9 hours ago, Guderian said:

I thought a year or two ago that Tesco said it wanted to sell its Lotus subsidiary in Thailand. What happened, they couldn't find a buyer, so now they're 'committed' to Thailand instead of riding off into the sunset with their saddlebags full of cash?

 

lol That's pretty funny. They couldn't pawn it off and now they find themselves stuck. I wouldn't be sad if Tesco left at any rate. Although they would need to find a new place to off load their sub-standard garbage. 

 

I can just imagine what they were promised when they began in Thailand and what the reality is on the ground for them today.

 

 

Nice to know but perhaps while he's here, David Lewis might do something about improving Tesco Lotus Customer Service and Stock.

 

Tesco's own "Finest" Brand Indian Curry Pastes which have been advertised are seldom in stock in Chiang Mai, when they are they are "hidden" away on the supposed "International Stand" and when staff are asked, they smile and shrug their shoulders.The Front Counter Staff have no idea either.

 

My wife phoned Customer Relations in BKK and was told, (in Thai) by a very rude woman that we'd just have to wait and watch to see when Tesco Hang Dong got new stock.

 

So okay, DAVID LEWIS... what are YOU going to do about it ?

Super markets, what a joke!  I live in the boonies. I usually shop at Tesco in Takhli (new, 70 kilometers R/T), but they don't carry everything that I want ,(coffee, booze - this store is alcohol free) so I have to go across the street to Big-C.  But Neither still have everything (lamb, duck,etc) so then I have to drive to Nakhon Sawan to Makro (200 kilometers R/T), where I can get most of the other things that I want, but still not everything.  To fill the bill would mean a trip to Tops, Villa, and Foodland in Bangkok (500 kilometers R/T).

 

They're really not supermarkets like I was used to in the US like Safeway which carried the entire selection of food and didn't clutter the aisles with clothes and other BS that doesn't belong in a grocery store/

14 hours ago, Muhendis said:

 

I've just checked Tesco Online and found not one grain of rice from Thailand. 

 

Not much support for Thai farmers atall.........

Its almost 100% thai rice in tesco chiangmai

Doent thailand own the vast majority of tesco in thailand

I've no real complaints with my local Tesco except sometimes favourite items  disappear and are never replaced plus the fact I seem to spend more but have less in my trolley.

The staff don't seem to change too often so I've got to know some of them and all are friendly.

My main complaint however is the amount of times they change the layout in the aisles and as soon as I've worked out where everything is again it's time for another change.     

As someone who has shopped in Tesco since its first store 14 years ago, I have found that over the last two years they have less and less products and literally 'going down the pan' IMHO.

Can someone explain the logic of the 3 10-items or less checkouts at Tesco in Pattaya?

To design it to be a complete free for all was surely some sort of joke or maybe they just hate customers who only use baskets.

In fact, thinking about it, they probably do as 9 times out of 10 I have to go on a basket search as the only place you can't find them is at their place at the entrance.

I've no real complaints with my local Tesco except sometimes favourite items  disappear and are never replaced plus the fact I seem to spend more but have less in my trolley.
The staff don't seem to change too often so I've got to know some of them and all are friendly.
My main complaint however is the amount of times they change the layout in the aisles and as soon as I've worked out where everything is again it's time for another change.     

They will have a specially trained "NongKhaiKid Squad", clad in nifty Tesco logo jump suits with lots of Velcro pads for badges and flags, on permanent standby somewhere out the back. When you leave the store a siren sounds, and the squad rush out and switch everything around.

Big C here have a similar "JAG squad". One day when I have nothing better to do I'm going to turn round, rush back in and catch them at it!
:D

13 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Well, I was stunned to read your comment. Not "a grain" of truth. The U.K. has a huge South Asian population,thus the popularity and choice of basmati and others. Thais are significantly less populous, so Thai rice less choices. Tesco's rice selections are incredible. Here's some Thai rice for your supper.

er.

Thanks Ratcatcher. Please note however that my comment was that I failed to find the Thai rice. I shall sleep happier tonight knowing that there are two bags of rice from Thailand on sale at Tescos. 

2 minutes ago, JAG said:

 

They will have a specially trained "NongKhaiKid Squad", clad in nifty Tesco logo jump suits with lots of Velcro pads for badges and flags, on permanent standby somewhere out the back. When you leave the store a siren sounds, and the squad rush out and switch everything around.

Big C here have a similar "JAG squad". One day when I have nothing better to do I'm going to turn round, rush back in and catch them at it!
:D

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 20169 yr by NongKhaiKid

While Tesco is committed to Thailand, I ask the question is Thailand's ruling class still committed to the continued opening up of the sector of the economy allowing foreign retailers to operate here?

Best thing about lotus is it draws all the banoork Thais in, easy to avoid them when the monthly invasion occurs. BigC is far better for normal shopping, like their bonus stuff too.

Went in the Bangkapi store a couple of weeks ago and got the impression the management had pretty much given up. Unpleasant smell throughout, deathly silence with no ambient music, no hand baskets anywhere near the entrance, flies landing on the bakery display, cockroaches roaming the floor, cash registers with a display you can hardly read, poor access on one side of the building which involves walking along the roadside. Wouldn't be surprised if the whole show folds soon.

Tesco Lotus is a Thai owned company. The parent company is TESCO U.K.

It's all here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesco_Lotus

It's a Thai operated company not a British run company.. If that makes any difference?

Tesco/Lotus, Lam Luk Ka branch in the north of Bangkok gets my goat every time I go there. Lots of disabled parking bays all conveniently placed near the entrance ALL taken up by motorbikes. Fortunately, I don't need to use the bays, but I pity any poor bugger that does. Next, the shopping carts. They regularly run out of carts in the store. They're all sitting, abandoned in the car park. Why can't they organise staff to continuously collect the carts rather than wait till they've run out. I tried speaking with the manager, but just got the usual grin and shoulder shrug.

19 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

Tesco Lotus is a Thai owned company. The parent company is TESCO U.K.

It's all here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesco_Lotus

It's a Thai operated company not a British run company.. If that makes any difference?

Thats what I thought and the reason I asked the question earlier 

3 minutes ago, Thechook said:

Thats what I thought and the reason I asked the question earlier 

Paper shuffling only. "Thai-owned" has a very loose definition here.

It's done for tax purposes and has little relation to reality.

The boss should come to Tesco PKK to see how its run here

Empty shelves 

sometime no meat in stock

meat counter stinks

veggies old and tired

Staff rude and at best clueless

 

Mrs got overcharged for an item once it took literally about 45mins to sort it out

Place is best avoided

58 minutes ago, poohy said:

The boss should come to Tesco PKK to see how its run here

Empty shelves 

sometime no meat in stock

meat counter stinks

veggies old and tired

Staff rude and at best clueless

 

Mrs got overcharged for an item once it took literally about 45mins to sort it out

Place is best avoided

 

 

could not agree more. I have been an area manager for one of the world's biggest retail and wholesale conglomerates in my home country and have seen and inspected hundreds of megastores and hypermarkets. Tesco Lotus is in most cases a shambolic operation, in virtually every aspect. I can 't remember the day when I was able to get a shopping cart on a Saturday or Sunday at any of their stores, just to begin with. The only area where they are better is their non-food section, but even there, BigC is catching up quickly.

Edited November 25, 20169 yr by siam2007

1 hour ago, poohy said:

The boss should come to Tesco PKK to see how its run here

Empty shelves 

sometime no meat in stock

meat counter stinks

veggies old and tired

Staff rude and at best clueless

 

Mrs got overcharged for an item once it took literally about 45mins to sort it out

Place is best avoided

I think the fruit and vegies at most tesco are disgusting.  then there is the bread that's still being sold on the use by date

On 23/11/2016 at 9:12 PM, petermik said:

I hope Tesco mince pies will be hitting the shelves here very soon

I don't remember eating mince pie in England but the Yorkshire Pudding was really unforgettable . Yorkshire Pudding with roasted beef (was it Wellington roast beef ? I think I might mix up the Wellington boot with the beef. )

Is it possible to buy Yorkshire Pudding in Supermarket? You know the one that you just pop into the oven and you are ready for dinner.

Tesco tills are the worst of any shop, just can't see what come up, big C have the best till displays.

I just wish that their selection was a patch on what they offer in the UK, here in Chiang Mai, where we supposedly have 50,000 Brits living locally ?  Very very disappointing.

 

And why are their narrow-aisles always blocked with trolleys & gossiping shelf-stackers ?

 

I wonder if they'll ever set up some sort of customer-panel, to get feedback ?

On 11/24/2016 at 5:34 PM, Chip Allen said:

Brilliant!!! "Committed to Thailand" as they force your countrymen out with ridiculous new income and health insurance requirements. Well played, gentlemen, well played.

 

  Imagine life  in Thailand ,   without Tesco , Big C ,  Macro , etc 

     remember  the bad old days ,

 sweet bread no decent sausage and bacon .

Welcome Lotus ,  us  foreigners  need you .

 

2 hours ago, madusa said:

I don't remember eating mince pie in England but the Yorkshire Pudding was really unforgettable . Yorkshire Pudding with roasted beef (was it Wellington roast beef ? I think I might mix up the Wellington boot with the beef. )

Is it possible to buy Yorkshire Pudding in Supermarket? You know the one that you just pop into the oven and you are ready for dinner.

Tops have them.

7 hours ago, Ricardo said:

I just wish that their selection was a patch on what they offer in the UK, here in Chiang Mai, where we supposedly have 50,000 Brits living locally ?  Very very disappointing.

 

And why are their narrow-aisles always blocked with trolleys & gossiping shelf-stackers ?

 

I wonder if they'll ever set up some sort of customer-panel, to get feedback ?

They are RUDE if you phone their alleged CUSTOMER SERVICE people in Bangkok, the Front Counter Staff here in CNX are simply Hopeless... ( in both THAI and ENGLISH) and the BKK Office NEVER Responds to written requests for assistance.

Seems the man from ENGLAND doesn't BOTHER responding to comments either !

Tesco has stores in Malaysia and Indonesia as well.  You'll be able to find things in those stores I've never seen sold in Thailand, like Tesco-brand biscuits.  A few other things I can't think of at the moment.

Some of the best imported produce I've seen in Thailand was at Tesco, like oranges and apples from Oz/NZ. 

I've had relatively few incidents of food poisoning here, but one of the most severe was from the bar-b-q chicken at Tesco.

The bakery stuff isn't the best, but they can be ok if you mind the dates stamped on the package.  Wouldn't be a bad idea to develop an understanding of what gets baked on which day of the week.  Otherwise once they begin to get stale they turn into cardboard.

 

At the Tesco that is up the road a bit from National Stadium in Bangkok: if an employee has the impression you're approaching him to ask a question, he'll run away before you're in speaking distance.

 

 

On 11/24/2016 at 9:41 AM, bangon04 said:

actually we hear a lot of news about american babies shooting their redneck mothers in Walmart by accident....

Yikes, talk about touching a nerve!

Are Tesco stored in UK as bad as in Thailand?