Flood Shopping Fallout Still Very Visible At Some Stores

[Jingthing]

Tops seems especially hard hit by the flood fallout.

Went to Tops Pattaya Klang with a mental list in mind of about ten items I have bought there in the past.

I found NONE of those items.

They were using tricks to give the illusion of fullness but there is still a shocking number of products missing.

Not going to bore you with the list, or say I can't get many of the items at other stores, but there it is.

[PattayaParent]

Friendship just along the road didn't appear to have any shortages when I was in there Saturday.

Depends what you were looking for though I suppose.

[RabC]

NO chicken at all in Friendship an hour ago.

[Rimmer]

Post with over sized fonts removed please see the posting guidelines

[Jingthing]

Not talking basics like meat and eggs.

More like things like split yellow mung beans, soft house slippers, a brand of dried chile and shrimp I always buy, etc., etc. etc.

[Langsuan Man]

No paper towels at any of the 7 Elevens or Mini Marts on Pattaya Tai, Tukcom area, or at Tops or Friendship today

Large bottles of water are also scarce but you can find many of the 600 ml size in eight packs

[jehricaholic]

I've found it nearly impossible to find soda water, Coke Zero, and sweetened condensed milk

[koiwaolao]

We are some two months into shortages and its getting depressing! Whats interesting is to observe the difference between the stores and one can quickly derive at the conclusion that also management on site is often ineffecient. Take Big C Extra ( my pet hate!), no local fruit juice 1l packs for two weeks. Could get it a few times during this period at Big C North and Big C South! Take Foodland, it gets my vote for first price in performance during this difficult period. They always managed to get something somehow. Not like Tesco which was a disaster in all stores. Friendship didnt perform too badly either although the last week sees them quite depleted of many items.

None of the big stores managed to offer bottled soda water for the last 6 weeks or so. A joke, if you go to any small wholesale beverage retailers you can get anything. Any brand beer, soda etcetc. It seems to me that most of the biggies just were paralized in view of the floods and just made no effort to combat shortages with alternative supplies.

[Jingthing]

My local Tops Daily hasn't stocked ANY toilet paper or paper towels for many weeks now. Imagine if that was the only store. Never mind, don't imagine.

[koiwaolao]

My local Tops Daily hasn't stocked ANY toilet paper or paper towels for many weeks now. Imagine if that was the only store.

Only Farangs use toilet paper , Thais only use it for napkins

Again, Foodland had toilet paper, paper towels and tissues at any one time during these two months!

[Jingthing]

My local Tops Daily hasn't stocked ANY toilet paper or paper towels for many weeks now. Imagine if that was the only store.

Only Farangs use toilet paper , Thais only use it for napkins

Again, Foodland had toilet paper, paper towels and tissues at any one time during these two months!

That's a myth. Thais do use toilet paper just not as much. Same as expats who have adapted to the wonderful bum guns.

[janverbeem]

We are some two months into shortages and its getting depressing! Whats interesting is to observe the difference between the stores and one can quickly derive at the conclusion that also management on site is often ineffecient. Take Big C Extra ( my pet hate!), no local fruit juice 1l packs for two weeks. Could get it a few times during this period at Big C North and Big C South! Take Foodland, it gets my vote for first price in performance during this difficult period. They always managed to get something somehow. Not like Tesco which was a disaster in all stores. Friendship didnt perform too badly either although the last week sees them quite depleted of many items.

None of the big stores managed to offer bottled soda water for the last 6 weeks or so. A joke, if you go to any small wholesale beverage retailers you can get anything. Any brand beer, soda etcetc. It seems to me that most of the biggies just were paralized in view of the floods and just made no effort to combat shortages with alternative supplies.

What amazes me the most is that one city is partial flooded and a whole country is deprived of basic goods for months.

[Jingthing]

Because it wasn't one city. It was a huge area in the important most industrialized central region.

[PhilHarries]

What amazes me the most is that one city is partial flooded and a whole country is deprived of basic goods for months.

Probably you'll find most of the distribution depots are in and around Bangkok and, of course, many of the transport routes have been impassable.

What's Pattaya like for accommodation now? I'm flying in Saturday and haven't booked anywhere yet as I never usually have a problem.

[sotsira]

What amazes me the most is that one city is partial flooded and a whole country is deprived of basic goods for months.

Probably you'll find most of the distribution depots are in and around Bangkok and, of course, many of the transport routes have been impassable.

What's Pattaya like for accommodation now? I'm flying in Saturday and haven't booked anywhere yet as I never usually have a problem.

Depends on what type of accommodation your looking for,

vacant condo's are hard to find, but hotels should be easier.

[craigt3365]

No soda, Chang or Singha at Makro yesterday.

As I mentioned on another thread, the small shops seem to know when the deliveries are and buy everything that comes in! So...off to the small show down the road for my beer...

Was at 7-11 yesterday also and they only had one type of bottled water...a brand I have never seen before.

[PattayaParent]

^was in a 7-11 Monday and they only had Chang Export!!!

Well Heineken also but I don't count that as beer.

[beano2274]

Although not in Pattaya, I have noticed my local tops getting deliveries of the Christmas stuff, biscuits in tins, other little present boxes and stuff, but no food as such. I don't want the big red tin of biscuits, I want my Birdy 3 in 1 Creamy...

[raro]

The 15B strawberry popsicles are nowhere to be found!

the end is nigh...

[Ulysses G.]

That's a myth. Thais do use toilet paper just not as much. Same as expats who have adapted to the wonderful bum guns.

Not this one. I am a bum-gun purist.

[Jingthing]

That's a myth. Thais do use toilet paper just not as much. Same as expats who have adapted to the wonderful bum guns.

Not this one. I am a bum-gun purist.

You're saying you don't use a little something to dry off at the end? Oy.

[samtam]

What amazes me the most is that one city is partial flooded and a whole country is deprived of basic goods for months.

Probably you'll find most of the distribution depots are in and around Bangkok and, of course, many of the transport routes have been impassable.

Spot on. I asked at Central Chidlom today, (their flagship store in Bangkok), where there has been no soda water, tonic water (the essentials!), for several weeks. The depots are waterlogged, and they cannot move large quantities. What is surprising however is that other superkmarkets, (in Bangkok at least), do not seem to have the same problems. So logistically, and by chance because of location, they have managed to escape the delivery problems. I suspect it will be a while before things are resolved. But it is city-wide, and I know it has already affected bars and restaurants, (for the items mentioned), so it will have a negative impact on the Christmas/New Year trade.

[raro]

That's a myth. Thais do use toilet paper just not as much. Same as expats who have adapted to the wonderful bum guns.

Not this one. I am a bum-gun purist.

You're saying you don't use a little something to dry off at the end? Oy.

can we avoid going into further details here? Thanks....

[Jingthing]

can we avoid going into further details here? Thanks....

Righto. TMI and all that. I'm sure that's doable.

[phaethon]

Whatever problems Tops - Bangna at least - had with supply seem to have been resolved as of yesterday - new stock arrived en-masse and overwhelmed the shelf stacking staff. Most of the aisles were partially blocked with deliveries in boxes or pallettes or rolling cages and the whole rear and one side aisle was completely chocker with stuff waiting to go on the selves or into storage.

At BigC, Tipco apple juice has finally re-appeared BUT is now 69 baht/litre (was 55)

[janverbeem]

Whatever problems Tops - Bangna at least - had with supply seem to have been resolved as of yesterday - new stock arrived en-masse and overwhelmed the shelf stacking staff. Most of the aisles were partially blocked with deliveries in boxes or pallettes or rolling cages and the whole rear and one side aisle was completely chocker with stuff waiting to go on the selves or into storage.

At BigC, Tipco apple juice has finally re-appeared BUT is now 69 baht/litre (was 55)

Good to see that the manufacturers are heeding the governments advice to curb prices.