Pepsi Max - gone from shelves forever?

[Mekong Bob]

Just returned from Big C Supermarket (Hang Dong Branch). Customer Service explained that they are unable to fill my special order for two cases (48 bottles) of Pepsi Max (550-ml). In addition, I was told, the Big C management has decided to cancel their standing order with Pepsi Cola Company and (unnamed) distributors for this product.

Tesco-Lotus may be the only outlet in Chiang Mai that still stocks this sugar-free Pepsi product in individual sizes, although deliveries are very erratic.

Serm Suk's "Est" appears to have successfully taken over the Pepsi market.

Anyone found a steady and reliable source of Pepsi Max (550-ml) in Chiang Mai?

How about a phone number or email address directly into the Pepsi Customer Relations offices?

[lemoncake]

Tops seems to always have it

[ezzra]

I read not long ago that Pepsi people are currently building a huge factory

somewhere in Thailand, this time no licensees or partners..

[Loaded]

The fridge at the blind massage place along Ratchamangka Road still stocks original-sized cans of pepsi max. I guess it's very old stock.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Loaded

[AyG]

Pepsi used to be bottled here by Sermsuk. The relationship broke down after 60 years(!) in 2011. Each side blames the other for being unreasonable. The contract was ended.

Pepsi then bought a plant from San Miguel to bottle the drink, but they've been having production problems.

Pepsi have made a strategic decision to focus on the smaller cans to differentiate themselves from competitors, including Est which Sermsuk launched after the business breakup. I don't know whether they'll bring back the larger cans - possibly they won't. I guess it may depend on how well the small-can strategy works.

[Ulysses G.]

The whole reason that I do not buy Pepsi Max is because of the small cans. The strategy is not working on me.

[SimonF]

Buy coca cola, apparently there is no difference..............

[lemoncake]

Buy coca cola, apparently there is no difference..............

Huge difference in taste

[PeterSmiles]

I guess there is a Makro in Chiangmai, as they stock the 550ml bottles all the time. Most of the times it is even difficult to find larger bottles there, as their profit margin on half liters seems a bit better.

[tingtongteesood]

I have the same problem here in Bangkok, it is a constant battle to try and find somewhere that has it in. When Tesco is out you often have to wait 2 or 3 weeks for anything really to be restocked, they are rubbish ! Some Tops have and others don't. Drives me nuts some days. It's annoying, that est muck is awful !

[Suradit69]

I have the same problem here in Bangkok, it is a constant battle to try and find somewhere that has it in. When Tesco is out you often have to wait 2 or 3 weeks for anything really to be restocked, they are rubbish ! Some Tops have and others don't. Drives me nuts some days. It's annoying, that est muck is awful !

It's a constant challenge to find it in Pattaya too, but between 7-Eleven, one of the three Big-C's, Central Festival, Topps and Friendship I can manage to get it ... sometimes in the large bottles, small bottles, regular cans or smaller cans. I can drink Coke Zero, but the taste is considerably different and I'd still prefer the Pepsi Max. It seems like consistent distribution never recovered after the floods a couple of years ago.

[bonobo]

In Bangkok, I buy the plastic bottles at Villa. On the way to work in the morning, I often stop by any one of a number of convenience stores and buy a small can. It is just about the right amount for me as I drive.

[Xonax]

Here in Bangkok shops like Villa Market, Foodland and many others also no longer have Pepsi products. This has lasted more than a year now. I think that they have been paid by EST not to sell Pepsi products any longer.

For several months now, Pepsi Max have been back on the floor in Makro. 0.445 L. plastic bottles costs just a little more than the new 0,245 L cans. I definitely prefer to drink my Pepsi from can´s, but refuse to buy the very tiny size. Also Mountain Dew 0.400 L plastic bottles are now available in Makro.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Xonax

[Mekong Bob]

The whole reason that I do not buy Pepsi Max is because of the small cans. The strategy is not working on me.

nor is it working on me.

I prefer cans to bottles (plastic or glass bottles), but these "slim" cans just do not fill the bill!

[NoshowJones]

What about sugar free orange drinks? Don't like Pepsi or Coke.

[jollyrog]

As of last Thursday Makro Hang Dong had a new supply of large bottle cases.....12 to a case.

Tesco Lotus Hang Dong road has single big bottles.........buy 12 and you have a case.

A tip on Pepsi Max............there is a BF (before) date on every can or bottle. If you are not going to consume the contents before that date do not buy it.

I have had them go flat exactly on that date.......

Jolly Roger

[Mekong Bob]

I guess there is a Makro in Chiangmai, as they stock the 550ml bottles all the time. Most of the times it is even difficult to find larger bottles there, as their profit margin on half liters seems a bit better.

Wrong! Makro in Chiang MaI (Hang Dong Branch) no longer has Pepsi Max (550-ml plastic bottles) on the shelf, and has been out of stock for three months.

Moreover, per Customer Service, Makro has no plans to re-order this 550-ml plastic bottle.

[PeterSmiles]

I guess there is a Makro in Chiangmai, as they stock the 550ml bottles all the time. Most of the times it is even difficult to find larger bottles there, as their profit margin on half liters seems a bit better.

Wrong! Makro in Chiang MaI (Hang Dong Branch) no longer has Pepsi Max (550-ml plastic bottles) on the shelf, and has been out of stock for three months.

Moreover, per Customer Service, Makro has no plans to re-order this 550-ml plastic bottle.

The reason that nobody has any plans to reorder 550ml bottles, as you claim, may be beacuse they aren't produced anymore since another poster pointed out already that they are now 445 ml.

I know for sure that in the Pattaya and Rayong branch of Makro there are always small bottles of Pepsi Max available, even when the big bottles are out of stock for prolonged time.

I don't know if they are 445ml or 550 ml though as I'm not interested in small bottles .

Edited November 27, 2013 by PeterSmiles

[Mekong Bob]

Here in Bangkok shops like Villa Market, Foodland and many others also no longer have Pepsi products. This has lasted more than a year now. I think that they have been paid by EST not to sell Pepsi products any longer.

For several months now, Pepsi Max have been back on the floor in Makro. 0.445 L. plastic bottles costs just a little more than the new 0,245 L cans. I definitely prefer to drink my Pepsi from can´s, but refuse to buy the very tiny size. Also Mountain Dew 0.400 L plastic bottles are now available in Makro.

Huh? 0.445 L (445-ml) plastic bottles of Pepsi Max in Bangkok? Can we see a photo? Was this bottle just put on the Bangkok market in recent weeks?

Maybe Chiang Mai consumers could arrange with your local supplier to put 10 cases on a train!

[bonobo]

Here in Bangkok shops like Villa Market, Foodland and many others also no longer have Pepsi products. This has lasted more than a year now. I think that they have been paid by EST not to sell Pepsi products any longer.

For several months now, Pepsi Max have been back on the floor in Makro. 0.445 L. plastic bottles costs just a little more than the new 0,245 L cans. I definitely prefer to drink my Pepsi from can´s, but refuse to buy the very tiny size. Also Mountain Dew 0.400 L plastic bottles are now available in Makro.

I buy Pepsi Max at Villa all the time. I buy it at the Villa near Soi 31 and the one on Ratchapruek. I bought 10 bottles at the Ratchapruek store just this last Monday.

[bonobo]

Just checked the plastic bottle I brought in today for lunch. It is a 550 ml with a BF date of March 11, 2014.

[easybullet3]

are you out of your mind???

geez!!

this is GREAT NEWS for you!!!

i am shocked at how much Pepsi (max) you want to buy !!

do you have any idea how BAD that stuff is for you ?? !!! its pretty much the same as MSG !!

i'm pretty shocked you actually are gullible enough to believe that "no sugar" means its ok !

Do you realize how bad Aspartame is for you ?

i dont care what you may 'hear', (coz this is a MASSIVE corrupt industry, with massive 'bribes' to food and government agencies to help pass bills).

just read the actual "non government and non industry" articles to find the real story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dazzmyHKi7g

also: do you realize how FAT that stuff makes you ? (just coz there is no sugar, the other ingredients in the drink muck up your human body) things go wrong when you bombard your body with the wrong substances.

maybe you're feeling ok now... but skip forward another 5 to 10 years and then things may be different.

please be good to yourself while you have your health. dont throw your health down the toilet from lack of foresight.

drink water.

make your own vegetable or fruit juice.

eat more fruit in your life.

eat more fresh vegetables.

get more sleep every night.

cut out the junk and processed food from your life.

try reducing Milk too !!

i know its your life to do whatever you want... but at least make an EDUCATED decision, (rather than just shouting me down with uninformed propaganda you may have heard about safety of a product that is majorly corrupted).

anyway,,, maybe another person who is reading this can benefit too

please people, don't be another future diabetes or cancer statistic!!

take charge of your health... which in turn will award you with a more fufiling life

[Ulysses G.]

do you have any idea how BAD that stuff is for you ?? !!! its pretty much the same as MSG !!

MSG does not hurt most people. That is an urban myth. Talk about "gullible".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

Edited November 27, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[bonobo]

also: do you realize how FAT that stuff makes you ? (just coz there is no sugar, the other ingredients in the drink muck up your human body) things go wrong when you bombard your body with the wrong substances.

Not looking at any of the other arguments out there against diet drinks, this one has basically no credibility. The bloggasphere mythology on this as science fact is based on a Purdue study where rats which were given diet drinks ate more high-calorie chocolate pudding than those who were given sugared drinks and hence gained weight and two studies of people where those who drank diet drinks ended up gaining more weight than those who did not. These were observational studies, though. It could be that the people involved switched to diet drinks because they were already gaining weight, while slender people felt no need to drink them. It could be the "Big Mac Diet Coke Effect," where people who drink a diet drink think it is OK to have two Big Macs (just like people who exercise often gain weight because they think that because the were on a bike for 30 minutes, they can reward themselves with a big piece of cake.) There were no causal studies as to why those people gained more weight.

There is absolutely no hard, scientific evidence that anything in diet drinks alter the body's ability to burn calories. The bottom line is that unless you alter your consumption based on drinking diet drinks, fewer calories in means less weight.

As to some of the other health-related claims, there could be some basis to some of those.

[Danbit]

In Bagpra and Sriracha Big C and Tesco + Tops have them but often sold out. At the golf course they only have EST so I bring my own sugar free, am diabetic.

Orange juice is a sugar bomb. EST did probably pay for the market but they do not have a sugar free version. I can drink Zero too.

[belg]

just stop drinking THAT POISON

[samsara]

pepsi max is bad enough. but does anyone actually like EST?

[hellodolly]

Buy coca cola, apparently there is no difference..............

Bite your tongue. Blasphemy. Also not true there is a lot of sugar in Coke and none in Pepsi Max. I believe the Coke Zero is sugar free or close to it and a reasonable choice if Pepsi Max is unavailable.

For myself I am a Pepsi Max fan and if I had to I would buy the small cans. Tops always seems to have them as well as the liter and a half bottles.

[PeterSmiles]

Just checked the plastic bottle I brought in today for lunch. It is a 550 ml with a BF date of March 11, 2014.

I nevr took notice of the best before date on softdrinks, but had a bad experience when I bought several packs of Pepsi Max during the shortage of sugar free drinks.

I'm a Coke Zero drinker but noticed that Pepsi Max once over the expiry date isn't drinkable anymore, while Coke Zero changes tatste and loses it's sprankling, but is still drinkable.

I also noticed that Makro get's old stock, since the bottles of Coke Zero I bought yesterday have an expiry date of 15 February 2014, while I think normal expiry is about 6 months.

And it must have just came in as a few days earlier there was no stock at all.

[hellodolly]

also: do you realize how FAT that stuff makes you ? (just coz there is no sugar, the other ingredients in the drink muck up your human body) things go wrong when you bombard your body with the wrong substances.

Not looking at any of the other arguments out there against diet drinks, this one has basically no credibility. The bloggasphere mythology on this as science fact is based on a Purdue study where rats which were given diet drinks ate more high-calorie chocolate pudding than those who were given sugared drinks and hence gained weight and two studies of people where those who drank diet drinks ended up gaining more weight than those who did not. These were observational studies, though. It could be that the people involved switched to diet drinks because they were already gaining weight, while slender people felt no need to drink them. It could be the "Big Mac Diet Coke Effect," where people who drink a diet drink think it is OK to have two Big Macs (just like people who exercise often gain weight because they think that because the were on a bike for 30 minutes, they can reward themselves with a big piece of cake.) There were no causal studies as to why those people gained more weight.

There is absolutely no hard, scientific evidence that anything in diet drinks alter the body's ability to burn calories. The bottom line is that unless you alter your consumption based on drinking diet drinks, fewer calories in means less weight.

As to some of the other health-related claims, there could be some basis to some of those.

Good post. Nice to hear some one has done their home work,

Yes the MSG myth is slowly being shown up for what is a myth. Just like the coffee one. There are some people who it has a bad affect on but not that many to have the whole population upset about it.

As for the aspertine it is pretty well accepted among the experts that it has no effect on 2/3 of the population, and nothing serious for most of the other 1/3. All foods can have an adverse efferct. To much salt is not good for any one but try to live with out it.The US government says that Aspertine is safe. It took them years of research to OK it, They say it is the most researched item they have ever done. A bribe takes ten minutes. So much for that nonsense

These food nutters never do any research they already know what they want to believe and those are the articles they read, Try looking up the formula for Pepsi Max and you wont get the exact details but they do change the formula from country to country. Do these food nutters know that.

In the last 3 years I have averaged 1 and 1/2 liter of Pepsi Max a night. I have also lost 32 kilo's. There was a while when I drank Coke Zero instead. Not sure but I think it has a little bit of sugar.

I had a brother who had to watch his salt intake all his life he was the third oldest of 9 also the only one watching his intake of it and he is the only one dead. Shall we condemn salt?

My ex was allergic to latex. In a no holds barred emergency they had her on a gurney from the emergency room to the operating room when she told them that. They held it off for 1/2 hour to prepare the room. So am I afraid of latex? No, The point is respect other peoples rights don't just throw a blanket condemnation on your body's inability to handle certain things on to them. If any one really believed all the myths going around they would wonder why man did not dye out thousands of years ago. by the way I am 71 and in reasonably good health except for arthritis.