New Makro Phrae ?

[lungpeter]

Yes, Makro is opening in Phrae. On Hiway 101 just south of the back road to Big C. There's a lot of construction going on there, can't miss it. Grand opening is Sept. 1-3.

Can you tell me where you got that date from?

I have been told it will open in November.

I hope you are right, the sooner I can get 2kg blocks of cheese the better.

it will open on Nov. 18th

[uptheos]

Actually this thread is about Phrae, not Phayao or Phrao but you are still righ, there isn't much there.

And this is the Chiang Mai thread!

I guess everyone in Chiang Mai will stop using the Makro in Phrae and go to the one in Chiang Mai instead.

However everyone should go to Phrae once and see what a hole it is.

[FlorC]

Actually this thread is about Phrae, not Phayao or Phrao but you are still righ, there isn't much there.

And this is the Chiang Mai thread!

I guess everyone in Chiang Mai will stop using the Makro in Phrae and go to the one in Chiang Mai instead.

However everyone should go to Phrae once and see what a hole it is.

It may be a "hole" ,,,but it is waaaaay better than living in little Bangkok ( = Chiang Mai).

The Chiang Mai forum , covers the whole north , not just CM. So that's why I posted it here.

[curtklay]

Yeah...like Chiang Mai is Heaven on Earth!

[MickTurator]

Actually this thread is about Phrae, not Phayao or Phrao but you are still righ, there isn't much there.

And this is the Chiang Mai thread!

I guess everyone in Chiang Mai will stop using the Makro in Phrae and go to the one in Chiang Mai instead.

However everyone should go to Phrae once and see what a hole it is.

I suggest you learn the correct meaning of Forum, Sub Forum and Thread.

This thread is about Phrae

[uptheos]

Actually this thread is about Phrae, not Phayao or Phrao but you are still righ, there isn't much there.

And this is the Chiang Mai thread!

I guess everyone in Chiang Mai will stop using the Makro in Phrae and go to the one in Chiang Mai instead.

However everyone should go to Phrae once and see what a hole it is.

I suggest you learn the correct meaning of Forum, Sub Forum and Thread.

This thread is about Phrae

Then it should be in the Chiang Rai forum smart arse

Chiang Rai Forum

The very northern part of Thailand, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Phrae and surrounding areas.

Whatever forum it's in, Phrae is still a hole!

[Gonzo the Face]

........then let us all pray for Phrae........ as praying for peace does not seem to be working.

I will be projecting the proverbial Pun Pun prayer for Phrae...... if U Pleeze Pshawwwww

[FlorC]

You are right , Phrae is for the Chiang RAI forum. I thought because CMai is closer ( in distance) , that it was the CM forum.

Not a big deal , I didn't put it in the Pattaya or Phuket forum , and people who do a search for Makro Phrae , will find it , whatever forum it is on.

[MickTurator]

Whatever forum it's in, Phrae is still a hole!

Well, I think we can all agree on that.

Live here for more than 6 months and you need rehab

[WaiLai]

I think Makro is in Phayao too now which means Tesco/Big C will follow.Massive expansion amongst the supermarket chains.

Hey Flor C bake you own bread,its simple, Makro bread is pretty ordinary !

Makro is NOT in Phayao!

I live there.

[ripstanley]

I think Makro is in Phayao too now which means Tesco/Big C will follow.Massive expansion amongst the supermarket chains.

Hey Flor C bake you own bread,its simple, Makro bread is pretty ordinary !

Makro is NOT in Phayao!

I live there.

You should get out more it opened in September.

[FlorC]

I think Makro is in Phayao too now which means Tesco/Big C will follow.Massive expansion amongst the supermarket chains.

Hey Flor C bake you own bread,its simple, Makro bread is pretty ordinary !

Makro is NOT in Phayao!

I live there.

Hey Flor C bake you own bread,its simple, Makro bread is pretty ordinary !

Well that's a bummer. I was hoping for something better than Farmhouse "bread" , and the sugar or weightless "bread" of big c.

Yes , I've heard that one before : make your own , BUT , it is hard to find good ingredients (and keeping bugs out of those ingredients) , yeast is not easy to find or keep fresh ( don't have a fridge) , and I need a good breadmaker machine , because I don't really have a kitchen , and making it manually is not an option !

[FlorC]

Just another week 'till the opening.

Maybe us Phrae folk can post things they bought at Makro that are better than the cr-p they sell at big c & lotus.( especially food items like cheese , cheaper and better Makro brand things like cornflakes , mayo , cheap potatoes or whatever). Not to promote Makro , but us (well me anyway) here in the boonies far away from affordable western food, can use a break from the typical Thai stuff of bigc/lotus.

But I think I'm getting my hopes up too high , and it will be another big packeted Thai junkfood store.

Anyway , I'm a quick shopper , in & out , little time to see it all and suggestions are welcome.

[naboo]

Makro in Lamphun stocks little for the foreign taste buds. No cheese, beer selection doesn't venture as far as Heineken, whisky sticks to rice based whiskies that aren't whisky, coffee ventures outside 3-in-1 on a good day.

I think you guys are getting your hopes up a little too much. Makro know their market, and foreigners in Phrae aren't going to influence available products at all. It will be fish sauce stacked 10m high down one aisle and Mama 10m high down the next.

[curtklay]

I have shopped at Makro in Lampang and Chiang Mai. Both carry blocks of US made cheddar cheese that is far better than Big C's offering. Makro bread is not bad; a world apart from Farmhouse . They also carry some decent Doi brand coffee. Their produce and meat departments beat the pants off Big C. In these pre-opening months, I have noticed Big C is more aware of Western shoppers, carrying ground beef, and more German imports. Neither company is stupid, and are certainly aware of the growing population of foreigners. I think we will see more attempts by both stores to lure the farang business, and I welcome it.

FlorC: you really need to move somewhere with a kitchen and fridge!

Edited November 12, 2015 by curtklay

[MickTurator]

I ventured down there yesterday.

I was impressed and will be during the majority of my shopping there from now on.

The selection of fruit and veg was very good, much better than anywhere else in Phrae.

Real lemons and proper oranges and a few veggies that I have never seen before.

Potatoes were better than the green rubbish from elsewhere.

Mushrooms were a lot cheaper than BigC.

Fresh meat section was average but the frozen selection is good.

BigC is still the cheapest for meat if you shop on a Wednesday and can ignore the smelly drain. ( Why the h*ll don't they fix it? )

I didn't look at the bakery as we bake our own bread.

Grocery section had a good selection and everything seemed to be slightly cheaper than BigC or Tesco, only a few baht per item but by the time your trolley is full I guess it would be a worthwhile saving.

Large blocks of cheese, good quality parmesan cheese, ham, sausages etc.

Electrical section was not very impressive but the prices of what they have were OK.

Next week I might buy a 40" Samsung TV that I liked the look of at 11k baht.

[FlorC]

Thanks Mick ! Because it is 70 km and not my shopping week , I did not go yet.

Don't leave me hanging....how much were the potatoes ? How are the prices of fruit & veggies ?

How's the parking ? Were there many people ? Was it well stocked ?

Affordable cheese ? No problem for no card holders ?

[MickTurator]

The potatoes were 35baht a kilo.

Not the best spuds I have seen but better than the awful green ones that BigC and Tesco sell.

The best spuds are in Muang Dang market.

There is one shop there that sell them in 10kg bags for about 300 baht.

Fruit & Veg is the best dept, excellent selection and good quality.

Prices were good, and better than elsewhere.

Best if I don't quote prices because they will vary each week.

The wife was particularly pleased with the mushrooms she bought.

Outside the parking is good. Inside the aisles are wide and well laid out so it doesn't feel crowded like it does in Mark Four.

Obviously avoid weekends if, like me, you don't want to mingle with the natives.

Yes it was well stocked.

The only omissions that I noticed were Allbran, Queens fruit juices and razor blades.

2kg cheese blocks come in three brands, Anchor, Pauly and Aro. The Anchor brand wins every time and same price everywhere.

I also recommend the Schrieber parmesan cheese, it's the only one that doesn't smell like vomit.

I already have a card so can't help with what happens if you don't have one.

Makro is the only shop in Thailand where I have seen liquid eggs for sale.

Great for folks who can't crack an egg but like scrambled eggs.

Edited November 21, 2015 by MickTurator

[FlorC]

The potatoes were 35baht a kilo.

Not the best spuds I have seen but better than the awful green ones that BigC and Tesco sell.

The best spuds are in Muang Dang market.

There is one shop there that sell them in 10kg bags for about 300 baht.

Fruit & Veg is the best dept, excellent selection and good quality.

Prices were good, and better than elsewhere.

Best if I don't quote prices because they will vary each week.

The wife was particularly pleased with the mushrooms she bought.

Outside the parking is good. Inside the aisles are wide and well laid out so it doesn't feel crowded like it does in Mark Four.

Obviously avoid weekends if, like me, you don't want to mingle with the natives.

Yes it was well stocked.

The only omissions that I noticed were Allbran, Queens fruit juices and razor blades.

2kg cheese blocks come in three brands, Anchor, Pauly and Aro. The Anchor brand wins every time and same price everywhere.

I also recommend the Schrieber parmesan cheese, it's the only one that doesn't smell like vomit.

I already have a card so can't help with what happens if you don't have one.

Makro is the only shop in Thailand where I have seen liquid eggs for sale.

Great for folks who can't crack an egg but like scrambled eggs.

Good info , thanks.

What is it with thai mushrooms , you just cook them and use them in Thai dishes ?

Is the resurfacing of the 101 , north of Makro finished yet ?

[MickTurator]

Mushrooms are very popular in Northern Thailand, they have many varieties.

I don't like the way they cook them here, seem to just boil them until they are soft, almost slimy, and tasteless.

The harder mushrooms are great though.

The road surface of the H101 is much improved now.

Not sure if it is finished though.

The surface level is about an inch different between left and right hand lane.

Maybe just a case of Mai Bpen Rai

[FlorC]

After a five month wait , finally went to Makro Phrae. Hopes not too high. And it is like MickTurator says : Spacious inside and the aisles are wide and well laid out , but it is nothing compared to european makro's.
Bakery , pretty weak , but the 40 B whole wheat bread (650 gr) is much better than Farmhouse 37 B (500 gr) , and cheaper too. I don't share MT's impression about fruit & veg. It is not that much different in price /quality as Big C. Yes I saw the real yellow lemons , but oranges where just about as expensive as bigc and looked about the same too. They had bigger bags , like in the markt street. Potatoes now 32 , I bought some. Going further , meat and fish , that as a vegetarian can just be swallowed up in a sinkhole , but essential for the devout Buddhist.... . The space could be used for a better fruit & vegetable departement. Behind them , eggs and lots of them and cheap too , 80 B for a 30 pack. A lot of frozen food , too much meat/fish corpses again but also prepared meals and veggies.

Behind in the store , a small section of butter and cheese , but very limited and pricy. If you expect euro prices , 555 , you're wrong. Too high priced for me. I'll just have to wait another 14 months to eat cheese at home at around 75 B / 500gr dutch gouda.

Yoghurt , same too high prices as bigc/lotus. Drinks , enormous choice , but the water is just a few THB less
than others. Like Mick said : "Grocery section had a good selection and everything seemed to be slightly cheaper than BigC or Tesco, only a few baht per item but by the time your trolley is full I guess it would be a worthwhile saving."

Aro mayo in plastic bag.. 1kg or liter , 68 B , but having no fridge , didn't buy it , and you can't open it in the car to check that it tasted right like with a glass jar.

Makro does have a lot of canned food for a (any) Thai store. Petfood very disappointing , less than the bigc aisle and the same fish crap for cats. Thai cats much feel as food frustrated as some ( me! ) foreigners. Electrical appliances , are not that much , but I don't buy any , and I don't go to Makro for it , so couldn't care less. They did have an electrical cookerplate 790 B , but with a pan and a pot , I'd be out of 2000B so I finaly bought a stainless cooker at Home pro.
Parking ok ,not that big ... just watch the rubber cones ( I didn't...) ....

The big advantage is that Makro opens at 6.00 ! This means you can already go in the cooler morning hours and still beat the Thai invading bigc from 10 to 11 and thereafter.
Paying was no problem without a card. Bring your own bags. Like makro back home , prices on the labels can be confusing, BUT there is more English on those labels , something clearly missing at bigc/lotus. ( and yes I know I'm in thailand and Thai is their language).
Makro is definately an amelioration to shopping in Phrae. But I still be going to Mark four, especially after the big investments they made , to make their supermarket more appealing. In many things they still are cheaper than the big
companies . The detour to go to Makro is not big. I'll sure buy less farmhouse bread, and now Bigc has very brown bread (97 and some different other sort of bread but the day I pay 97 B for bread by bigc , will be the day gold is 60.000B/B. I've stopped buying their croissants , because they raised the price again. For fruit & veggies , the Phrae market will still be better , but no parking and no airco...
Oh, for those coming from the north ; the road resurfacing is making your car dirty, so take a small detour : take the road to town from the north not staight ahead , then in Toeng Hong , a left back to the 101, and you don't have to drive through the dirt. I think maybe another 2 weeks, but with all he holidays begin december , who knows.

Later went to lotus : potatoes around 22 B/kg in fast sale , but are still good for cooking or baking.

Edited November 25, 2015 by FlorC