Supermarket prices out of control

[skinner]

Before I came back to the UK to do a bit work I did some messages at Tesco Udon. I thought I would go home and google the prices in the Tesco shops UK. To my surprise I could have bought the same goods for 45% cheaper if had I been in the UK. And they were not all imported goods!!!

Beer prices are also higher in Thailand and it's not just the imported or made under licence beers.
Went to Blackpool to see a wee mate and a pint of John Smiths was £1.60.
I'll be havin my pints of Belhaven tomorrow...£2.45 = Aboot 103 Baht,...

That is surprising, why? Thai alcohol tax is high.

It isn't the alcohol tax that affects foreign alcohol. The tax is high on all foreign foodstuffs and drinks coming in . Cheese and tea bags are prime examples.

I don't follow you! Of course the Thai alcohol tax affects foreign alcohol, as it does local drink, there are also import duties and taxes, that impact non Thai drink as well as other imports .

So it isn't surprising that beer is more expensive in Thailand than in the UK since local beer is extremely expensive relative to average local wages.
what don't you understand ?? imported food stuffs are subject to tax. The tax is higher on imported products than it is n alcohol
FWIW good single malt whisky is much cheaper in Japan than in the U.K.

[skinner]

I wil try that again . Imported food stuffs are subject to higher taxes than alcohol. The alcohol will then attract another tax ( lower than imported foodstuffs )
If you cant work it out , look at the price of imported tea bags

[stattointhailand]

Seems some folks have forgotten that a litre of petrol in their home country is going for a wee bit more than it is in Thailand. Or getting their vehicle serviced......or going to the dentist......or paying a speeding fine
As for oats......I agree, a good deal. The cheapest rolled oats go for about 45 Baht per 400g.....one type from Australia and another from Germany. But then there are similarly sized bags of regular rolled oats from other countries for much much more. Never could figure out why.
Well, time to go pay my TV license.

Wild Oats (prepared and ready for sowing) are also much cheaper in Thailand parrot

[Bandung_Dero]

All this complaining is BS! Simple supply and demand! If you can't afford it go elsewhere or do without. Business is what it is! The priority is their share holders and profit margin. EVEN here in Thailand.

BTW:- Last Thursday large Leo was 614 Baht in our local BigC (with their BS alcohol trading hours). 593 Baht in the local 'Mom and Pop' mini mart (200 metres away) NO enforced trading hours! Guess where I shop?

[Lone Star]

All this complaining is BS! Simple supply and demand! If you can't afford it go elsewhere or do without. Business is what it is! The priority is their share holders and profit margin. EVEN here in Thailand.

BTW:- Last Thursday large Leo was 614 Baht in our local BigC (with their BS alcohol trading hours). 593 Baht in the local 'Mom and Pop' mini mart (200 metres away) NO enforced trading hours! Guess where I shop?

BINGO. Simple free enterprise economics.

[stattointhailand]

Plenty of places you can get "cheap" booze/fags/etc .......... often smuggled over the border without paying the official taxes and dues that others do.

Simple Free enterprise economics putting your HONEST law abiding people out of business

[747man]

Looking at those Spin Mops & Buckets in Tesco's the other day.....999 Baht..WTF ??

Came home & Ordered EXACTLY the same one on Lazada ....219 Baht & Get an additional Mop Head " Free " It Arrived This Morning via Kerry Express C.O.D.......

[rick]

Tesco Lotus reduced the amount of UK products they sold about 2 years ago. I understand that we are only a small percentage of their customer base (but probably over 1%, not a tiny fraction of that) and it is about profit. But it is possible to buy many products cheaper at Makro. These days, all i buy from Tesco Lotus is sliced brown bread and finest teabags - the only items which are price competitive. If in there, they do have special offers on which are sometimes attractive.

Not just looking at Tesco, but all imported items tend to be expensive, even if from countries with which Thailand has a free trade agreement. Alcohol taxes are high, especially on wine. The uk doesn't have low alcohol taxes either, but wine is under half the price of Thailand, and i can buy Thai bottled beer in the UK for the same price as Thailand! (Not that i would want to drink thai beer in the UK).

Sure, some things are cheaper in Thailand, like petrol. But it is obvious that many prices are kept artificially high due to cartels/limited competition/government connivance. I can buy fruit juice (same brand, and a thai product) for 30% less than at Tesco and BigC from a local shop; that is a pretty disgraceful markup by the big companies. As also said, items bought at the Royal Project shop are half or even one third of the price as the same item (same packaging,saying royal project) in Tops, BigC or Makro when they do stock it. It is obvious who makes the money on products sold in Thai supermarkets. With more genuine competition, prices could easily fall 10%. There is a reason why inequality is so high in Thailand.

[pipoz4444]

All this complaining is BS! Simple supply and demand! If you can't afford it go elsewhere or do without. Business is what it is! The priority is their share holders and profit margin. EVEN here in Thailand.

BTW:- Last Thursday large Leo was 614 Baht in our local BigC (with their BS alcohol trading hours). 593 Baht in the local 'Mom and Pop' mini mart (200 metres away) NO enforced trading hours! Guess where I shop?

Agree Bandung-Dero,

I too visit a little tin shed about 50 m2 in size and full of Booze, only about 1 km up the road. He is open just about every day of the year, have never known him to be closed. His trading hours are from when he is sober to when he is pissed (about 10.00am - 7.30pm) =D>

12 Large LEO in Box TB 585
12 Large Cold LEO from Fridge TB 610
1 Ltr Bottle Blend 285 about TB 312 (I think)or about TB 3700 per Box of 12

Can beat the service and its so easy. If you ring him his son will even deliver to your door step for the same price Really cant see any reason to buy it anywhere else. Plus it puts the money in the old mans pocket (locally) and not in that of the larger Corporations. Its pays to spend locally, when you can, for their benefit, as much as ours.

pipoz444

[Doodoo]

585 for LEO
Give me the coordinates or whatever !!!!!!!!

[pipoz4444]

585 for LEO
Give me the coordinates or whatever !!!!!!!!

Its the little shop between the two Umbrellas, next to the Orange Cup on the map - down Ban Kham Kling way, just before you get to Nong Khi Khwai lake

[waii waii]

This is common practice with supermarkets.you will notice it a lot.Uk supermarkets do it as well
Put x number of produxts up and x number of products down.nothing is really discounted as the price is off set by other products.seen it in tesco and big c many times.1 thing i want to buy gose up 1 gose down.they normally return to normal when the current offers change again.

[dragonz]

Well i have to say i am happy that tesco put its prices up so much . after 11 yrs or so weekly shop have not been there for a few weeks . I decided to look on google earth for shops nearer to me at nakha on the nong khai road . I found a makro and a global house just before you get to nong khai 28kms from my house . Tesco in udon 22kms from me with big c and makro a few kms more .Last time i went to big c took me over 1 hour with 40 minutes around the ring road passed global house.
Decided to visit makro near NK on my bike . It was excellent .Straigh road , 3 lanes ,little traffic . took me 25 mins. Bought thinks i have not had for years . 1kgm of cheddar and 1kgm of mozzarella cheese for 325/355 baht each . In tesco seen 1 kgm cheddar 1250 baht and bought real mushrooms . Not had cheese and uk mushrooms for 12 yrs . I kgm of really tasty ham 260 baht. 26 baht for 100 gms , used to pay 125 baht for 100gms in tesco. Bread rolls 30 baht a pack that taste like bread and not cakes .Only had a quick look around but saw so many things cheaper than tesco.BBQ sauce , tesco 115 baht makro 89baht , beans tesco 42 baht makro 30 baht . Will not save me to much as i will buy more but food i enjoy

Will be going back tomorrow (sat) with my car.So happy with this

[Drunk Monkey]

Tesco Lotus reduced the amount of UK products they sold about 2 years ago. I understand that we are only a small percentage of their customer base (but probably over 1%, not a tiny fraction of that) and it is about profit. But it is possible to buy many products cheaper at Makro. These days, all i buy from Tesco Lotus is sliced brown bread and finest teabags - the only items which are price competitive. If in there, they do have special offers on which are sometimes attractive.

With regard to Tesco accurate info... several months ago the main importer of most of the imported dry food goods that come into the kingdom in partnership with Premier foods ceased supplying Tesco Lotus , now they only supply Tops supermarkets in Thailand ...hence TL expat flash being a lot smaller. Where the Western products in VM and Makro come from and who they are supplied by remains unknown.

Seems like most provinces have independent small expat shops nowadays , i was in Buriram last week and a couple of nice little places to eat n shop as many of the bars sell both frozen n dry goods as well ... the old VM phrase things you can only find here doesnt apply any longer.

dm

[Giggle]

Tesco sells overpriced, unhealthy garbage to unwitting fools. The aisles of cakes, pies, chocolates, sweets, ice cream, soda, candy and other assorted flotsam would have any reasonable person give those grotesque green halls of gluttony wide berth.

Haven't shopped there in many years.

[Brian Davis]

Just back from Udon, taking son to school and wife wanted to visit the fresh market, named Produce Market on the Udon Maps, off Phosri Rd, opposite Ngee Soon. Very popular with the Thai, which is a good indicator.
BUT, we discovered a fairly new frozen food outlet nearby, (the size of say 6 x 7/11's?) advised it had been open 2 months or so. Sorry, wife not here to confirm name as I write, but she bought frozen packets of e.g. nuggets, prawns, hotdogs at apparently prices a lot less than Makro. She said the name suggested a quality product too. I didn't go in, but imagine there's the usual range of foods available. I'm happy to just be the ATM when she goes food shopping, so personally can't confirm prices/quality, but she seemed quite enthused, until I suggested I could now reduce the monthly shopping allowance!
Anyway, the place is on Panpraw Rd, which runs next to the eastern side of Tungsri Muang, perhaps 100m down from the junction with Posri Rd. Seems always busy around there, parking not that easy whenever I've been. Readers may recall it as the place where attendants charge a 5 baht parking fee.
Maybe others have found it and can add something?

[vincemunday]

Went to the off license on the Pho Sri road today, the one that’s near immigration and bought a 3 litre Bodegas Red wine box for 900 baht which is 104 baht cheaper than Big C.

[Manxlad]

All this complaining is BS! Simple supply and demand! If you can't afford it go elsewhere or do without. Business is what it is! The priority is their share holders and profit margin. EVEN here in Thailand.

BTW:- Last Thursday large Leo was 614 Baht in our local BigC (with their BS alcohol trading hours). 593 Baht in the local 'Mom and Pop' mini mart (200 metres away) NO enforced trading hours! Guess where I shop?

Agree Bandung-Dero,

I too visit a little tin shed about 50 m2 in size and full of Booze, only about 1 km up the road. He is open just about every day of the year, have never known him to be closed. His trading hours are from when he is sober to when he is pissed (about 10.00am - 7.30pm) =D>

12 Large LEO in Box TB 585
12 Large Cold LEO from Fridge TB 610
1 Ltr Bottle Blend 285 about TB 312 (I think)or about TB 3700 per Box of 12

Can beat the service and its so easy. If you ring him his son will even deliver to your door step for the same price Really cant see any reason to buy it anywhere else. Plus it puts the money in the old mans pocket (locally) and not in that of the larger Corporations. Its pays to spend locally, when you can, for their benefit, as much as ours.

pipoz444

Hi pipoz, was reading your post and realised we were heading to the Kung fishing place literally about 600 Mtrs from your booze shop this afternoon. So called in, just to see what deal I could get Leo per box 615 bht chang 600 bht per box , so you must be the blue eyed farang boy to get your prices as I speak fluent Thai and that was what I was offered by the non interested boy who was manning the shop .
but good luck too you if you are getting that deal

[Faraday]

You had to pay Forty Baht more than Pipoz for a box of Leo?

This is outrageous. Call the big Joke, he'll sort it out!!

[Big boss]

Reading some of these post ....
Supermarket price changes before you start moaning
This is that price and so on some of the Thai people
Live on what your moaning about and got to pay extra
Just think why you left your own country and retire in
Such a beautiful Kingdom of Thailand and welcomed by these great friendly people..
I myself be happy to pay and wake up everyday with a big smile on my face living the dream...
Or you could go back home and pay more for sure and wake up miserable......
Just a thought be happy there's more to life than moaning on this page about a few baht your breathing and
Alive..
There's a lot of people out there wish they could just go to SUPERMARKET and buy what they want