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Local Supermarket - Cockroach In Sealed Bakery.


eek

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I had one fall out of a burger I was eating - after I had eaten three quarters of the burger!

As you can imagine I was livid - called a guy over and asked to speak to the manager, who apologised profusely and did not hesitate to give me my money back.

They had only just opened that day after being forced closed by the redshirts for 10 days, so I literally shudder to imagine how many of the little sods were scurrying around the kitchen.

*shudder*

Yeah, still has that effect on me ...

Q. You know what's worse than finding a cockroach in a burger that you've been eating?

A. Finding half a cockroach in a burger that you've been eating!

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No reason to worry, cockroach belongs to the most hygienic animals on earth and are totally harmless, they just love to live in dirty places. Personally I find them cute and funny, have one in my bathroom and sometimes give him a snack, he (she?) is always waiting for that, hihihehe.

But to find them in a packed food is not OK, but not for everybody I guess, many locals love to eat them so they might see it as an 'extra' :lol:

logo_cockroach_animated.gif

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I think Eek did the right thing. This is a management problem, not an isolated incident. Had she just taken it to the checkout they would have removed the cockroach, put the item back on the shelf and never told anyone in management.

We recently adopted a cat and when he developed a hobby of indoor cockroach hunting, I Wiki'd up the creatures and was impressed. I was mainly concerned that the cat might be hurt or poisoned and, no, it seems like harmless fun for him. We do use baited traps, which he leaves alone, so maybe his prey is a feeling a little "puny" when he finds them. He doesn't eat the cockroaches, so we don't think the roach poison is going to affect him. Every morning we wake up to find the bodies of 5 or 6. Sometimes he puts one on our bed as an "offering". I had no idea we had so many cockroaches until the cat joined the household.

I'm off today for a shopping trip at what I think was the same place where Eek found her cockroach. No wonder the cat always loves to see their home delivery and shows much interest in the cardboard boxes of beer and cases of soft drinks. New prey coming into his territory!

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I had one fall out of a burger I was eating - after I had eaten three quarters of the burger!

As you can imagine I was livid - called a guy over and asked to speak to the manager, who apologised profusely and did not hesitate to give me my money back.

They had only just opened that day after being forced closed by the redshirts for 10 days, so I literally shudder to imagine how many of the little sods were scurrying around the kitchen.

*shudder*

Yeah, still has that effect on me ...

Q. You know what's worse than finding a cockroach in a burger that you've been eating?

A. Finding half a cockroach in a burger that you've been eating!

Q. What's worse than finding half a cockroach, in your own burger ?

A. Seeing half a cockroach, in one's new ladyfriend's burger, when you've taken her out to an expensive burger-restaurant, in an attempt to impress her with your sophistication & international savoir-faire ! :bah::D

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I had one fall out of a burger I was eating - after I had eaten three quarters of the burger!

As you can imagine I was livid - called a guy over and asked to speak to the manager, who apologised profusely and did not hesitate to give me my money back.

They had only just opened that day after being forced closed by the redshirts for 10 days, so I literally shudder to imagine how many of the little sods were scurrying around the kitchen.

*shudder*

Yeah, still has that effect on me ...

Apologies in advance....

That reminds me of the old joke -

'Whats worse than biting into a burger and finding a cockroach ?

Biting into a burger and finding half a cockroach. '

Sorry....

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Went to the supermarket in question today. While the home delivery guy was unloading my order, the cat was gleefully rubbing and jumping all over the cases of Leo. Within a few minutes the cat was busy batting a cockroach around on the floor. I don't even think the delivery guy had left yet.

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I am very familiar with the supermarket in question, and from what I can tell from the packaging. this looks like a product that wasn't manufactured by the supermarket at all, but came from an outside supplier. So why is this supermarket being held accountable for the bad practices of an outside supplier? I could understand it if this posting targeted the supplier. That would make sense. But this seems a way of taking a cheap shot at a company that has extraordinarily high standards. It's one of the best supermarkets I've been to anywhere in the world. I know for a fact they they have high level staff constantly on patrol checking for quality. Still, is it reasonable to expect them to examine each and every package that comes into the store?

Also, on a few occasions when I have detected a problem, I contacted the manager who very graciously received the info and acted immediately to correct the problem. I wouldn't even know where to find the manager of rival supermarkets. I don't understand why the person who started this thread didn't notify the management of the supermarket but instead chose to publicize it to all and sundry. I am sure that, had they been notified, the management would have dealt very severely with whoever it is that manufactures this product.

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Cashier, Cashier, there's a roach in my pastry !

I'm sorry madam, I didn't realise you were a vegetarian !

Manager, Manager, there's a roach in my pastry !

I'm sorry madam, allow me to urgently look into how this could happen ! and please select another pastry with our complements.

Strange how life's little challenges can turn out.

Actually half way through the thread, I was rooting for the little critter...… Would this dear old, kind hearted granny be given a new home in LOS, with tasty fresh baked morcels, or could she only hope for that in yet another incarnation ?

Edited by Thules
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I am very familiar with the supermarket in question, and from what I can tell from the packaging. this looks like a product that wasn't manufactured by the supermarket at all, but came from an outside supplier. So why is this supermarket being held accountable for the bad practices of an outside supplier? I could understand it if this posting targeted the supplier. That would make sense. But this seems a way of taking a cheap shot at a company that has extraordinarily high standards. It's one of the best supermarkets I've been to anywhere in the world. I know for a fact they they have high level staff constantly on patrol checking for quality. Still, is it reasonable to expect them to examine each and every package that comes into the store?

Also, on a few occasions when I have detected a problem, I contacted the manager who very graciously received the info and acted immediately to correct the problem. I wouldn't even know where to find the manager of rival supermarkets. I don't understand why the person who started this thread didn't notify the management of the supermarket but instead chose to publicize it to all and sundry. I am sure that, had they been notified, the management would have dealt very severely with whoever it is that manufactures this product.

The seller of e product is responsible forthe goods in his shop. It is up him to take it up with his supply chain.

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..I agree..why didn't the OP just pick up the pack containing the offending encroacher and take it to the checkout and complain..why all the covert photos and follow up email when it was not the intention of the OP to buy the item. If not spotted by the employee the package may still be sitting on the shelf! IMO it is always best the confront and deal with matters there and then.

Too straight forwards and honest.

And then it would be a non issue.

This is the tropics.............

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"I am sure that, had they been notified, the management would have dealt very severely with whoever it is that manufactures this product." B i B

Well, I'm not so sure. Burying problems is done in some places. Also, note that OP is not dealing with an independent owner. The various places around town with such packaging of such products are megacorporations or megbillionaires or someone like that, mega, anyway. No amount of complaints on the I'net is going to cause such folks a blink of a hiccup. <something like that

But I must strongly object to this continuing blackguarding of cockroaches. They do us no evil (allergies in very closed environments perhaps an exception). We dislike them in the West because they are more rare than in the tropics (cold is not good for them) and we associate them with a lack of cleanliness, class, and status. Our concern here is exaggerated, if habitual. They do not bite and do not carry diseases - they are as unlike mosquitoes as can be. Also, it is urgently important for our full understanding here that one such insect was the best friend of Wall-E.:D And then a woman came along - old story.B)

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"I am sure that, had they been notified, the management would have dealt very severely with whoever it is that manufactures this product." B i B

Well, I'm not so sure. Burying problems is done in some places. Also, note that OP is not dealing with an independent owner. The various places around town with such packaging of such products are megacorporations or megbillionaires or someone like that, mega, anyway. No amount of complaints on the I'net is going to cause such folks a blink of a hiccup. <something like that

Well, I am sure. This is not a typical local business. In fact, this is not a typical business.. And why take my word for it? The evidence is clear. In Chiang Mai, they are clearly preeminent. They offer an amazing variety of stuff. I used to live in New York and Connecticut and I wish the supermarkets there were even nearly as good. They didn't get that way by ignoring problems brought to their attention.

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Butterisbetter, before you jump down my throat again, you may care to reread how i have praised this particuIar supermarket staff and store. That my emaiI has aIso praised them, and that my emaiI is not irrationaI or overIy criticaI. In the emaiI i have pointed out my observations, with photo evidence. Im passing on what i beIieve SHOULD be passed on, in the a manner i beIieve is correct and appropriate. If these reasons are not to your Iiking then thats your right, just as it is my right to report in a way i feeI is the best way. To be honest i think they are Iucky i found it, and not someone eIse who couId have made a much bigger stink about it. It is not my responsibiIity to check where the source of the product comes from, or who is responsibIe, or Iots of other things that you may think i shouId have considered. I am a customer of the store, thats aII, and i reported my findings in a way that i am satisfied with, and thats good enough for me.

IMO I think you did the right thing.

It doesn't matter how wonderful anyone thinks the store is, they are responsible for what they sell to the public.

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Butterisbetter, before you jump down my throat again, you may care to reread how i have praised this particuIar supermarket staff and store. That my emaiI has aIso praised them, and that my emaiI is not irrationaI or overIy criticaI. In the emaiI i have pointed out my observations, with photo evidence. Im passing on what i beIieve SHOULD be passed on, in the a manner i beIieve is correct and appropriate. If these reasons are not to your Iiking then thats your right, just as it is my right to report in a way i feeI is the best way. To be honest i think they are Iucky i found it, and not someone eIse who couId have made a much bigger stink about it. It is not my responsibiIity to check where the source of the product comes from, or who is responsibIe, or Iots of other things that you may think i shouId have considered. I am a customer of the store, thats aII, and i reported my findings in a way that i am satisfied with, and thats good enough for me.

By posting this( with evidence) on the most popular expat forum in Thailand, I'd say you made a big enough stink.

Did you do the right thing? Yes, especially if it helps the vendor improve their hygiene levels. We will all benefit, except those who like roaches in their food.

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Butterisbetter, before you jump down my throat again, you may care to reread how i have praised this particuIar supermarket staff and store. That my emaiI has aIso praised them, and that my emaiI is not irrationaI or overIy criticaI. In the emaiI i have pointed out my observations, with photo evidence. Im passing on what i beIieve SHOULD be passed on, in the a manner i beIieve is correct and appropriate. If these reasons are not to your Iiking then thats your right, just as it is my right to report in a way i feeI is the best way. To be honest i think they are Iucky i found it, and not someone eIse who couId have made a much bigger stink about it. It is not my responsibiIity to check where the source of the product comes from, or who is responsibIe, or Iots of other things that you may think i shouId have considered. I am a customer of the store, thats aII, and i reported my findings in a way that i am satisfied with, and thats good enough for me.

IMO I think you did the right thing.

It doesn't matter how wonderful anyone thinks the store is, they are responsible for what they sell to the public.

there is a difference between being responsible and being at fault

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I am very familiar with the supermarket in question, and from what I can tell from the packaging. this looks like a product that wasn't manufactured by the supermarket at all, but came from an outside supplier. So why is this supermarket being held accountable for the bad practices of an outside supplier? I could understand it if this posting targeted the supplier. That would make sense. But this seems a way of taking a cheap shot at a company that has extraordinarily high standards.

Your first point is immaterial as quality control of external products should be as fundamental to a supermarket business as their own brands.

It certainly is a fantastic place and I've always shopped there, although that's not to say it's infallible. I've had many iffy products but don't hold this against them as this is over many years and they're ten times as clinical as the rest of the market.

Can't see the big deal myself. This is a public forum where everyday stuff like this is good for the servers and for us... gawd forbid we all only post on mundane, typical topics 24/7. What a crappy site this would be, eh what what. Well done to the op.

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I am very familiar with the supermarket in question, and from what I can tell from the packaging. this looks like a product that wasn't manufactured by the supermarket at all, but came from an outside supplier. So why is this supermarket being held accountable for the bad practices of an outside supplier? I could understand it if this posting targeted the supplier. That would make sense. But this seems a way of taking a cheap shot at a company that has extraordinarily high standards.

Your first point is immaterial as quality control of external products should be as fundamental to a supermarket business as their own brands.

It certainly is a fantastic place and I've always shopped there, although that's not to say it's infallible. I've had many iffy products but don't hold this against them as this is over many years and they're ten times as clinical as the rest of the market.

Can't see the big deal myself. This is a public forum where everyday stuff like this is good for the servers and for us... gawd forbid we all only post on mundane, typical topics 24/7. What a crappy site this would be, eh what what. Well done to the op.

Well said thumbsup.gif

Responsible or at fault, the argument is with the store selling the goods, as far as shoppers are concerned.

If I bought something from BIB and had a problem, I would take it up with the owner/manager, regardless of whether they made it themselves or bought it in and I certainly wouldn't get into semantics over it, or want to listen to some pathetic excuse like "oh it's not our fault, we can't check everything".....I'm afraid the buck stops there!

I suppose if creepy crawlies were found in a salad, some owners would say that would be the fault of the market seller?

Edited by uptheos
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Insects of any kind in food are of course annoying - but it can happen anywhere - even in modern food production lines - let alone a local bakery. Luckily in this case it was on the outside visible - can you imagine you having a bite and find out that you have just swallowed half the bug!

Yes the rainy season is drawing them out and into buildings - I am hunting them down one by one with a can of "Chaindrite1" in my hand ready to open fire where ever I encounter them!

The OP asked about "bad hygiene standards" and he is absolutely right - but the problem here is not so much insects (which is unfortunate but it happens now and then) but other food storage and sanitation standards - or the non-existence of them.

During my professional live I have been trained to carry out health inspections in high volume food preparation and storage areas together with health authorities all over the world. Countries with varying degrees of public health standards, rules and regulations which are hardly ever strictly enforced to "accommodate" smaller businesses as there are considerable costs involved.

I don't know what regulations regarding food safety exist in Thailand and I know some of the big companies involved in food production have very good international standards and the certificates to prove it - they have no choice if they want to export to certain countries.

But what I see walking around here gives me the shivers.

If one would carry out a standard HACCP or PH inspection in any of the markets, food stalls, restaurants, supermarkets - I don't think not many of them would pass or even would be found to provide the most basic standard for food safety / HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point).

I am just surprised that not more people fall ill with food borne illnesses.

But then again we all might be far more resistant to food borne "attacks" than we think. After all for many years outbreaks of the dreaded Norovirus - caused by neglected personal hygiene - was often mistakenly thought to be food borne illnesses as the symptoms are very similar - and on the bright side in Thailand you are saver from infection from Norovirus because it loves a cooler climate. Beware of non-refrigerated, untreated eggs though - there is a reason why Thais deep-fry there fried eggs!

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Also, on a few occasions when I have detected a problem, I contacted the manager who very graciously received the info and acted immediately to correct the problem. I wouldn't even know where to find the manager of rival supermarkets. I don't understand why the person who started this thread didn't notify the management of the supermarket but instead chose to publicize it to all and sundry. I am sure that, had they been notified, the management would have dealt very severely with whoever it is that manufactures this product.

publicising it became irrelevanyt when the op self-moderated the topic by removing the store name. i think i knoiw what store it was but not 100%. does it begin with r

i think the newly enforced rules about not naming places should be explained. can you say the food was crap at a restaurant ? or a hotel was dirty? or a tour company didnt provide a ticket you paid for?

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Also, on a few occasions when I have detected a problem, I contacted the manager who very graciously received the info and acted immediately to correct the problem. I wouldn't even know where to find the manager of rival supermarkets. I don't understand why the person who started this thread didn't notify the management of the supermarket but instead chose to publicize it to all and sundry. I am sure that, had they been notified, the management would have dealt very severely with whoever it is that manufactures this product.

publicising it became irrelevanyt when the op self-moderated the topic by removing the store name. i think i knoiw what store it was but not 100%. does it begin with r

i think the newly enforced rules about not naming places should be explained. can you say the food was crap at a restaurant ? or a hotel was dirty? or a tour company didnt provide a ticket you paid for?

I fully understand the OP's reasons for removing the name.

I also understand your reasoning.....it seems that a certain travel agent was taken to the cleaners on TV, with a few innuendos regarding the BIB thrown in for good measure. One wonders why that wasn't sanctioned? The libel laws in Thailand are frequently quoted, but I wonder if a cockroach was found in food in a small restaurant, whether TV would really be concerned about Thai libel laws and maybe it's just naming the organisation's with more clout that bothers them?

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i think the newly enforced rules about not naming places should be explained. can you say the food was crap at a restaurant ? or a hotel was dirty? or a tour company didnt provide a ticket you paid for?

I fully understand the OP's reasons for removing the name.

I also understand your reasoning.....it seems that a certain travel agent was taken to the cleaners on TV, with a few innuendos regarding the BIB thrown in for good measure. One wonders why that wasn't sanctioned? The libel laws in Thailand are frequently quoted, but I wonder if a cockroach was found in food in a small restaurant, whether TV would really be concerned about Thai libel laws and maybe it's just naming the organisation's with more clout that bothers them?

search mau tours on tvisa loads of stuff. still allowed? i'm not sure.

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The legal and financial lines are pretty clear:

The rules of the forum include a prohibition of libel, which is defined for us there in the rules for our purposes (#6) -

"Libel involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or fixed medium, such as a magazine or newspaper." Naturally, this includes postings on-line.

I too have read that libel laws here in Thailand are very strict and can lead to very serious consequences.

We cannot forget that this Forum is not little-known, hidden by a tiny circulation - we are prominent. Perhaps the Chiang Mai Forum is more lucid and sophisticated than any – a garners attention.

Moreover, it not just a member (if traced) who is subject to penalty as a result of an adverse judgment, it is Thai Visa itself (which can be found, and the bank accounts for advertising revenues). I ask myself, what would I do in this situation if I were Thai Visa? Newspapers pay lawyers to check stories their staff has written, but we're the writers (in our hundreds or thousands) and sometimes upset.

Thai Visa is not a non-profit, I guess. It may even make some money, and if so, it makes a juicy target for those who merely feel offended. That is, named parties can begin legal proceedings.

Thai Visa, even if the charges made by me are eventually proved to be true, would be obliged to hire lawyers to defend, due to the strict laws and penalties.

Nobody in their right mind wants to hire a lawyer.ohmy.gif

Thus we find the basis of misunderstanding between ourselves and the rules. It comes from the fact that we cannot say things which MAY defame. This is a problem for all publications in the West as well, though "defame" may be differently defined and public figures may be less protected. But the principles are akin.

Also, it is a reality that only those with money sufficient to hire lawyers themselves are likely to do so. (But that's a matter over which none if here has control.) As to which segment of society such strict laws protect, I can only speculate to no purpose.

But there is nothing to prevent us from advising our fellows to the good, the worthwhile, the positive. It's the negatives (true or false, but probably emotional) that get limited and banned. I'm trying to learn the trick of dwelling on the good myself.

Meanwhile, it basically boils down to this: Cockroaches are the good guys and eat waste, crumbs, and leftovers. Lawyers feed on the living. Naturally, I prefer (like) the former. See? Positive + general.

Edited by CMX
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