Gourmet Market, soon Big C Hua Hin Marché @ BluPort

[Big Boy]

Lotus in Cha Am probably has a better and bigger selection.

Really? I wonder why the Hua Hin branch is so poor.

[caller]

I have visited BigC twice so far. And I prefer it in almost everyway to what was there before. Its clean for a start, shelves are stocked properly, and there is a much larger veg selection. I can even buy a single this and that, something the post Mall GM wasn't good at. It's clearly nowhere near finished, and we were told end of June before that happens. It is a tad pricier, but for me, convenience makes up for that.

I see the bread shop near the back entrance is being renovated as well, so hopefully that will carry a bigger stock in future.

Also, the kebab / mexicanish lady is staying, she may be moved a bit, but still in that general area. As an independent trader, she has done really well. She has been there since Bluport first opened 9 years ago.

So BigC for me is a plus, but there are still big issues elsewhere in the Mall. Maybe BigC will attract extra customers in future?

[Dannie Boy]

Ok it sounds like I’m not missing that much - if/when I’m in the area I will probably check it out but won’t make a special journey.

[Big Boy]

I see the bread shop near the back entrance is being renovated as well, so hopefully that will carry a bigger stock in future.

Good news. That was one of the items stopping it being a one stop shop for me. I'll give it a few weeks and try it again.

[HarryVardon]

I still think the aisles are too narrow. The staff are constantly filling shelves and completely block an aisle with there trolley. Just a little bit wider and it wouldn't be a problem.

[GroveHillWanderer]

I still think the aisles are too narrow. The staff are constantly filling shelves and completely block an aisle with there trolley. Just a little bit wider and it wouldn't be a problem.

Yeah, other people have mentioned this. I think the problem is that they've kept the same width of aisle that Gourmet Market had, but the Big C supermarket trolleys are noticeably wider. I found out (by experience of being stuck in the middle of an aisle when someone came the other way) that you can just manage to get two trolleys past each other but only by having both touching the sides of the aisle and scraping against each other as they pass.

[Big Boy]

Yes, I mentioned this before. My wife's wheelchair would not pass a shopping trolley in an aisle.

[berlinmichael]

I have to say that overall I'm disappointed ......despite all the hype prior to opening it's 90% the same as before....the same labels/produce on the same shelves and in the same location within the store.
I have noticed a significant floor space in front of Big C currently fenced off.....is this part of the Big C development and are there plans for this space?
It's also disappointing that they don't sell boxes of my favourite Singha Reserve beer previously available here.....

[Pagey]

Thinking back to this morning's visit, and our weekly shop, there was one other thing missing which we need to buy each week i.e. dog food. I saw a small display of a brand I'd never heard of, but the selection of Lotus's was not available.

Therefore, with no bread and no pet food, Lotus's will have to remain our one stop shop, which is a shame because I liked a lot of what I saw today. Disappointing.

We will try it again in a few weeks to see if the situation has been rectified.

Are you aware you can order your dog food online from Lotus with free delivery? I've used them a few times, saves carrying bulky heavy tins home.

[Big Boy]

Yes, I am aware there are options.

However, I have managed to move from a daily shopping visit to a weekly shopping visit whilst living here, which is quite an achievement for somebody that loves shopping as much as I do. I accept it is my duty to do a weekly shop, but I don't want to be dragged from shop to shop. So long as I can find a one stop shop, it will do for me.

In the beginning, Bluport had a great selection of everything, but at stupidly high prices. Tesco at that time had vastly increased their range fearing Bluport would steal their customers. Bluport prices scared the likes of me off, but Tesco, now Lotus's, seeing the challenge from Bluport diminish reduced their range considerably.

Lotus's has significantly reduced the range of goods (that I buy each week) further, and Big C are increasing their range at reasonable prices. It is almost at the point where I can switch allegiance to Big C. Almost, but not quite. I hope the transformation will be complete soon, and I will have a new one stop shop.

[HarryVardon]

The selection of goods at Lotus dropped considerably when they split from Tesco.

[Big Boy]

Yes, but the biggest drop was when they realised that Bluport had priced themselves out of the market, and weren't a threat. Until that point, Tesco had become a really good store. Big C have a much more sensible pricing regime.

[caller]

I have noticed a significant floor space in front of Big C currently fenced off.....is this part of the Big C development and are there plans for this space?
It's also disappointing that they don't sell boxes of my favourite Singha Reserve beer previously available here.....

Yes, they will extend out from the current Mall, but how much of that will be already prepared food to take away and the like, I dont know. In the Bkk BigC occassionally used, they have a massive area for breaded items, prepared foods cooked on-site for take-away and so on, so I assume at the very least, Marche' will have the same. I reckon it's about 50% developed so far.

[GroveHillWanderer]

I've been to the new Big C Marché a few more times now and I'm liking it more and more. Even though it's not finished yet (so will obviously get better as they expand into the new areas and the range of items increases) I've already noticed several things they have that are different, better and/or cheaper than Lotus.

For instance, the unsweetened soy milk I like is cheaper, chicken breast is cheaper and they have a Morrison's muesli that's better (I think) and cheaper per gram than the Hahne muesli I usually buy in Lotus. Other things such as milk and bread are the same price as Lotus.

Nothing that I noticed, stood out as particularly more expensive although I can't claim to know the prices of everything by heart.

I mentioned to them about the aisles being too narrow and they said that will be changed after they open the new areas.

[HarryVardon]

What I have found there are small tins of Morrison's Baked Beans. A much better size for me and good beans.