Bkk Floods Affecting Our Grocery Stocks?

[grumpyoldman]

I'm in Tesco Rawai yesterday and noticed a lot of the shelves looking sort of skimpy, missing product. Vegetable section for sure low.

After work, (and during a hellish lightning storm) I stopped for my normal purchase of a weekend big Sangsom bottle, and not one of the four nearby 7-11's nor the Topps market had it in stock. All out !!

I texted a fellow TV member and friend; out of Sangsom (?), now there's a national emergency. His advice is I should drink better booze anyway......

Has anyone else noticed overall grocery depletions?

[LivinginKata]

Yes, I see plenty of items missing in the shops. Patong whiskey had no Singha soda water yesterday. Forced to buy a case of Chang soda water ..

The missus has told me to stock up groceries, so we are buying in extra items that can be stored.

[snamos]

I asked the missus to get some beer in the fridge in preparation for my return.... she could only manage 23 assorted beers...not a few boxes of san mig like i requested

[Ping]

Went shopping at Big C Patong a couple of days ago - no carrots and tiny spuds. However, there seemed to be normal availability at the Banzaan Market. Rice had already risen in price by about 30%. I expect to see continuous price hikes across all local produce.

[Valentine]

I was in Big C yesterday & bought 3 bags of rice as there was hardly any on display. Floods will be affecting deliveries plus there will be less rice to go around considering the flood damage & spare stocks will be eaten up by the rice mortgage scheme so expect prices will increase quite dramatically. Had a pump sent to BKK for repair under warranty which was supposed to be back already but floods being used as an excuse even though there are no road closures heading south of BKK.

[starkey_rich]

Yes, I see plenty of items missing in the shops. Patong whiskey had no Singha soda water yesterday. Forced to buy a case of Chang soda water ..

The missus has told me to stock up groceries, so we are buying in extra items that can be stored.

That's one of the problems People panic buying.

I have to go to Makro most days and have never seen anything like it people buying like maniacs.

[petercallen]

Most of the products you buy here are produced in the industrial areas of Bangkok

Most of these areas are flooded

if people use common sense and do not buy much more than they need there should

be no major shortage of supply in Phuket

[Jimi007]

I was at Villa yesterday and it was well stocked. Tesco Chalong was out of sugar and many kinds of rice, but a decent stock of most items. The Tesco in Rawai always seems kind of low on some items, but they had the sugar and rice I was looking for.

[stevenl]

Most of the products you buy here are produced in the industrial areas of Bangkok

Most of these areas are flooded

if people use common sense and do not buy much more than they need there should

be no major shortage of supply in Phuket

Can you please explain Peter.

Flooded areas, so less supply, same amount of people so same demand, but no shortages because people only buy what they need?

[petercallen]

Most of the products you buy here are produced in the industrial areas of Bangkok

Most of these areas are flooded

if people use common sense and do not buy much more than they need there should

be no major shortage of supply in Phuket

Can you please explain Peter.

Flooded areas, so less supply, same amount of people so same demand, but no shortages because people only buy what they need?

OK Steven as you do not understand, some people are buying far more than they need because

they are worried about supplies running out and this causes there to be a shortage of some items in shops

The flooded industrial areas is where these items are produced

[petercallen]

Shops like Tesco Lotus have there own storage facilities in Phuket

The large outlets use night fillers to restock there shelves

So if people buy more than they need items like water and rice will run out on the shelves

They new the floods were coming to Bangkok so i would imagine they

brought in extra supplies before hand since they have had similar situations before

[stevenl]

Shops like Tesco Lotus have there own storage facilities in Phuket

The large outlets use night fillers to restock there shelves

So if people buy more than they need items like water and rice will run out on the shelves

They new the floods were coming to Bangkok so i would imagine they

brought in extra supplies before hand since they have had similar situations before

That does not change anything Peter.

With less supply and same demand there will shortages, now or, if big stocks, in the future. Of course big stocks don't work for fresh products.

[Jimi007]

Most of the products you buy here are produced in the industrial areas of Bangkok

Most of these areas are flooded

if people use common sense and do not buy much more than they need there should

be no major shortage of supply in Phuket

Can you please explain Peter.

Flooded areas, so less supply, same amount of people so same demand, but no shortages because people only buy what they need?

OK Steven as you do not understand, some people are buying far more than they need because

they are worried about supplies running out and this causes there to be a shortage of some items in shops

The flooded industrial areas is where these items are produced

I guess I don't understand either. If, as you say these items are produced in the flooded area, then production has ceased, so no more supply until the floods recede and production is resumed.

[Galong]

I've been to SuperCheap a couple of times this week and they've got plenty of food, including perishables.

[petercallen]

I guess I don't understand either. If, as you say these items are produced in the flooded area, then production has ceased, so no more supply until the floods recede and production is resumed.

Not all items are produced in the flooded industrial areas but quite a few are

Fresh produce comes from all over Thailand and is imported so there should not be a shortage

Major manufacturers would have storage facilities in Phuket where they distribute from

Local supplies could run out It depends how long the flooding lasts

Panic buying is what is causing the shortage of some items in the shops at present

[Jimi007]

I guess I don't understand either. If, as you say these items are produced in the flooded area, then production has ceased, so no more supply until the floods recede and production is resumed.

Not all items are produced in the flooded industrial areas but quite a few are

Fresh produce comes from all over Thailand and is imported so there should not be a shortage

Major manufacturers would have storage facilities in Phuket where they distribute from

Local supplies could run out It depends how long the flooding lasts

Panic buying is what is causing the shortage of some items in the shops at present

While I agree panic buying may have some effect on some local supplies. The only two items I have tried to buy and couldn't were a certain red wine and 20kg bags of dog food. When I asked when they thought they would get more, she replied it would have to swim from Bangkok. No one knows how long the flooding will last. Earlier this week the government said that Bangkok wouldn't flood. Now they say it is going to flood and that the floods may last four to six weeks. Where did you get the information that: "major manufacturers would have storage facilities in Phuket where they distribute them from?"

Edited October 23, 2011 by Jimi007

[Lannatyne]

I'm not too worried about fresh items, as huge multinationals like Tesco will always find a way to source goods. Also, they're less likely to let the lucrative Phuket market 'fail' in preference to keeping somewhere like Ranong fully supplied. (Sorry, Ranong!)

The bigger worry is for pre-packaged items - tins, bottled water, beer, oil etc. These packing plants are on the submerged industrial estates, and that's where I'd see the bigger problem. Coupled of course, with the panic-buying.

One thing I do think is guaranteed, though - a sharp jump in prices! It's an ill wind............... you know the rest.

[petercallen]

I guess I don't understand either. If, as you say these items are produced in the flooded area, then production has ceased, so no more supply until the floods recede and production is resumed.

Not all items are produced in the flooded industrial areas but quite a few are

Fresh produce comes from all over Thailand and is imported so there should not be a shortage

Major manufacturers would have storage facilities in Phuket where they distribute from

Local supplies could run out It depends how long the flooding lasts

Panic buying is what is causing the shortage of some items in the shops at present

While I agree panic buying may have some effect on some local supplies. The only two items I have tried to buy and couldn't were a certain red wine and 20kg bags of dog food. When I asked when they thought they would get more, she replied it would have to swim from Bangkok. No one knows how long the flooding will last. Earlier this week the government said that Bangkok wouldn't flood. Now they say it is going to flood and that the floods may last four to six weeks. Where did you get the information that: "major manufacturers would have storage facilities in Phuket where they distribute them from?"

Its common practice everywhere for major shopping chains breweries etc to have storage facilities

where they sell a lot of the items they need to distribute, the stock does not come straight of a truck from Bangkok

Panic buying always has affected the supplies of essential goods available in the shops in every country

They quite often run out of certain brands of wine here if its imported

Dog food is probably only manufactured in Bangkok and you can make your own, i am sure your dog will not starve

[LivinginKata]

I think Tesco always has a stock problem even before these floods up north. I remember after Tesco in Chalong first started a couple of years back they often were slow to restock shelves when they ran out of items. I suspect because they have no in-store storage at the smaller outlets and just rely on the truck replenishing every few days.

I really don't see much panic buying here on Phuket Island. I previously posted that we are buying extra, by that I mean we buy 2 of each item where we previously put just one pack in the trolley. That's hardly panic buying. Only keeping the larder a bit fuller than usual.

[petercallen]

I think Tesco always has a stock problem even before these floods up north. I remember after Tesco in Chalong first started a couple of years back they often were slow to restock shelves when they ran out of items. I suspect because they have no in-store storage at the smaller outlets and just rely on the truck replenishing every few days.

I really don't see much panic buying here on Phuket Island. I previously posted that we are buying extra, by that I mean we buy 2 of each item where we previously put just one pack in the trolley. That's hardly panic buying. Only keeping the larder a bit fuller than usual.

On a similar topic you said you bought16 jugs/large bottles of water

You must drink a lot of water if you where not panic buying

[Pinot]

Was in the local Tesco in Kamala a few minutes ago. This place is one step above a 7/11 but no produce or meat. Cleaned out the place of beer, four cans of Asahi. No whisky. Could be tough month coming up.

[LivinginKata]

On a similar topic you said you bought16 jugs/large bottles of water

You must drink a lot of water if you where not panic buying

Usually we buy 10 jugs which lasts about a week, That day there was a special offer so we bought a few extra. Hardly panic buying. I did say that recently we buy some extra, but I would not call 60% extra panic buying. To me panic buying is taking all the stock the shop can supply.

[Felt 35]

I’m more worried about going empty on water than food. Anyone know where the most common drinking water (Singh, Aura, Minere, Mont Fleur etc,) for sale in Phuket is produced?

[ytyt]

Around Thursday of last week, Makro by Central Festival was running out of water jugs (ARO 6 liter normally 26 baht, they had only 1 shelf section of "mountain something" at 5 liters for 46 baht); now they have only small bottles. They seem to have just gotten a Namthip shipment of small sizes. The meat refrigerators along the left wall of the store have been declining, today just before noon were essentially empty; what I buy mostly has Bangkok brand names on the package. The bakery was out of about half the normal products; what they did have is mostly baked right in the store. Interesting studies in goods turnover: out of the chocolate frosted sugar bombs type cereals, still have plain corn flakes, and have enough muselix left to fill sandbags with. The only empty shelf in the middle aisle of imported goods was the nachos, which they are always out of, anyway. Produce section about normal. No chicken at all except feet and very tiny wings; a little bit of sad looking pork; beef seemed unaffected. The parking lot was crazy, people filling pick-up trucks.

Tesco by Central Festival wasn't so busy early in the afternoon, but huge shortages. They had no rice at all, none; they were restocking the left wall with mama noodle packages so it wouldn't look empty. They had no bottled water at all, of any size; the back row of the store had been filled with Coke and Pepsi. The snack aisle (strips of dried fish in foil package, for example) was empty pegboard hangers; I got the last 2 packages of peanuts. :-( Tesco had some chicken, but for 95 or 100 baht instead of 70 something. Minced pork at 30 baht extra. Produce about half empty. Canned goods seriously ravaged. Instant noodles, no plobrum. :-) Soda must be bottled locally, it was abundant everywhere.

I'd peg those items hit by artificial inflation at around 30%.

[anselpixel]

Here in faraway Chiang Mai, I was astonished to visit Tops Kad Suan Kaew, and see no Sang Som, Hong Thong, Chang Beer, 100 Pipers, or JW Red left on the shelves. That was two days ago, and still there's been no restocking.

Rice , Mama, milk products, sardines, Fun-O cookies and drinking water are either gone, or in very short supply. A friend told me he'd gone into the Tesco nearest him on Friday and was unable to purchase mouth wash.

The neighborhood 7/11 stores are better stocked, but, same as Tops, they have signs up at the door warning people that shortages are here, and will continue until the water subsides.

Edited October 23, 2011 by anselpixel

[Ponbkk]

On Thursday i went to Tops market in Thungmahamek. There was no bottled water except expensive qt sized Evian and no rice accept some expense brand (Japanese?). Cereal was almost sold out and there were a couple other cleared shelve that I made no note of.

[Jimi007]

I'm more worried about going empty on water than food. Anyone know where the most common drinking water (Singh, Aura, Minere, Mont Fleur etc,) for sale in Phuket is produced?

I know the Happy Crystal Ice Company sells water. They are near my house. See link: Happy Crystal In many neighborhoods there are guys who deliver drinking water to your house in large 10 liter plastic jugs and collect the empties. Also many mom and pop shops sell them. A deposit is required on the first bottle you buy.

[woodyleonhard]

Just back from Tesco near Samkong. Almost all vegetables gone. No rice. Very little bottled water. Diapers nearly gone. Many shelves nearly bare.

Baby formula, though, was still well stocked.

No idea if Tesco has enough stored locally to replenish supplies.

I expect demand in Phuket has increased substantially because of the flooding - many people from flood-stricken areas are here in Phuket, waiting it out.

Edited October 23, 2011 by woodyleonhard

[stuandchris]

I would say it is a bit of diverting goods to BKK and a bit of foolish people here hoarding to look after number 1.

[samtam]

Does anyone have any idea about supplies at Central Food Hall in Chidlom, or equivalent - say Tops Silom Complex? I'm in UK, and was scheduled to return to Bangkok on 26th, but have delayed for three weeks. It's not just the worry of flooding, (and a very unclear picture about where, when and how bad), but the worry about not being able to get essential supplies for basic existence. I don't know whether I'm over-reacting, but as I have no especial reason to be in Bangkok, it seems more prudent to wait it out, and certainly until there is a clearer picture about how bad the overall situation is. I'm very grateful to all those who continually provide information.

Edited October 23, 2011 by samtam