Big C Extra.. Fail Or Pass?

[TommyDee]

Pattaya has grown over the years to offer numerous supermarkets, tescos, big C, Foodland, Tops, you name it.. and of course what was Carefour but now belongs to Big C.

Call me a snob but I never liked Big C unless i wanted to buys something cheap that would last 5 minutes. ( my attempts to build the flatpack shoe stand ended up thrown out into the garden much to the joy of the old woman) I hate the lime green company colours and with the exception of the one on beach Road, have managed to avoid it in the past year. tesco? was Ok but poor meat choice, Foodland is great but me and the old hag enjoyed Carefour.

Now taken over by big C, the first thing we noticed this week is the dramatic drop in food lines, and the price difference between them and foodland for farang stuff. Now we normally do a monthly Big shop and then use the local market. In our sad little lives its quite an event as what ever you want, you pile it into the cart, park the cart with their security, get a tag and go for a wander in the mall.

This week was the final nail in the coffin. apart from a drop in many lines that CF used to carry, our trolley ( shopping cart) was raided in the "security area" and i managed to go and simply get it without anyone stopping me, asking for the tag or checking that it was even mine to take. ( I still have the lime green tag they give you to get your shopping back).

So if its not to be Big C or Big C extra or tescos.. where do we got from here? my choice is foodland. its kinda antiquated but a good store, and although half the size of the others, they seem to do a good study of what "we" want and carry it at pretty fair prices, and the meat is fresh enough that it doesnt start to smell after 24 hours in the fridge.

[craigt3365]

I use to love shopping at Carrefour, but we have quit going now. Prices seem to be higher, selection is smaller...just another Big C(heap). We mainly do Makro now, with a stop at Foodland when we need some "farang" items. We've also been doing a lot of shopping lately at the local market. Great prices for some things.

[jackdawson]

"where do we got from here?"

You mean, there's another supermarket other than Tesco Lotus; who knew?

Edited October 2, 2011 by jackdawson

[bartender100]

Was this not done to death already

[JSixpack]

Was this not done to death already

Yep, it was.

All of us farangs miss Carrefour but some cannot but froth at the mouth and go into convulsions at the mere mention of Big C Extra. Let's spare them needless further agony.

[nong38]

Have you tried Central food Hall at that Festival place? A fair bit of western stuff, no idea how the prices stack up though.

Big C owned by another French outfit, Casino. In France were pretty much on the ball, if they saw the way this offshoot is run they would cry, I suspect someone has long distance rose tinted spectacles on and believes what they told from the Orient.

Edited October 2, 2011 by nong38

[Kilgore Trout]

I for one am very happy with Big C extra, especially with the casino products.

Cheese has gotten cheaper, including a very good brie they have for 200grams at about 160 baht (unheard of before), as well as many frozen things and snacks etc.

I see no noticable difference in quality of price of meat, produce etc.

[manarak]

Agree with the above, the Casino products certainly make a difference, and I too felt they are cheaper.

The rest hasn't changed much...

[Chivas]

Since starting to use Makro we rarely go anywhere else.

Biggest issue is obviously a vast amount of stock is palleted but once you familiarise yourself with the layout its excellent.

[sotsira]

It's Makro and Tescos mainly for me since Carrefour closed.

I did try Big C extra a few times but thought they were overpricing a lot of items compared with

the other 2 competitors, so why pay extra when you don't need to?

[thaimate]

I was never really a fan of Carrfour and Big c is ,well not up to much ,so just use Tesco ,markets for fruit and veg and foodland in between ,about once a month pop into Makro ,but whoever runs BIG C needs to go back to training school.

[Ricardo]

Paying more for a worse selection at Big-C-Extra, compared to our old Carrefour, has caused us to switch to Tesco for-good, and they're not that great either. Oh and we're now lumbered with three branches, of Big-C-Extra, here in Chiang Mai.

But at least I can now guess, what the 'C' in their name stands-for, and it ain't 'Casino' or crepes !

Edited October 2, 2011 by Ricardo

[jackr]

We are lucky in Chiang Mai in that we have a quality supermarket chain that saves one having to step into these places. No not down-at-heel Tops, Rimping. More expensive, but great choice and, more importantly, not too big and fast. BigC, Tesco, Makro; they're all cruddy. Ok for odds n sods and a change of scenery, but big time-wasters. Makro has it's pluses (pharmacy good), but is a wholesalers' and takes an age to check out, Lotus is a very very poor relation to UK Tesco, and BigC, well, what a load of crap. Carrefour was easily the best of them, but even that was painful and a big notch down from Carrefour in France. And now they've upped the prices and have, it seems, fewer checkout girls. So, a defo fail for me. Crap crap crap.

[manarak]

It's Makro and Tescos mainly for me since Carrefour closed.

I did try Big C extra a few times but thought they were overpricing a lot of items compared with

the other 2 competitors, so why pay extra when you don't need to?

maybe, but do makro and tesco carry rillettes and saucisson sec? Paté de campagne?

I know Big C extra only has the basic Casino stuff, but it is decent.

[Darrel]

I have a Tops points card and I own Tesco shares.

Guess which two supermarkets I use?

[janverbeem]

I was there tonight at 7 pm and there were queues of 4-5 people at EVERY check out, never seen in Carrefour previously.................................................Maybe it was because there were only 8 from the 40 available check outs opened.

[afarang]

Count your blessings. Our nearest super -dooper mart, is + 70 kilometres away. And it is an awful super dooper mart. Did you guess it ? It is a Big C. Need I say more?

[Jebhead]

I have a Tops points card and I own Tesco shares.

Guess which two supermarkets I use?

I'm going to stop using Tesco's now then.

JH

[Bagwan]

I was there tonight at 7 pm and there were queues of 4-5 people at EVERY check out, never seen in Carrefour previously.................................................Maybe it was because there were only 8 from the 40 available check outs opened.

Yep. I get teed up when after completing my shopping in 10 minutes I have to wait 20 minutes to pay for the stuff. On a few occasions I have witnessed a farang say "f***** this for a game of soldiers" or something in that vein, and walk out of the store leaving the loaded trolley to be dealt with by the staff. Thankfully I have been trained by my wife to silently chant 'keng inside' as at times I feel like following the same routine.

[dantilley]

Big C Extra is probably slightly worse that Carrefour on the whole, but still perfectly reasonable. To stock up on "proper" farrang items it's still Villa, as it always has been. Tops is also an option, and Max Valu has a few decent items, and is open 24 hours.

[longstebe]

Count your blessings. Our nearest super -dooper mart, is + 70 kilometres away. And it is an awful super dooper mart. Did you guess it ? It is a Big C. Need I say more?

I feel your pain afarang.

These lads in Pattaya don't know how lucky they are with everything on their doorsteps.

[janverbeem]

Count your blessings. Our nearest super -dooper mart, is + 70 kilometres away. And it is an awful super dooper mart. Did you guess it ? It is a Big C. Need I say more?

I feel your pain afarang.

These lads in Pattaya don't know how lucky they are with everything on their doorsteps.

I noticed the other day that there is stil accomodation available in Pattaya,so the luck lays in his own hands.

[longstebe]

I noticed the other day that there is stil accomodation available in Pattaya,so the luck lays in his own hands.

Totally agree with you janverbeem. I'm not knocking pattaya just making a point that you guys have a lot more on offer than us lot in the sticks.

And just to let you know I will be down there next week to sample some of the goodies I miss so much.

[tominbkk]

I was there tonight at 7 pm and there were queues of 4-5 people at EVERY check out, never seen in Carrefour previously.................................................Maybe it was because there were only 8 from the 40 available check outs opened.

Yep. I get teed up when after completing my shopping in 10 minutes I have to wait 20 minutes to pay for the stuff. On a few occasions I have witnessed a farang say "f***** this for a game of soldiers" or something in that vein, and walk out of the store leaving the loaded trolley to be dealt with by the staff. Thankfully I have been trained by my wife to silently chant 'keng inside' as at times I feel like following the same routine.

I've done that once or twice. 2 out of 20 lanes open, 15 people in each line....and workers everywhere oblivious. I always feel a little bad if I do that, but it is outrageous really and I hope gives them a message. One thing about Foodland, they are very good int eh check out area. For variety, price, and service, Foodland wins me over time after time.

[PattayaParent]

Makro for us now for the main shop since the departure of Carrefour and the missus has gone to Foodland for the first time in 6 years for meats.Still Carrefour for the bread though.

[yermanee]

Makro for us now for the main shop since the departure of Carrefour and the missus has gone to Foodland for the first time in 6 years for meats.Still Carrefour for the bread though.

Agree, nothing like the bakery at BigCExtra (French style bread) and Foodland has always been my favorite for meats

Yermanee :jap:

[manarak]

Makro for us now for the main shop since the departure of Carrefour and the missus has gone to Foodland for the first time in 6 years for meats.Still Carrefour for the bread though.

Can't see why you like the bread there, it is far too light, too dry, with too much nothing in it (i.e. big bubbles formed as a result of slight overbaking).

I would like to add that good white bread has also become almost impossible to find in supermarkets in France or elsewhere in Europe. There has been too much cost-cutting - imagine how good selling air instead of bread looks on the balance sheet?

Friendship offers much better bread IMO, branded "French Bakery"

[Caliguy]

Thought i would hate it too but as an American I noticed Big C Extra near me in Nonthaburi started carrying American products such as "Snapple" and other random American fruit juices and random snacks like twizzlers, skittles, and alot of different spices and canned products and i also noticed they carry the normal American sized cereal's. Too many things to name. Has anyone else noticed those?

[janverbeem]

Lot's of empty shelves in Big C xtra,and not because they can't keep up with customer flood.When an article is out of stock it will take weeks before it is on the shelves again,and there are loads of articles out of stock,never seen this when it was Carrefour.

I guess the management must be the worst they have in Thailand,but actually this is with all the shops under the Central umbrella.Take a look at Homeworks for example,a shop full of articles labeled " Temporarily out of stock" and when you have to order something it will take months to deliver,however you will have to pay full in advance.

Is it possible that Central is in financial problems or they just cheap skates.

[spyke]

i go to FRIENShip on pattaya tai, or in the basement of TUCOM.maybe its a satang more expencive but thats saved on gas for the scooter:-)

i like to stroll in all the markets, but as i'm diving the scooter i cant take huge amounts.coca cola zero is also 23 to 24 B in friendschip so same same