Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

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yong
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Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by yong »

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/18 ... kok-stores

Panic buying hits Bangkok stores
Fear of deadly virus prompts hoarding
published : 4 Mar 2020 at 06:41

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Shelves at a Tesco Lotus store are left empty as consumers stock up on basic consumer goods and rice amid fears over the spread of the coronavirus. Pitsinee Jitpleecheep

Shoppers in Greater Bangkok are quickly emptying supermarket shelves of long-lasting items like instant noodles, packed rice, tissue paper, tinned fish and drinking water as fears mount over the coronavirus epidemic.

Large retail operators including Tops Supermarket, Tesco Lotus, The Mall Group and Big C Supercenter acknowledged that these items have been snapped up quickly since the weekend.

They are also in consensus that fear of the deadly virus is the primary cause for the shopping spree.

"We have never seen these kinds of purchases," said Chairat Petchdakul, vice-president for supermarket merchandising at The Mall Group Co, the operator of Gourmet Market.

"At first we thought it stemmed from the payday, but the majority of the goods the shoppers bought were long-lasting items like instant noodles, drinking water and tinned fish," he said. "We then assumed that the demand was from growing concerns about the coronavirus epidemic. However, we will closely watch shoppers' behaviour again during these weekdays."

Mr Chairat gave assurances that supplies of the mentioned products are adequate, though with perhaps a slight delay in delivery from producers.

The Mall Group says it has doubled the inventory of goods from a 15-day supply to 30 days to prevent shortages and ensure that consumers have a sufficient supply of the products they are looking for.

A worker at the Gourmet Market in Siam Paragon, who asked not to be named, said shoppers were forming long queues at the tills to pay for groceries last weekend.

Workers at the Tops Chidlom branch, Big C Supercenter at Future Park Rangsit and Tesco Lotus on Nakhon In Road in Nonthaburi made similar observations of the buying phenomenon since last Friday.

Mintita Thowkam, 33, a company employee, said she's begun hoarding goods because she is afraid of the coronavirus and is not confident in the government's measures to control the spread.

"I don't know whether the government's agencies have efficient measures to handle big groups of Thai workers who are coming from South Korea," she said. "If the measures are not serious enough, the outcome will be terrible."

Thailand's embassy in Seoul has been informed by the South Korean Immigration Office that more than 5,000 Thais reported to the office from December last year to March 1, according to the Foreign Ministry.

"I'm quite worried about this, so I came to Tesco Lotus hypermarket for products to stock up for 1-2 months," Ms Mintita said, adding that she also found some products missing from shelves on Tuesday, including Mama instant noodles with tom yum kung flavour.

Pun Paniengvait, manager of the president's office at Thai President Foods Plc, the maker of Mama instant noodles, said supplies are assured because total production capacity for all instant noodle brands, excluding imported products, is about 10 million packets a day.

Production utilisation is now 70-80%, so production could still be extended to 15 million packets per day.

Per capita consumption of instant noodles in Thailand is about 45.9 packets per year.

"Don't worry about a product shortage," Mr Pun said. "The capacity is more than enough to serve the whole Thai population."
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Clutch Cargo
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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by Cowshed Cowboy »

There was a hell of a lot more serious panic buying in the floods that hit Bangkok a few years ago than this as you'll remember Yong. That actually did affect the big local companies factories supplying and distributing the basics like noodles and bottled water. Even in Pattaya there was rationing of certain items like water and a lot of empty shelves. An entire generation of a Bangkok family including their pets moved into the vacant apartment next door to me and it looked like they'd brought an entire 7-11's supply of water with them. Madness.
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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by ExPenhMan »

Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:03 pm There was a hell of a lot more serious panic buying in the floods that hit Bangkok a few years ago than this as you'll remember Yong. That actually did affect the big local companies factories supplying and distributing the basics like noodles and bottled water. Even in Pattaya there was rationing of certain items like water and a lot of empty shelves. An entire generation of a Bangkok family including their pets moved into the vacant apartment next door to me and it looked like they'd brought an entire 7-11's supply of water with them. Madness.
This is why I moved to Cambodia for the first time in late 2011. I travelled to PP a lot before that. But when I heard of the hoarding going on and experienced the empty shelves, after a while I decided Thailand was not the place for me. Phnom Penh was a good fit. :wink:
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yong
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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by yong »

After reading the above news last night came to supermarket this morning early, found out everything is normal not a single shelve empty, every item well stocked. Must be bloody fake news again :x

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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by Duncan »

Quick,, Yong , grab some of those toilet rolls and take them to Australia . Using your skills as a professional screw salesman, you could also be the
best toilet roll salesman in Australia.
Cambodia,,,, Don't fall in love with her.
Like the spoilt child she is, she will not be happy till she destroys herself from within and breaks your heart.
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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by TeachingForPeanuts »

ExPenhMan wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 11:09 pm This is why I moved to Cambodia for the first time in late 2011. I travelled to PP a lot before that. But when I heard of the hoarding going on and experienced the empty shelves, after a while I decided Thailand was not the place for me. Phnom Penh was a good fit. :wink:
Did you move to Cambodia because Khmers are too poor to engage in panic buying or because Khmers are too rational and well grounded and selfless to engage in panic buying?
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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by phuketrichard »

All as normal here in Phuket, its like a low low season except lots of Russians
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by Alex »

I agree with those who say that this is mostly fake news. I've been to several supermarkets in Bangkok this week (and as recently as today) and they've been well stocked without exception.
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Re: Panic buying hits Bangkok stores

Post by yong »

Panic buying is true. Was checking my tires at a shop outside a supermarket near home. Just for fun thought I’d pop in for a look.

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