Protest against Macro in Prachuab

[DawnHRD]

VS,

I'd have to be "extremely hungry" to eat dry dog food (or chicken carcasses, for that matter!)

[Chas]

This has turned into an interesting thread here, though we seem to have left the OP somewhat in the shadows. VS I just have not had any luck with the "wandering" but I know that it would be cheaper to do so. The other thing that recommends Home pro is that it is so damned convenient. I tend to be overly concerned about parking when I head into town (the fact that there never is any within blocks of where you want to be) and being able to park in the MV garage, hit Tesco for groceries, Homepro for other stuff ( perhaps the bank) and eat dinner all without moving the car means a lot to me. But I will check out the place on Pala U road that you mention. I dont know it.

My pet peeves about Tesco are the "boing boing boing" announcements. Why, in this day and age, everybody in the store has to hear that so and so is wanted somewhere else, or is having a break I dont know. ( Have they never heard of pagers? ) It certainly doesnt add to my shopping pleasure, but it is a practice common back home at Kmart and Walmart too. (Maybe they are trying to appear more "farang" in copying the custom?) The bit with the re-stocking trolleys blocking every aisle is also an annoyance. They tend to stock whenever they want to and even when the place is packed with shoppers you can find at least a couple aisles blocked by bored clerks puttering around on those moving stairways.

[STEVE G]

I use small shops the world over for the reason that as I don’t really do regular shopping anywhere those super store things are an incomprehensible maze for me; they have four aisles of kid’s breakfast cereals and a 1000 things I don’t even recognize and I can’t find a bloody tube of toothpaste anywhere!

[buksida]

From what I've seen the whole concept of "the customer comes first" here in Thailand seems to be lost. This ranges from supermarkets to car showrooms to some hotels to banks to local shops. It seems that customers are often viewed as more of an annoyance than an asset.

As someone said above I'll use the big stores simply for the ease of parking and the little ones when I'm on foot or the bike and need something quick (beer for instance).

[barrys]

Does anyone know the site of the proposed new Makro store.

I'd be delighted to see one here - it's great if you run a small business like we do because you can get just about everything in one place in large quantities and at reasonable prices and don't have to worry about parking problems.

It really is a pain having to go to several places and hear the familiar "mot laeoo" when you're looking for a perfectly normal item.

[redzonerocker]

does anyone here believe that protests of this type actually work?
ok, the local people have made their feelings known but will they make any difference?
i don't know how much it works in thailand so would be interested to find out. i did read on hhad about the fishing blockade protest which got results, but this one is a little bigger profile.
i would guess it would be like the uk, where if the big chains grease enough palms, they can get away with building wherever they want, so the protests, no matter how big, realistic or justified they are, are usually a waste of time.

[Wanderlust]

As most of the posts on this thread have veered away from the original topic, I will throw my two satangs worth in on the subject of Tesco. The convenience factor is really the only thing that causes me to shop there because on a number of other issues they fail miserably, mainly because the whole damn store is too small and badly organised. I have said it before and i say it again here - whoever did the market research (if there was any) for both the MV site and Tescos in particular vastly underestimated the demand there would be, and the store should be at least twice the size it is. As it stands they have a huge chunk of the store dedicated to stuff that I really can't imagine they make much money from, which is essentially everything on the left hand side as you walk in up to where the electrical goods are.

Whoever designed the layout should also be shot because the areas that need the most space (to enable shopping trolleys to pass each other), are the aisles selling groceries as they are inevitably the busiest - but this Tesco has them all crammed in at the back with pillars blocking several of them (rather than having the shelves running between pillars so that the pillars don't block either the aisle nor the shelves). The area devoted to clothes could be decreased substantially so that the shop floor restocking is more common there than in the grocery sections - people looking at clothes generally are not pressed for time.

My final rant against this Tesco is the lack of conveyer belts at the tills - what were they thinking? This 'technology' has been around for decades, and is present in virtually all other supermarkets of a similar size, and for good reason - it speeds up the raison d'etre of the store - getting the moolah from the punters. It flabbergasts me every time I go there.

[PeteC]

.....which is essentially everything on the left hand side as you walk in up to where the electrical goods are.

From this I'm starting to think all Tescos here are laid out the same. There are two in Pattaya, one very large and one just a bit bigger than HH.

As you go in to the small one, on the left are bicycles, toys, sports gear...followed by elecrical and plumbing goods....and applicance, TV's etc. at the end.

In both the food aisles are jamed up on the opposite (right in this case) of the store. Clothing is all along the front near the check out counters.

The bigger store is a bit different and more roomy, as it's three times the size of the one in HH, but the layout is still similar. Pete

[DawnHRD]

Heehee! Since we're now slagging off Tesco, I'll add my pet peeve. If you are unfortunate enough to pick up an item (often clothes or shoes) that doesn't have a bar code on, you get "Mai mee bar" and your response then is supposed to be "Mai bpen rai. Mai ao ka/krap" Lord help you if you actually insist that you do still want the item, despite the obvious inconvenience to them.

You get the <sigh>, the rolled eyes, the exaggerated look around for free floor staff, another (louder) <sigh>, the pressing off the button that makes their counter light flash, a significant look at the growing queue & then at you, the customer - ad infinitum, until someone actually gets the price for you.

WTF??? You are trying to buy something - to pay their bloomin' wages. How is it the customer's fault if there is no barcode? Amazing Thailand (or amazing Tesco Lotus??)

[PeteC]

Carrefour has a leg up then. By the check out they always have three girls stationed with roller blades on. Their purpose is to do the "non bar code" runs.

Quite attractive I must say. Long legs to start with, and even longer perched up another 4" on blades.

Does a fella good to see those posterior muscles flexing as they accelerate down the floor , only to disappear into the aisles.

Waiting with pumping chest and loins for her return. Alas, she calls in the results on a radio.

Love lost, but check out complete. Walking to the truck with head down wondering what could have been? Pete

[Condoking]

Long legs to start with, and even longer perched up another 4" on blades.

Thanks Pete, I must remember to remove the bar codes before I get to the check out

[The understudy]

[quote="barrys"]Does anyone know the site of the proposed new Makro store.

I'd be delighted to see one here - it's great if you run a small business like we do because you can get just about everything in one place in large quantities and at reasonable prices and don't have to worry about parking problems.

It really is a pain having to go to several places and hear the familiar "mot laeoo" when you're looking for a perfectly normal item.[/quote]

Hi there Barry

The proposed location of that Makro Store should be build on Petchkasem Rd. right after the overpass on the way to Pranburi behind the water Reservoeur. On the same side of The Mobile Petrol Station.

Mr. redzonerocker
The new Constitution will change things regarding Superstores. as I know the New constitution will give people who are opposed to DA New superstore greater rights and means to state their opposition. It's still unclear how much power protesters actually get to bring a Hypermarket Project down and how it's implemented though. If they do bring a Hypermanrket project down to it's knees Retailers like Tesco, Makro, Big C and even Carrefour will be seriously rethink their strategy of still investing in Thailand!
In the past the Protesters can protest and if they get the majority of people behind them anc can convince the Head of the Tetsaban not to aprove this but what usuALLY happens is the big Hypermarkets pay the local Tetsaban to give it a go and a few hundred people (some of them with vested interests) go on and still protest they won't be heard.
Example given: Before the New Hua Hin Market Village was put up those people from Hua Hin Shopping Mall next to Satukarn Demonstrated like crazy in the end all of that was in Vain. The Hua Hin Makret Village opened in ealry 2005.

Your's the understudy!!!

[lomuamart]

I reckon supermarkets in Pattaya must be better fun.
Still, I've only stepped into MV once so far and that was after getting back with friends from a long weekend in Bang Sapang. We popped in there for the "motor show". It was brilliant - not. We all had a KFC and wandered about a bit. I headed for the exit for a cigarette.
As I've said before, these big places don't suit me. I went into a big Sainsburys once in London and actually left my trolley behind because the queue was too long. I really don't think I could do a "normal shop" in HH.
Even before MV, I had trouble with the old shopping mall. Blah blah blah.
Suppose what I'm saying is that it's only my wife and I here and every day she rides off into the sunset to the local markets.
A big fish (800gms), done in a sweet and sour sauce tonight for 180 Baht. Rice is on tap. The fish will do us for tomorrow as well. That suits me down to the ground (or sea).
After her favourite soap operas have finished at 4pm, she's off. Gets all the food in from the markets, sees her family for a bit and is back at 6-7pm. Easy, every day.
I know it's only me, but the thought of going to a supermarket once every week or so is not a great attraction. I gave up doing that for myself in London years ago.
Bring on local markets, even if it takes a bit longer to shop for everything.
Anyway, that's my view. Blooming impersonal shopping malls, blah, blah, blah, but I'll try and tear myself out of a songtheaw one time and see for myself the wonders of Tesco.

[PeteC]

You're living the good life LOMU. It sounds as if you may have some anxiety problems, like I do from time to time in big crowds. I went through hell with that in my 20's until I figured out what it was. It took a year on vallium before I did while not allowing my career to crash. It still raises it's ugly head today from time to time. The walls close in, I sweat and want to run as fast as possible to the doors.

Every trip shopping I mutter..."I hate this shit..." then I mutter...."when we move I'm buying you a car and you can do this shit..." Then I mutter...."I never want to see a damn shopping mall again in my life..."

Maybe it's a man thing. I've never liked to shop except on Christmas Eve or close to it, then I really get into it. Other times it's shit with a big S.

Anyway, sorry for assuming anything, just my thoughts.

We've now come full cycle. I'm a Mom & Pop store guy. In and out and if good folks, sit down and talk and have a beer with them. Pete

[redzonerocker]

mr understudy; just as i thought it would be.as corrupt as it is, its the way of the world & anywhere in the world these companies want to set up, their dodgy dealings will always be welcome.

as for the tesco bashers; i don't suppose they will be introducing the home delivery service in hua hin then??
all the main uk superstores do it now, quite simple really. just order & pay online & wait for it to be delivered to your doorstep. takes the strain & awful experience of traipsing around the store.