Could an October Surprise Shift the Deadlocked Trump-Harris Race?

[tropo]

...everyday from 2am until 7am.

We have only one 24 hour supermarket now in Pattaya - Foodland.

The doom-and-gloom mongers will love this.

[gotlost]

Should tell you something:lol:.

[thaimate]

to be honest,i dont know how they manage to stay open only tourists shop there and us expats rarely.

[Thailaw]

Very honestly, I am surprised that it did not close completely. The few times that I have been in the store I was the only customer or one of only 2 or 3 in the store. They cannot be making any money with that kind of activity. And I expect that after 1:00 am the place is a morgue. The "doom and gloom" mongers will get a thrill when the other shoe drops and the store closes completely -- can't be too far off! Bad location and prices that are over the top aren't a great recipe for a brisk business.

[PhilHarries]

Honestly folks, just how often does one need a supermarket open between 02:00 and 07:00?

I can not recall one occasion in my life where I either used such a facility or needed to.

[tropo]

Honestly folks, just how often does one need a supermarket open between 02:00 and 07:00?

I can not recall one occasion in my life where I either used such a facility or needed to.

I used the store between 2am and 7am on about 2 or 3 occasions per week. When I turned up at 2:30 am this morning I discovered to my horror that it was closed.

[barryofthailand]

Food land is probably the best Super Market in Pattaya. Since Thailand has very few tourists, and it doesn't look like things will improve any time soon, I can see Villa closing for good in Pattaya.

Barry

[somtampet]

Honestly folks, just how often does one need a supermarket open between 02:00 and 07:00?

I can not recall one occasion in my life where I either used such a facility or needed to.

I used the store between 2am and 7am on about 2 or 3 occasions per week. When I turned up at 2:30 am this morning I discovered to my horror that it was closed.

I am finding it more difficult to cope by the day.Next its going to be 7/11 shut at 4.00 till 6.00am,if that happens i defo sell up and go back to the uk where you can get anything at any time.

Overwhelmed with grief here

[tropo]

Very honestly, I am surprised that it did not close completely. The few times that I have been in the store I was the only customer or one of only 2 or 3 in the store. They cannot be making any money with that kind of activity. And I expect that after 1:00 am the place is a morgue. The "doom and gloom" mongers will get a thrill when the other shoe drops and the store closes completely -- can't be too far off! Bad location and prices that are over the top aren't a great recipe for a brisk business.

I disagree that the location is bad as that depends on where you live. You can get to it easily from the Soi Buakhow/3rd Road area and the Beach Road/2nd Road area because you can enter the complex from either side. The prices for basic items are about the same as all the other supermarkets. They have a lot of imported, luxury items which the other supermarkets don't carry, which therefore cannot be fairly compared on price.

Most of The Avenue is boarded up now. They've turned the outside area into an evening market.

[smedly]

This news about ripoff villa market doesn't surprise me, I went there when it first opened (very nice shop) and had a look around and found it to be charging 20%-30% more than anyone else, hope it shuts and the greedy owner gets burned, if these places would realise that if they charge reasonable prices and don't get greedy and try to rip people off they would do well.   We all forget time and time again that we are in a 3rd world country, all prices should reflect that, when I first came here 8 years ago I worked out that goods property etc should be around 1/4 of the price it is in the west, now with exchange rates prob more like 1/3, anything more than that is a rip off.

[tropo]

This news about ripoff villa market doesn't surprise me, I went there when it first opened (very nice shop) and had a look around and found it to be charging 20%-30% more than anyone else, hope it shuts and the greedy owner gets burned, if these places would realise that if they charge reasonable prices and don't get greedy and try to rip people off they would do well.   We all forget time and time again that we are in a 3rd world country, all prices should reflect that, when I first came here 8 years ago I worked out that goods property etc should be around 1/4 of the price it is in the west, now with exchange rates prob more like 1/3, anything more than that is a rip off.

You have it all totally wrong. Obviously you don't shop there much so you don't really know but... as I said earlier, for basic local commodities you won't be paying anymore than at Friendship, Foodland, Carrefour etc (on average). I can buy wine there cheaper than Carrefour. Sure it's only a few baht, but saying they're charging 20 - 30% is just ridiculous. I challenge you to find one item either local or imported which is 20 - 30% more expensive in Villa than somewhere else. Name the item and price and make sure you're comparing exactly the same item. eg. I don't want you to compare tomatoes from Europe with locally grown ones.

It also should be obvious that you're going to pay more in Thailand for imported items than in their country of origin. How do you expect them to import products and charge less than back home? That's not very logical is it?

Lastly, how can you accuse a store of ripping you off? You can see the prices and decide to buy or not. No one is ripping you off are they?

[smedly]

first things i priced where fruit and veg....that wa enough

as for rip off........I don't get ripped off or at least I don't hand my money over readily without some serious consideration, identifying something as a rip off and being ripped off are two different things, as usual tropo you tend to have difficulty reading actual words and making stuff up that I didn't post, i never said I got ripped off I said it was a rip off lol

do you just hand money over at the ask, tell us all your rip off stories or maybe you are a rip off merchant lol, do you always pay the ask without question ?......................I have a condo for sale 6million baht...will you buy it please he he

Edited June 30, 2010 by smedly

[Spoonman]

wow, I thought it was already doors closed.......kudo's they are still open.

[FarangBuddha]

This news about ripoff villa market doesn't surprise me, I went there when it first opened (very nice shop) and had a look around and found it to be charging 20%-30% more than anyone else, hope it shuts and the greedy owner gets burned, if these places would realise that if they charge reasonable prices and don't get greedy and try to rip people off they would do well.   We all forget time and time again that we are in a 3rd world country, all prices should reflect that, when I first came here 8 years ago I worked out that goods property etc should be around 1/4 of the price it is in the west, now with exchange rates prob more like 1/3, anything more than that is a rip off.

You have it all totally wrong. Obviously you don't shop there much so you don't really know but... as I said earlier, for basic local commodities you won't be paying anymore than at Friendship, Foodland, Carrefour etc (on average). I can buy wine there cheaper than Carrefour. Sure it's only a few baht, but saying they're charging 20 - 30% is just ridiculous. I challenge you to find one item either local or imported which is 20 - 30% more expensive in Villa than somewhere else. Name the item and price and make sure you're comparing exactly the same item. eg. I don't want you to compare tomatoes from Europe with locally grown ones.

It also should be obvious that you're going to pay more in Thailand for imported items than in their country of origin. How do you expect them to import products and charge less than back home? That's not very logical is it?

Lastly, how can you accuse a store of ripping you off? You can see the prices and decide to buy or not. No one is ripping you off are they?

Comletely agree that the guy you are quoting is completely off his rocker and agree with you that Villa is no more expensive than any of the other "farang" supermarkets in town. They also have many unique imported items that cannot be found at the other stores at any price and of course shipping relatively heavy low value goods makes the final prices rather expensive. However, they can be cheaper for some imported items as well...like a particular brand of imported European cheese spread I like...a small package of it is about B130 at Villa and CF and Foodland sell it for between B 160-175!

In any case, the whole The Avenue development has been a fiasco since day one...there have been many threads about it and the reasons for its failure. I do use Villa if I am in the area and need some groceries but I will just as readily use Foodland or CF if they are more convenient. It's probably a case of just too many farang oriented markets in town and Villa, being the latest, just couldn't get a foothold in the market. Maybe when all those cheapo condos along the back soi get filled-up they will do a better trade...but people living in them are more likely customers for the Tuesday and Friday Bua Kow market than upmarket imported items at Villa.

[tropo]

first things i priced where fruit and veg....that wa enough

as for rip off........I don't get ripped off or at least I don't hand my money over readily without some serious consideration, identifying something as a rip off and being ripped off are two different things, as usual tropo you tend to have difficulty reading actual words and making stuff up that I didn't post, i never said I got ripped off I said it was a rip off lol

do you just hand money over at the ask, tell us all your rip off stories or maybe you are a rip off merchant lol, do you always pay the ask without question ?......................I have a condo for sale 6million baht...will you buy it please he he

You're confusing the issue: "rip off", "ripped off". Same same.

You're backing up your preposterous statement that items are 20 - 30% higher by observing the high price of imported fruit and veges there? The expensive fruit and veges available at Villa are mostly imported items from US, Europe, Australia and NZ. What do you expect imported fruit to cost? The same as a local item? I don't buy fruit and veges there because the prices are too high for me, but that's not because they're ripping people off, it merely reflects the cost of stocking imported produce.

They are stocking items you will not see in any other supermarket in Pattaya. The prices are too high for you so you immediately label them as rip-offs when in fact they are doing some people who have a higher budget a favour by offering what they cannot buy anywhere else. There's a high, middle and low end in any market. Obviously you come in at the low end of the market and require cheap things. Villa is definitely not your place.

Would you walk into an exotic car dealership and start accusing them of being rip-offs because they are charging more than Toyota for a car? You're making your comments with no regard to what they're offering for sale.

Do you buy 2000 baht original perfume for your girl or 100 baht copies? Do you fly business class or economy? Get the point? You can buy 1500 baht per kg imported beef or local Thai beef for under 300 baht per kg. Are they ripping people off by offering a superior product at a price you cannot afford?

I asked you to present one item that costs 20 - 30% more than the same item at another supermarket. You can't because it is not true. You cannot compare the cost of an imported item with a local one.

Villa is even a sponsor of this forum. I don't believe it's fair to be offering inaccurate information.

[basjke]

This news about ripoff villa market doesn't surprise me, I went there when it first opened (very nice shop) and had a look around and found it to be charging 20%-30% more than anyone else, hope it shuts and the greedy owner gets burned, if these places would realise that if they charge reasonable prices and don't get greedy and try to rip people off they would do well.   We all forget time and time again that we are in a 3rd world country, all prices should reflect that, when I first came here 8 years ago I worked out that goods property etc should be around 1/4 of the price it is in the west, now with exchange rates prob more like 1/3, anything more than that is a rip off.

You have it all totally wrong. Obviously you don't shop there much so you don't really know but... as I said earlier, for basic local commodities you won't be paying anymore than at Friendship, Foodland, Carrefour etc (on average). I can buy wine there cheaper than Carrefour. Sure it's only a few baht, but saying they're charging 20 - 30% is just ridiculous. I challenge you to find one item either local or imported which is 20 - 30% more expensive in Villa than somewhere else. Name the item and price and make sure you're comparing exactly the same item. eg. I don't want you to compare tomatoes from Europe with locally grown ones.

It also should be obvious that you're going to pay more in Thailand for imported items than in their country of origin. How do you expect them to import products and charge less than back home? That's not very logical is it?

Lastly, how can you accuse a store of ripping you off? You can see the prices and decide to buy or not. No one is ripping you off are they?

Ok let me start with the most local item that is possible in Thailand,the salad bar.At villa 18 baht/100gr compared to 15 at foodland and 14 at carrefour.I think that is a premium of 20-30% or not?

Now if you take a look at the sushi you will see premiums of close to 100% over the other supermarkets.

Let me add another one that I use daily.The last time I looked at the fresh chicken meat the breast was 165 baht a kilo while at that time the maximum at other supermarkets was 110 Baht/kilo.Don't know the current price because chicken meat changes frequently but if you insist i can update tomorrow.

Edited June 30, 2010 by basjke

[Ulysses G.]

tropo is very often  right. 

[PhilHarries]

Honestly folks, just how often does one need a supermarket open between 02:00 and 07:00?

I can not recall one occasion in my life where I either used such a facility or needed to.

I used the store between 2am and 7am on about 2 or 3 occasions per week. When I turned up at 2:30 am this morning I discovered to my horror that it was closed.

Out of interest how many other people did you used to see in there at that time of night. You can't really expect a place to bear the costs of opening up unless it makes a profit. A shame for sure but it's a hard commercial world.

I must admit at that time of the night, should I still be awake, the only thing I am looking for is my pit and a few dozen zeds, local produced will do.

[tropo]

Yes, the small sushi counter has expensive sushi and I haven't tried it, but I have tried the rubbish they pass off as sushi at Carrefour. Sushi is a useless comparison because the prices vary so much depending on how much raw fish they use and the quality thereof. I can buy sushi at those sushi counters around the shopping malls for 10 baht per piece, It's so bad I cannot eat it. In a good restaurant it'll cost me more than double but at least I'm getting something edible and not salmon etc sliced razor thin. Again, we're not comparing apples with apples.

The salad bars? This would also depend on the quality of the salad selection and dressings available. Another useless comparison...but now we're talking about mere baht differences.

Chicken: Interesting as I've never paid 165 baht for a kilo of chicken. Perhaps it was free range chicken, but I insist that you go back tomorrow for an update. I'm looking forward to your report.

Edited June 30, 2010 by tropo

[tropo]

Honestly folks, just how often does one need a supermarket open between 02:00 and 07:00?

I can not recall one occasion in my life where I either used such a facility or needed to.

I used the store between 2am and 7am on about 2 or 3 occasions per week. When I turned up at 2:30 am this morning I discovered to my horror that it was closed.

Out of interest how many other people did you used to see in there at that time of night. You can't really expect a place to bear the costs of opening up unless it makes a profit. A shame for sure but it's a hard commercial world.

I must admit at that time of the night, should I still be awake, the only thing I am looking for is my pit and a few dozen zeds, local produced will do.

Despitie being traumatized over my late night haunt being closed I was not surprised. It was more surprising that the place was still open as I never saw many late night guests in there. I've lost a late night supermarket and restaurant in one go as I used to eat in the restaurant there too.

Seriously depressing is this.

[basjke]

Yes, the small sushi counter has expensive sushi and I haven't tried it, but I have tried the rubbish they pass off as sushi at Carrefour. Sushi is a useless comparison because the prices vary so much depending on how much raw fish they use and the quality thereof. I can buy sushi at those sushi counters around the shopping malls for 10 baht per piece, It's so bad I cannot eat it. In a good restaurant it'll cost me more than double but at least I'm getting something edible and not salmon etc sliced razor thin. Again, we're not comparing apples with apples.

The salad bars? This would also depend on the quality of the salad selection and dressings available. Another useless comparison...but now we're talking about mere baht differences.

Chicken: Interesting as I've never paid 165 baht for a kilo of chicken. Perhaps it was free range chicken, but I insist that you go back tomorrow for an update. I'm looking forward to your report.

I don't know why I even bother to reply to a post of yours since you always are right and everyone else wrong but lets give it a last try.

Why should the sushi be better in villa then in the other supermarkets,they all make it with the same concept.A lot of steamed rice,which costs close to nothing,and if you stare very well you will see some small particles of salmon or some other raw fish included.Of course you gonne comment now that you noticed that those particles are bigger at Villa.

The salad bar we are not talking about mere Bahts but about 20-30% premium just as you challenged everyone to prove in your previous post.By the way if you buy 1 kilo of it,as I often do,then you pay 40 Baht more.And to add,the selection in foodland is more extended then at villa and with expensive items like brocolli and aspergus.

The chicken I'm not talking about whole chicken but raw sliced chicken pieces out of the tub same as in every other supermarket,no sign of premium quality only premium price.Of course you never paid 165 baht for a kilo of chicken,nobody in his right mind would do.

[Jingthing]

The prices at Villa are standard for some items, and ridiculous for others. Anyone who has shopped around town knows the difference. My favorite thing about Villa is that they usually stock fresh jalapeno peppers and at a good price as well. I guess it's bad news for night owls but I don't shop that late. Isn't Friendship 24 hours?

[ciaociao]

The prices at Villa are standard for some items, and ridiculous for others. Anyone who has shopped around town knows the difference. My favorite thing about Villa is that they usually stock fresh jalapeno peppers and at a good price as well. I guess it's bad news for night owls but I don't shop that late. Isn't Friendship 24 hours?

Villa is the only market that has fresh jalpeno peppers at a good price. Some markets have canned, but very expensive.

[Jingthing]

Agreed. Haven't seen fresh jalapenos anywhere else in town.

[hanokm]

Wow...

Talk about you guys really taking note on the important things in life.

How about you all spend a few hundred baht on whatever imported or local produce you see fit to spend your money on & go & feed some people who can't afford to set foot in foodland or any of the other food stores you're all meaninglessly comparing prices about

Wake up to yourselves

[Jingthing]

Wow...

Talk about you guys really taking note on the important things in life.

How about you all spend a few hundred baht on whatever imported or local produce you see fit to spend your money on & go & feed some people who can't afford to set foot in foodland or any of the other food stores you're all meaninglessly comparing prices about

Wake up to yourselves

How about you start a new thread and call it GUILT TRIP?

Edited June 30, 2010 by Jingthing

[rott]

Sorry to hear this, and hope Villa doesn't close completely. I know it ain't always cheap but find it an enjoyable place to shop in and occasionally for a meal. I am sure it's only me but I actually found the whole complex something of an improvement to the area even though it never seemed to make financial sense.

[tropo]

I don't know why I even bother to reply to a post of yours since you always are right and everyone else wrong but lets give it a last try.

Why should the sushi be better in villa then in the other supermarkets,they all make it with the same concept.A lot of steamed rice,which costs close to nothing,and if you stare very well you will see some small particles of salmon or some other raw fish included.Of course you gonne comment now that you noticed that those particles are bigger at Villa.

The salad bar we are not talking about mere Bahts but about 20-30% premium just as you challenged everyone to prove in your previous post.By the way if you buy 1 kilo of it,as I often do,then you pay 40 Baht more.And to add,the selection in foodland is more extended then at villa and with expensive items like brocolli and aspergus.

The chicken I'm not talking about whole chicken but raw sliced chicken pieces out of the tub same as in every other supermarket,no sign of premium quality only premium price.Of course you never paid 165 baht for a kilo of chicken,nobody in his right mind would do.

I have no idea why you bother to reply and I'd be quite happy if you didn't bother. It's clearly marked as a thread started by me, so if I bother you it would have been easy to avoid. This was not a challenge addressed to you in the first place.

I have no idea how the sushi compares in Villa compared to other places, but sushi has a very wide range of quality and value. Your comments mean nothing unless you've tried it do a direct comparison.

Congratulations, you found an item (salad) which is a few baht more expensive than other supermarkets, but you still didn't address the quality issue and what actually get for your money.

Basically you're talking about prepared food. The chicken is another story. Go down tomorrow as you suggested to update us on that.

Edited June 30, 2010 by tropo

[tropo]

Wow...

Talk about you guys really taking note on the important things in life.

How about you all spend a few hundred baht on whatever imported or local produce you see fit to spend your money on & go & feed some people who can't afford to set foot in foodland or any of the other food stores you're all meaninglessly comparing prices about

Wake up to yourselves

Thanks for the suggestion, but I already feed a whole family in the Philippines. Who do you feed?

[toenail]

The Avenue Shopping area would have had a better chance if it was on the other "side" of 2nd road - no brainer. Crossing 2nd road becomes too much of a battle after a couple times and since Pattaya does nothing to enforce traffic rules in the city, the safety of the pedistrian doesn't exisit. Driving to the Avenue is not that easy coming from the back area (again, due to the crowded sois) and to come from the northern part of the city...forget it. Jomtien, no problem.

Everytime I purchase a few items at Villa Market, the cashier will ask, "Do you have your Villa Market VP card?" I say no can I have an application and then I get the same reply..."NO HAVE" This has been going on for a year. I finally got my Villa Market VP card up in Bangkok. You think this store could have applications on hand for the card. I like shopping at Villa Market since I do not have to stand in line like I do in at Central.