Where to go for cheap grocery shopping

[invogue]

What do you guys think is the cheapest place to buy food for a kids birthday party like chips and snack foods?

I went to Foodland and Big C which is meant to be cheap.

The cheapest chips for example were 70 baht for 200 grams. I mean its not expensive but you can buy about double the amount for the same price in the USA on special.

I need to buy a large quantity which is why I am trying to find the cheapest place. I live in Thong Lo so not too far would also be a bonus.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

[Nana Cowboy]

cheap grocery shopping doesn't exist here. the 2 places you went to are as cheap as it gets.

[invogue]

cheap grocery shopping doesn't exist here. the 2 places you went to are as cheap as it gets.

Really? Wow, I guess local Thai people just live on rice, noodles and vegetables.

I was surprised the US is much cheaper for similar products.

[jes]

I don´t think Foodland is that cheap. But Foodland and Villa Marked is where I do my shopping. Big C, Tesco etc. Can´t satisfy my needs, even they are cheaper.

[benalibina]

cheap grocery shopping doesn't exist here. the 2 places you went to are as cheap as it gets.

Really? Wow, I guess local Thai people just live on rice, noodles and vegetables.I was surprised the US is much cheaper for similar products.

Potatochips, sweets and bread are cheaper in western countries than big c or tesco. When you buy a brands ofcourse. Lays chips / Haribo sweets and supermarket bread.

[arthurwait]

Plenty of cheap shopping at the market.

If you want foreign or imported foods and then convert to a fallen currency then it isn't going to be cheap.

The cheapest place for buying bulk crisps would be Makro or other wholesaler. Buns , snacks etc.

[kevvy]

cheap grocery shopping doesn't exist here. the 2 places you went to are as cheap as it gets.

Really? Wow, I guess local Thai people just live on rice, noodles and vegetables.

I was surprised the US is much cheaper for similar products.

you can get the same price in australia

[trainman34014]

Try Makro for bulk buy.

[chris2155]

Hi have been going to Makro Jomtien since it open a couple of years ago now,

can't help but notice how they dont bother to stock fruit from overseas,

ie Peaches,Plums Nectarines when in season, from the USA or Australia 2 times per year,

on very odd ocassion you might see some but not on any regular basis like the other stores.

very dissapointing, even the likes of Foodland, Villa, and Friendship can provide these lines twice per year.

[lazygourmet]

Cheetos for cheapos... I feel pity for the birthday party kids

[Cabbage Instigated Fart]

Sometimes I buy cheap food in a store that stocks cheaper food than the other stores.

I think it's a matter of finding a store that's stocked with cheaper items.

Some stores will not have cheap items in stock.

Just staying,

[boosta]

The big-box stores carry the same lines across all (or a large number of) their stores, products they can bring in by the container-load, make their profits on huge volumes at small margin. In other words lower prices than regular shops but less selection, inherent in their business model.

They don't source foreigner-specific goods just for those few locations where we dominate.

Those kinds of foods I find Big C cheaper than Makro / Tesco, but not by much. Supermarkets are invariably the most expensive places to buy almost anything, you've got to cover their very significant overheads compared to the street market and mom-and-pop shophouses, only makes sense for convenience and comfort, e.g. everything in one place, air conditioning.

If you like eating healthy (unlike the OP) buying your fruit & veg anywhere but the local wholesale green market will be at least 5-10 times the price.

[cpofc]

My Thai friends often scoff at my shopping habits. Always telling me I am paying to much. Because I have a Tesco hypermart AND a 24 Hr Tesco Express right across the road from me, I do my grocery shopping there mostly. it's called 'convienience'. Naturally if I want a better selection of imported products than Tesco can offer I go to Foodland, Villa or even a nearby Tops and Freshmart (as opposed to a Thai Fresh Market) which have a great selection, they even sell Vegemite. Foodland is dear, but has good stuff. Villa is much the same.

But, if I were doing it tough for a quid and wanted to save money I would do as the Thais do. Shop at the local 'Fresh Markets'. I have some fairly big ones near me. Last weekend I wanted to 'shout' them a 'special' nosh up for my birthday, held in the Soi. But, so I would not spend too much, they would not let me buy the food from Tesco or any other of the supermarkets. Saturday morning they drove around to pick me up and we went down to the local Fresh Market and bought everything from there.

[steve down under]

cheap grocery shopping doesn't exist here. the 2 places you went to are as cheap as it gets.

Really? Wow, I guess local Thai people just live on rice, noodles and vegetables.

I was surprised the US is much cheaper for similar products.

Yeah but Thailand isn't the USA so therefore products like potato chips and other western snack foods are going to be more expensive than the U S ! and a lot of those products dont feature in the Thai diet !

[Kitsune]

cheap grocery shopping doesn't exist here. the 2 places you went to are as cheap as it gets.

Really? Wow, I guess local Thai people just live on rice, noodles and vegetables.

I was surprised the US is much cheaper for similar products.

Yeah but Thailand isn't the USA so therefore products like potato chips and other western snack foods are going to be more expensive than the U S ! and a lot of those products dont feature in the Thai diet !

not yet but Thailand is catching back on junk food real fast !

outside every thai school 4 stands waiting for outing time: french fries, sodas, sausages covered in msg and sugard and ice cream !

[invogue]

I wanted to update this discussion and say that everyone who replied was wrong.

I went to Khlong Toey market last night which I previously only thought sold fresh food and meat.

Well actually it has many stores with packet foods. I bought a huge amount of food for 20-30 kids for 250 baht.

They sell everything like chips, candy and all sorts of snack foods for dirt cheap prices.

I would encourage TV members to check it out if you want to save a heap.

I've been buying cereal at the supermarket for 120 baht a box. I found a 1kg bag at Khlong Toey for 50 baht.

[EmptyMind]

I wanted to update this discussion and say that everyone who replied was wrong.

I went to Khlong Toey market last night which I previously only thought sold fresh food and meat.

Well actually it has many stores with packet foods. I bought a huge amount of food for 20-30 kids for 250 baht.

They sell everything like chips, candy and all sorts of snack foods for dirt cheap prices.

I would encourage TV members to check it out if you want to save a heap.

I've been buying cereal at the supermarket for 120 baht a box. I found a 1kg bag at Khlong Toey for 50 baht.

10bht of food per kid ? Poor things , not much of a party.

[invogue]

I wanted to update this discussion and say that everyone who replied was wrong.

I went to Khlong Toey market last night which I previously only thought sold fresh food and meat.

Well actually it has many stores with packet foods. I bought a huge amount of food for 20-30 kids for 250 baht.

They sell everything like chips, candy and all sorts of snack foods for dirt cheap prices.

I would encourage TV members to check it out if you want to save a heap.

I've been buying cereal at the supermarket for 120 baht a box. I found a 1kg bag at Khlong Toey for 50 baht.

10bht of food per kid ? Poor things , not much of a party.

Well I bought over 3kg of snacks plus there are sausages and party pies being supplied so I don't think they will be underfed.

[benalibina]

I wanted to update this discussion and say that everyone who replied was wrong.I went to Khlong Toey market last night which I previously only thought sold fresh food and meat.Well actually it has many stores with packet foods. I bought a huge amount of food for 20-30 kids for 250 baht.They sell everything like chips, candy and all sorts of snack foods for dirt cheap prices.I would encourage TV members to check it out if you want to save a heap.I've been buying cereal at the supermarket for 120 baht a box. I found a 1kg bag at Khlong Toey for 50 baht.

10bht of food per kid ? Poor things , not much of a party.

Well I bought over 3kg of snacks plus there are sausages and party pies being supplied so I don't think they will be underfed.

When the kids buy presents for the birthdaykid, maybe money only on request, its a moneymaker for you !! Birthday once a month from now ???

[invogue]

I wanted to update this discussion and say that everyone who replied was wrong.I went to Khlong Toey market last night which I previously only thought sold fresh food and meat.Well actually it has many stores with packet foods. I bought a huge amount of food for 20-30 kids for 250 baht.They sell everything like chips, candy and all sorts of snack foods for dirt cheap prices.I would encourage TV members to check it out if you want to save a heap.I've been buying cereal at the supermarket for 120 baht a box. I found a 1kg bag at Khlong Toey for 50 baht.

10bht of food per kid ? Poor things , not much of a party.

Well I bought over 3kg of snacks plus there are sausages and party pies being supplied so I don't think they will be underfed.

When the kids buy presents for the birthdaykid, maybe money only on request, its a moneymaker for you !! Birthday once a month from now ???

Its not a birthday party. Its a party I organized for some Thai children who have never had a kids party like children in the west have on a regular basis. I do not have children of my own.

But thanks for the rude comment.

[benalibina]

I wanted to update this discussion and say that everyone who replied was wrong.I went to Khlong Toey market last night which I previously only thought sold fresh food and meat.Well actually it has many stores with packet foods. I bought a huge amount of food for 20-30 kids for 250 baht.They sell everything like chips, candy and all sorts of snack foods for dirt cheap prices.I would encourage TV members to check it out if you want to save a heap.I've been buying cereal at the supermarket for 120 baht a box. I found a 1kg bag at Khlong Toey for 50 baht.

10bht of food per kid ? Poor things , not much of a party.

Well I bought over 3kg of snacks plus there are sausages and party pies being supplied so I don't think they will be underfed.

When the kids buy presents for the birthdaykid, maybe money only on request, its a moneymaker for you !! Birthday once a month from now ???

Its not a birthday party. Its a party I organized for some Thai children who have never had a kids party like children in the west have on a regular basis. I do not have children of my own.But thanks for the rude comment.

Was a joke, no ill intent meant. Apologies.

[invogue]

Thank you Benalibina.

[impulse]

I went to Khlong Toey market last night which I previously only thought sold fresh food and meat.

Well actually it has many stores with packet foods. I bought a huge amount of food for 20-30 kids for 250 baht.

Thanks for great info. I live just a few blocks away but rarely venture in.

Last few times I went into the market, I was on a mission and did not find the specific items I was looking for, so I wasn't paying attention to the other stuff. Based on your info, I'll be giving it a try.

[geriatrickid]

The large chains have economies of scale that allow them to sell junk food at lower prices than other retailers. When I see these products on sale in the general markets at small stalls at costs that are below the usual retail price, I know that there may be something wrong with the products.

The difference between the general market small vendors and the large chains like Tescos is quality control. The large chains have a strict QC policy that pulls goods off the shelves as soon as there is an issue. The manufacturer gets dinged for the recall/withdrawal. Often these events are limited to a lot or batch series such as when a piece of machinery breaks and puts metal shavings into the production run. Or, the bacteria or foreign body count exceeds the acceptable level. The products can be quickly traced to the retail outlets and dealt with courtesy of bar codes and other tracking systems. These recalls are a regular occurrence. The goods are supposed to be returned to the manufacturer or 3rd party contractor for disposal/destruction. Sometimes the products end up in the open markets. The large chains also clear the products that may be past their respective best before dates or have been exposed to conditions that can cause a change in flavour or shelf life. These goods can also find their way to the open markets.

[boosta]

I was surprised myself to hear about packaged junk food being cheaper at Klong Toei, I don't buy that stuff myself but would have thought Makro / Big C et al were the definitive cheap source.

Fresh fruit and veg, fish chicken pork - for sure Klong Toei's the best value in the Kingdom far as I'm concerned, B600 buys as much as me and the maid can carry, fully loaded with enough to eat for both families for at least four days, add a bit more for milk and eggs.

I'm not necessarily buying the defective goods idea though of course it's possible. Have to remember that the air-conditioned rent labor management overheads of the big-box retail outfits is a pretty big burden and may well compensate for their bulk-purchasing advantage compared to the proprietor operated stall at the market.

In fact that part of town a lot of stuff gets cleared from container loads that "fall off the truck" could be inbound or outbound via the port next door.

I'll have a look around next time we go down to do our shopping. I tell you once you get the KT habit you end up with extreme sticker shock walking around a supermarket, easily 5x to 10x price differences if you're eating a lot of fresh foods in season.

Edited June 16, 2013 by boosta