Makro - worth a visit?

[captnhoy]

I live in a small town in the south. The Phuket Makro has very good selection somewhat tailored to foreign tastes. When in BKK I always shop Villa Mkt or Foodland to take back good cheese, ham, etc. I have a Makro card and wondered what the BKK locations are like. I see that it will be a trek to get there though. The Bang Kapi location looks like it might be doable by canal ferry. Probably best to just go back to Villa but thought I'd check here,

Cheers - CH

[Gonsalviz]

Basically, unless you need to buy in quantity, Makro is kind of useless. They do have some hard to find items like spices but it comes in packages that would take years for me to use.

I have been told that warehouse type stores are cheapest to by appliances but the delivery and set up is on you.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

There's a Makro not far from the Chong Nonsi BTS station on Narithiwat Road.

I do all kinds of regular grocery shopping there (meats, fruits, frozen items), including all kinds of things that I buy in single packages. They do have a lot of bulk packaging for Thai food service customers, but in terms of typical groceries, no problem getting single items of things.

That said, that particular Makro does not seem much tailored to expat tastes, as in, few minimal imported beer selection, not much special in terms of cheeses, so-so bakery, not much special there. But they do have a lot of the staples kinds of things, as well as an in house pharmacy. And a modest selection of Western, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Indian and a few other national cuisine products.

I hear periodically folks here talking about buying nice farang things at Makro, but they usually don't say what location. The Chong Nonsi one doesn't really have much there in terms of farang stuff that you wouldn't find at Villa or Foodland, although their Mexican food products selection is pretty decent for Thailand. And for what they do have, their prices sometimes are a bit better, and often the same. Perhaps other locations are more accommodating.

[fredge45]

I have noticed a very real jump in prices since CP bought Makro... not the most inexpensive place even for bulk buying anymore.

[Rod Wallop]

I bought a giant block of cheddar at Makro and it sat in my fridge until it turned green

[NickJ]

I bought a giant block of cheddar at

Makro and it sat in my fridge until it

was eaten by my kids

[captnhoy]

Yeah, great input -THANKS. Looks like it's not worth the effort then. Also I did not know that CP bought Makro. I was trying to boycott CP after reading The Guardian's in depth expose on the fishing boat slave workers that support the feed industry for prawn farming.

[thaipod]

Went to Macro in Chong Nonsi just before Christmas and got the deal of the year . Got a leg of lamb and went to the meat section and there was a young lad mopping the floor and he weighed it and handed it back, I looked at the lable and it was 19 Baht and asked my wife what's on the tag and she said it was chicken off cuts And it was delicious...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I've gone there for the past three weeks weekly, and on each visit, had an item overcharged on my bill (more at the checkout stand than the price listed on the shelf tag).

Each time, have to go to the customer service desk, and usually take a photo of the shelf tag, show the counter staff the photo and then my receipt, and then get a refund after usually quite a long wait (while most of the counter service staff ignore people waiting for them).

Mind you, can't recall ever getting UNDER-charged there. But definitely getting OVER-charged there. Wonder why it only seems to work in their favor???

But... they do stock some things I just can't find anywhere else here in BKK: large, restaurant-size cans of sliced jalapenos, 1 Kg. frozen Indian curry/dal items from Rang Mahal, sometimes 1 kg. packs of frozen raviolis with ricotta and spinach filling, and a good bulk spices section for 250 or 500g bags of things like ground cumin, chili powder, oregano, etc etc.

Edited March 19, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Thian]

I have noticed a very real jump in prices since CP bought Makro... not the most inexpensive place even for bulk buying anymore.

I didn't know this. CP is getting very big these days. They even have their own CP ALL academy i noticed recently. A huge building.

[jaiyenyen]

I like the Makro Pork ribs. Full length, and loads of meat on them.

Slow roasted in the oven with some BBQ sauce on them....120bht a kilo....Heaven

[Jip99]

I bought a giant block of cheddar at Makro and it sat in my fridge until it turned green

Smart purchase Rod.

Any reason that you bought something that you would not use - because we would normally recommend against that.

[cooked]

A typical visit for us will be: 4 cartons of beer, definitely some vegetables and fruit that are generally cheaper than in out local market, milk, cream and butter which is cheaper than in Big C, chicken carcass for the dogs at ฿18.-/Kg, some chicken breast and prawns, Other dog and cat food, toilet paper and paper serviettes, cleaning materials, flour, maybe yeast, herbs, various bits and pieces. We have a freezer and try to avoid driving the 25 Km into town for shopping. Not everything has to be bought in bulk and we generally reckon to be saving money.

Tirikit is a good alternative for small quantities.

[balo]

Makro is not cheap anymore . I bough 100 teabags there only to find out it was 5 baht cheaper at Big C. Same with cheese and other "farang" food here in Pattaya. Maybe a better selection of frozen food but I never buy frozen.

So Big C and Friendship are the best places here if you want to avoid the overpriced food at Villa and Foodland.

Edited March 20, 2015 by balo

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

IME here in BKK, it's a bit different perspective.

Almost consistently, the Foodlands here have better prices than the Villas for items they both stock, though Villas often have a more extensive selection of imported choices -- for a price.

Even in the most farang areas in BKK, the Big Cs really have a more limited selection of imported stuff compared to Villa and Foodland to a lesser extent -- except for Big C's residue stocking of French Casino brand items.

Head to head for food/grocery items that both Big C and Foodland stock, the prices seem to be pretty close, sometimes Big C having a slight edge.

I agree that Makro's prices for a lot of food items have gone up since their acquisition by CP. But, I don't shop there for price. I shop there for select things I can't find in any other outlet around BKK.

Edited March 20, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Pib]

Makro is a good part of a person's "total" shopping needs. For me and excluding runs to the local outdoor markets, my family's grocery needs and spending are pretty much split evenly between Foodland, Makro, and Lotus

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Expanding a bit on Pib's comments, I have a bad and a good thing to say about shopping here.

The BAD thing is that the stocks of these various store chains are often so limited in selection, and/or poorly stocked (meaning things they supposedly stock are often out of stock) that I end up having to go to many different markets just to get/find what I need. That especially applies to various food items, and lesser so to household sundries.

The GOOD thing, just in the past couple years in BKK and some other areas, is that Tesco and Tops both now have online shopping and home delivery for their groceries. And for me, more importantly, both of their websites allow you to select and save a list of FAVORITES. So, for the things you regularly buy or want to keep a lookout for, just save them into the Favorites list. Then log-in once a week, and you can see and compare the prices at both stores, and also of importance, what items on your list on are on sale at that point at either supermarket chain. Their websites and the Favorites lists both clearly show when a product's price is being discounted.

Even if you don't use the home delivery service that Tesco and Tops offer, you can still use their online favorites lists to check their sales/discounts before doing your in-store shopping. Doing that has saved me A LOT of time and money on groceries, because it makes it easy to know and stock up in quantity when a regular purchase is on sale vs. wandering around the stores looking at shelf tags to by chance discover something I buy happens to be on sale that day. So at least, I give them props for finally adding that convenience feature.

[bikerlou47]

We have a new "Food Service" Makro in Khao Yai and it is the best thing to happen here in the last 10 years!

Vast variety of cheeses

High quality meats and fishes

Huge selection of vegetables

A Japanese section

A Mexican section

An Italian section

Selection of liquor and imported beers

A friendly staff that knows what products they have and where they are located

I LOVE MAKRO

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It's curious to me how the stocking/selection seems to vary quite a bit from Makro to Makro.

At the Chong Nongsi branch closest to my home, indeed, they also have a corner area of short aisle displays near the bakery/dairy section where they've assembled all their Japanese, Italian, Mexican, and Indian food products. And it's a pretty good selection for this being Thailand.

But, their selections of cheeses is really poor, not much more than various pizza related offerings. Same with fresh beef, just a few steak cuts in the deli counter (though they have a lot of frozen beef in bulk bags). And same with imported beers. As for "fresh" veggies and fruits, they do have a lot of choices, but they usually look like they've been sitting on the shelf/displays well past their freshness date.

Another good example I ran into last week. The Chong Nonsi branch happens to stock about a half dozen items from the same company that runs the Rang Mahal Indian restaurant in BKK, 1 Kg. frozen packages of Indian curry sauces and dals. And, the other day, they were out of stock of the one I usually buy, and the store staff (who aren't particularly friendly or helpful) were as usual no help.

So, I ended up calling the Rang Mahal company in BKK to see if they could manage to restock, or better stock, their supply to Makro Chong Nonsi, or if I could get their products elsewhere. And in talking to the company, found out their items are ONLY stocked at TWO Makro locations, Chong Nonsi and Lad Prao, but apparently not at any of the others around Bkk including Bangna.... Why??? I don't know or understand. There certainly are enough Indians around BKK, you would think...

Perhaps the Khao Yai store fares better for all the Army and Police generals and Thai government bigwigs and their families who have their resort homes in the area..and demand only the best!

[Thian]

For western foodstuff the best supermarket is Topps Central Chidlom in BKK.

This is the only Topps i would go to. But it's almost impossible to go there by car.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Tops Central Chidlom is also one of my regular shopping stops, and it's at least very convenient via the BTS Chidlom Station, with its direct sky walk from the station into the shopping mall.

[Bangkokhatter]

It's curious to me how the stocking/selection seems to vary quite a bit from Makro to Makro.

At the Chong Nongsi branch closest to my home, indeed, they also have a corner area of short aisle displays near the bakery/dairy section where they've assembled all their Japanese, Italian, Mexican, and Indian food products. And it's a pretty good selection for this being Thailand.

But, their selections of cheeses is really poor, not much more than various pizza related offerings. Same with fresh beef, just a few steak cuts in the deli counter (though they have a lot of frozen beef in bulk bags). And same with imported beers. As for "fresh" veggies and fruits, they do have a lot of choices, but they usually look like they've been sitting on the shelf/displays well past their freshness date.

Another good example I ran into last week. The Chong Nonsi branch happens to stock about a half dozen items from the same company that runs the Rang Mahal Indian restaurant in BKK, 1 Kg. frozen packages of Indian curry sauces and dals. And, the other day, they were out of stock of the one I usually buy, and the store staff (who aren't particularly friendly or helpful) were as usual no help.

So, I ended up calling the Rang Mahal company in BKK to see if they could manage to restock, or better stock, their supply to Makro Chong Nonsi, or if I could get their products elsewhere. And in talking to the company, found out their items are ONLY stocked at TWO Makro locations, Chong Nonsi and Lad Prao, but apparently not at any of the others around Bkk including Bangna.... Why??? I don't know or understand. There certainly are enough Indians around BKK, you would think...

Perhaps the Khao Yai store fares better for all the Army and Police generals and Thai government bigwigs and their families who have their resort homes in the area..and demand only the best!

It would seem their head office don't know where they sell their products. The Makro on Sinarkarin Rd ( Bangna ) does stock the Indian sauces. Mind you I have just moved out to Kingkaew Rd and the Makro at Bangplee doesn't.

Can be quite frustrating shopping at Makro, always a crapshoot if they have stock of what you want.

[millwall_fan]

Some Makro's have been purposely set up with foreigners in mind. When I lived in Chiang Mai it was easy: everyone knew which branch sold the foreign goodies. In Bangkok, as with many things, it is more difficult. The branch at Bangkapi opposite Lat Phrao rd soi 115 has some farang stuff - a good cheese and cold meat section and an isle with things like Bisto gravy, Marmite, olive oil, pasta sauces, frozen NZ & Oz lamb and NZ Mussels, Indian foods, Japanese stuff etc. Now Bangkok hatter seems to be saying that the one at Bangna has this set up too. i know the nearest Makro to me: Dusit, is not set up like this and only sells Thai ingredients. All Makro's though, have excellent spice sections, with some hard-to-get items like blades of mace available and their veg and fish departments are pretty good too. I don't use them often nowadays, but still go every couple of months to fill the freezer. We have a card as we used to have a pub, but if you don't have a card you can sign up for a temporary one at the desk as yo walk in.

[Thian]

I only know Makro at Chaengwattana which is a big mess and bad quality. Since i saw ALL their frozen stuff defrosted laying in the freezers i haven't been back.

But last week i was in the new Makro Nakhon Inn-road near the RamaV bridge and it was like paradise there, superclean, cheap, and very good organised.

[millwall_fan]

I only know Makro at Chaengwattana which is a big mess and bad quality. Since i saw ALL their frozen stuff defrosted laying in the freezers i haven't been back.

But last week i was in the new Makro Nakhon Inn-road near the RamaV bridge and it was like paradise there, superclean, cheap, and very good organised.

Did they have a range of Farang products?

[Thian]

I only know Makro at Chaengwattana which is a big mess and bad quality. Since i saw ALL their frozen stuff defrosted laying in the freezers i haven't been back.

But last week i was in the new Makro Nakhon Inn-road near the RamaV bridge and it was like paradise there, superclean, cheap, and very good organised.

Did they have a range of Farang products?

Don't know what you call farang products but they have cumberland saucages, great beef aus-thai, fish, Douwe Egberts coffee!, 500 gram champignons for 99 baht today and much more.

We love this shop, better then any other supermarket. I didn't see a cheese department but they let you taste californian cheese which i don't want.

Much much better then Tops or Villa market.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Thian

[Blue flare]

I agree reference the Makro in Nakhon Inn road, do my shopping there every two weeks, very clean, helpful staff, whats not to like?

went to Changwattana a couple of times in the past, its just too big, and as the man says, its a mess...