Tesco, One Liquor Law For Falangs, One For The Thais.

[xkkpafi]

As ridiculous as the liquor buying prohibition between 1400-1700 and before 1100 is, I was under the illusion that the law applied equally to Thais as well as falangs. Well, evidently not so, as I saw around 1620 today in the Market Village Tesco. An elderly falang, no doubt looking forward to a nice cold one after a hard day had his two bottles of Chang light seized, followed by a Thai two minutes later who managed to get his six Singha large ones through the checkout unimpeded. So much for the checkout-goon that informed me once 'Till have timelock cant sell beer'. Not only do Tesco at Market Village have the rudest employees in the whole of Thailand but they have now become overtly racist in their interpretation of the national liquor licensing laws. Tesco stinks in more ways than one.

[ableguy]

is this market village in Hua Hin ?

[sharking]

very sad if this is happening

[ESB7]

Are you sure it was only six large bottles and nothing else? If you buy enough it is classed as retail sale and is allowed 24 hours a day....I always find it is the opposite, outlets let the foreigners buy but refuse the Thais. The law is enforced since 1st Jan 2006 so almost 5 years should be enough for anyone to know, also signs are posted in Thai and English...Mom and Pop shops will sell anytime and in fact can be cheaper than Tesco, mine sells Leo cans at 27 baht 7/11 and Tesco charge 30 baht

[stander]

very sad if this is happening

It is wrong, but I some how doubt this is actually taking place on a regular basis

[tricolor]

Before slagging off Tesco-Lotus the explanation may simply be due to the quantity involved.

You can buy a case (24 cans) of beer at any time of day.

The 6 large bottles may also be outside of the restricted amount.

(edit:ESB7 posted similar reply)

Edited August 3, 2010 by tricolor

[QED]

Before slagging off Tesco-Lotus the explanation may simply be due to the quantity involved.

You can buy a case (24 cans) of beer at any time of day.

The 6 large bottles may also be outside of the restricted amount.

(edit:ESB7 posted similar reply)

The actual limit is 10 litres, so 24 cans doesn't cut it, you need to buy 7 more loose ones to make it up to 10 litres (or just a second case is easier )

6 large ones would be around 4 litres?

[paulandmaneerat]

But he's right about the attitude at Tesco at Market Village. I was given 360 baht in 20 baht notes as change at one of 'basket' tills. I protested and asked for some hundreds but she just ignored me and started to serve the next person, like I didn't exist. Some lessons in customer service would not go amiss.

P&M

[tricolor]

Thanks QED for info about it being 10 litres.

How about spirits !!

Some of the 'problems' may be due to language understanding with the staff.

I have been told that, unlike the parent company in UK, the workers in Tesco-Lotus get no staff discount and aren't allowed to shop for themselves if still wearing the company uniform.

[stgrhe]

I too totally agree on the Tesco Market Village and their poor staff. You would find a complete different attitude among the staff at Tesco, Pran Buri, as they are quite friendly.

For alcohol purchase outside of the time limits go to Villa Market, I have never had any problems there but I always buy a case each time.

[sevenhills]

Before slagging off Tesco-Lotus the explanation may simply be due to the quantity involved.

You can buy a case (24 cans) of beer at any time of day.

The 6 large bottles may also be outside of the restricted amount.

(edit:ESB7 posted similar reply)

Out of hours you must buy a minimum of10 litres, that's the law. 6 large bottles don't come close.

[sevenhills]

Thanks QED for info about it being 10 litres.

How about spirits !!

Some of the 'problems' may be due to language understanding with the staff.

I have been told that, unlike the parent company in UK, the workers in Tesco-Lotus get no staff discount and aren't allowed to shop for themselves if still wearing the company uniform.

10 Litres of alcohol (Spirits are alcohol).

[sam666]

I usually ignore this rule, I got my girlfriend to buy me Sangsom in a 7 eleven a few times during this timelock, however it didn't work in BKK and I had to go an extra 100 metres to a store.

No need to slag off the customer service in Tesco, they don't even get a chair and they pack your bags FOR YOU and fast. And we all know how much they get paid, quit whineing and just go to 1 of the million stores outside around tesco that sell booze.

[xkkpafi]

Are you sure it was only six large bottles and nothing else? If you buy enough it is classed as retail sale and is allowed 24 hours a day....I always find it is the opposite, outlets let the foreigners buy but refuse the Thais. The law is enforced since 1st Jan 2006 so almost 5 years should be enough for anyone to know, also signs are posted in Thai and English...Mom and Pop shops will sell anytime and in fact can be cheaper than Tesco, mine sells Leo cans at 27 baht 7/11 and Tesco charge 30 baht

Yup, 6 * 630cl = 3,780L, watched them scanned and that's all the alcohol the dude had. Agree about the M&P stores, far better, cheaper, friendlier, and will even speak Thai with the falangs; rather give them my dough that an ill mannered multinational. Just sometimes its a bit more convenient to get all the shopping in one go. Personally prefer the super at the complex, often cheaper than TossCo, no prohibition, and locally owned.

[xkkpafi]

is this market village in Hua Hin ?

Its Hua Hin

[ESB7]

But he's right about the attitude at Tesco at Market Village. I was given 360 baht in 20 baht notes as change at one of 'basket' tills. I protested and asked for some hundreds but she just ignored me and started to serve the next person, like I didn't exist. Some lessons in customer service would not go amiss.

P&M

And did you politly ask if you could have 100 notes if it was possible she had them? Did you actually ask if she had any ??? or did you do what I always see foreigners in Tesco/Big C and any other major store do...rant at her in a pigeon English, flapping your arms and pointing at the till.......??? some of the staff are not so friendly, but hey, if I worked in Tesco in the UK and did the same to a customer and they started ranting at me in Swahili or Tobagon.....I really would just ignore them and serve the next customer.

[xkkpafi]

But he's right about the attitude at Tesco at Market Village. I was given 360 baht in 20 baht notes as change at one of 'basket' tills. I protested and asked for some hundreds but she just ignored me and started to serve the next person, like I didn't exist. Some lessons in customer service would not go amiss.

P&M

And did you politly ask if you could have 100 notes if it was possible she had them? Did you actually ask if she had any ??? or did you do what I always see foreigners in Tesco/Big C and any other major store do...rant at her in a pigeon English, flapping your arms and pointing at the till.......??? some of the staff are not so friendly, but hey, if I worked in Tesco in the UK and did the same to a customer and they started ranting at me in Swahili or Tobagon.....I really would just ignore them and serve the next customer.

Usually the other way round mate. Falang politely makes a request, often in Thai, only to be met with a look of total disbelief by the clown behind the checkout and an aggressive rude attitude of 'how dare you speak Thai to me', then its the clown that carries on in english that is usually completely incomprehensible and resembles more the ramblings of a lunatic than any recognizable european language. Wise up..

[hhfarang]

Go to the smaller "Mom and Pop" markets if you want to buy alcohol outside the normal legal hours. They never fail to sell it to me. Even my local 7/11 that has seen me as a regular customer will sell anything to me at any time off the books (they can't ring it up on the cash resister during those non-sale hours). They just figure out the price by hand and add it to the bill. If you really want to buy outside the legal hours, it's not a problem if you shop around.

[tricolor]

Yes, big differences between checkout operators in UK and Thailand considering it's the same multinational company.

UK ones only have to scan the goods, nothing else. Conveyor belt brings it to the scanner, high chair to sit on, no need to pack bags and now even the receipt issuing printer and credit card reader has been moved away for the customer to do it all themselves. They also get staff discount and generous year end bonus based on company profits. Thai workers have no such luxury working conditions.

Having said that though my local tesco has just replaced 4 checkout cashiers with 16 completely self-service machines, so maybe that's the way it will go in the future.

[Phuket Stan]

If u want to have a bleat about Supermarkets you have to try Carrefours in Patong Phuket....could possibly be the worst run supermarket I have ever been in....I prefer to drive 12 kilometres to Tesco and get really good service...I dont blame the people working in Carrefours...I blame the management...after all the workers are all Thai and yet Tesco service is miles ahead in service and civility

Edited August 3, 2010 by Phuket Stan

[stgrhe]

If u want to have a bleat about Supermarkets you have to try Carrefours in Patong Phuket....could possibly be the worst run supermarket I have ever been in....I prefer to drive 12 kilometres to Tesco and get really good service...I dont blame the people working in Carrefours...I blame the management...after all the workers are all Thai and yet Tesco service is miles ahead in service and civility

I recon Carrefours in Patong is a little bit to far from Hua Hin to be worth a test.

[johna]

If you feel the service is racist or bad, boycott them.

I avoid if possible shopping at Tesco as I believe the choice is limited and the goods on sale are of poor quality.

[sam666]

Yes, big differences between checkout operators in UK and Thailand considering it's the same multinational company.

UK ones only have to scan the goods, nothing else. Conveyor belt brings it to the scanner, high chair to sit on, no need to pack bags and now even the receipt issuing printer and credit card reader has been moved away for the customer to do it all themselves. They also get staff discount and generous year end bonus based on company profits. Thai workers have no such luxury working conditions.

Having said that though my local tesco has just replaced 4 checkout cashiers with 16 completely self-service machines, so maybe that's the way it will go in the future.

Excatally, good post, people bitch about anything, come on we spend more at restuarants then they get paid in a 12 hour shift. If you don't like tesco then go somewhere else and stop whineing. I've never had bad customer service, I can read the till and they pack my bags fast and give me change. What more do you want? the poor bastards don't even sit, better service then I've ever got from some arse of a person in the UK. They don't sell me alcohol but give a thai guy some beers? So what, it's Thailand i'm a farang I'll go to one of the hundred stores outside and buy for cheaper, no big deal. Theres a 100 stores around market village.

Jeez I've had some little scrote in the UK refuse me wine on mothers day because my brother forgot ID and he wasn't even buying .....

Edited August 4, 2010 by sam666

[F4UCorsair]

And we all know how much they get paid, quit whineing and just go to 1 of the million stores outside around tesco that sell booze.

Out of interest, how much do they get paid??

[tricolor]

And we all know how much they get paid, quit whineing and just go to 1 of the million stores outside around tesco that sell booze.

Out of interest, how much do they get paid??

Approx. 206 Baht per day.