action; in this instance we have rival high quality ice cream producers pricing very high. We have some people still buying, some deciding not to. There will be three possible outcomes:

1) Not enough people will buy, so the producers will decide it's not worth the hassle and withdraw from what must be a difficult market to succeed in.

2) They will reduce the price

3) A local producer will try to take them on and enter the quality ice cream market at a lower cost point.

Freemarkets in action.

[Heng]

No Haagen Daaz? I don't think so. What the heck am I going to pre-soak in before my Perrier bath?

[Scott]

I can't participate in this boycott until after the Hot Season is over!

[jdinasia]

There is such a thing as gouging. I suspect HD and B&J have decided to go for small volume/high profit strategy in Thailand. This is different than their US strategy where they are priced at a level most people can afford (I have seen B&J's for as little as 70 baht a pint there). I am just guessing without seeing their cost factors. In that sense, they can be criticized as overpricing. I reject the idea that there is such a thing as totally free markets and also even if there were that they make for a perfect world.

Of course boycott is the same as don't buy. I don't buy. But I don't eat low quality ice cream either. People really don't need ice cream.

Gads ... where and when did you get Ben and Jerry's for less than $2 USD a pint?

That being said, I bought Ben and Jerry's at 2 pints for 299 not TOO long ago at Paragon.

It is simple though, can't afford it? don't buy it. I mostly don't but .... when we go out to eat at the Korean BBQ place behind Robinsons Suk, we always stop at the tops in the basement and buy TWO pints! Then there are the nights that the partner just decides to bring home a pint of HaagenDaz when coming home from work. He buys it more often than I do (but he can afford it healthwise far moreso than I