Tesco in UD.

I want to tell you a story about buying a simple bottle of Scotch in this store .They have a habit of taking every bottle out of the protective carton and displaying it on its own. This normally involves about three people finding the missing box. This time however they surpassed themselves. Let me tell you .On the shelf, yes, plenty of my preferred brand, not a box in sight .Assistant hovering nearby however . Excuse me, can I have a box please? Without looking up,"No Have."Now I speak enough Thai to carry on a basic conversation, so I insisted, must have ! At the check out was the swift reply .So move on to check out, paid bill. Can I have a box please? No have!Must have I replied . So she asked the girl at the next till. No have! I then asked for my money back. Oh dear!! So much consternation that security came over. Boxes at customer services he informed the cashier . So over to customer service I trundled. Three likely looking lasses there . Box please?First girl looks at the second. No have ! But this time the yarm had come with me . Yes have, he said. So third girl comes over and they all proceeded to open every cupboard door under the counter .Triumphantly finding some boxes, but they were all for Chivas, I wasn't buying Chivas! So on to the microphone to call for assistance . A few minutes later another more senior guy arrives. I could tell he was senior , he was wearing a different colour T shirt .So he proceeded to look once again through all the cupboards the girls had already looked in .Of course without success. So on to his hand held walkie talkie thing. Another guy arrives, same colour shirt, so it was really getting serious now . Talked a lot between them without a conclusion. Then lady luck smiled on everyone, a guy went bye in another colour shirt, they called him over, guess what? He knew where they were, off he pops . While he was away I wanted to know why they took them out of the boxes in the first place, after all the other Tesco branches don;t. So I asked to speak to the manager. So it was onto the walkie talkie thing again. Heard him talking to lady. She said tell the farang I'm out .She obviously didn't realise I would understand, but the boy did. He covered his mouth in that charming little gesture the Thais make when they laugh and said " She's gaude Farang" (Frightened of them) Which sent the whole assembled crew including me ,into fits of laughter .Then the boy came back with the box. I reminded them never to tell Farang "No Have" without looking first . Thanked them and departed. The whole operation to buy a single bottle of scotch had taken half hour and involved 10 members of staff . Don't you just love Thailand? Never had this much fun in Tesco Luton I can tell you .
In relation to another post suggesting the TW could help. Let me tell you mine had long disappeared after the third staff member was involved .

trubrit wrote: Let me tell you mine had long disappeared after the third staff member was involved .

can't blame her for that. I would have been well gone myself.
No wonder the Thai's perception of us is that we are all all should be in a padded cell and or straight jacket.

merchant seaman wrote:What was so important to have the box?

To prevent accidental breaking of course.

can't blame her for that. I would have been well gone myself.
No wonder the Thai's perception of us is that we are all all should be in a padded cell and or straight jacket.[/quote]

Got to agree with you on this one. I had to read this story 3 times and came to the same conclusion 3 times, this guy is a fu..wit.

fatbas***d wrote:

trubrit wrote: Let me tell you mine had long disappeared after the third staff member was involved .

can't blame her for that. I would have been well gone myself.
No wonder the Thai's perception of us is that we are all all should be in a padded cell and or straight jacket.

So you think I am strange asking for it to be put back in the box it came in, not the Thais for taking it out in the first place. How weird .

Next time you go to buy the scotch there take the same box back with you, putting the new bottle into it and save both yourself and the 10 staff the bother. What if someone else wanted a different bottle's box, the staff just wouldn't be able to cope with the demand.
Thought people came to Thailand to chill out and live a more stress free life! Enjoy your scotch!

nice example of how idiot farang sometimes can behave in los...,was he trying to make a statement he can win from thai?
i can believe if it was concerning something more important , but the missing box of his scotch bottle ?, but everybody's different . maybe he collect boxes?, maybe he don't have glass at home and drinks out of the box, maybe he likes recycling paper? or maybe the scotch taste better when it is in the box?
many stupid questions on stupid behavior ....is it strange asking when you came home , did you take it out of the box?
(same like the thai did..) ,and did you keep the box you so fought for?..., is it hanging in a frame on the wall maybe?,
first victory over thai..., what ridiculous all this , i do not understand....enjoy your scotch and keep your golden box. ..

Loved the story TB ,,, dont you just love this "Thainess" , surely one of the main reasons we all live here is to go thru little tests like this , my favourite is in the bank and after queing for ages some Thai strolls in and hands over his or her stuff over my shoulder to be served first without waiting I LOVE THAT ONE ,, also the atm machine gem ,,,,,,, is it always me that arrives at the atm just behind a Thai who has no idea how to use it or is doing the banking for an entire multi national company , i have lost count how many times i have assisted in showing a person how to use the atm and they say ... how you know ?? you chalad ..... one memory stands out when a fella was waiting at the pass book update machine for a toasted sandwich to come out !! explained that this was a Klasikorn bank and only Siam commercial do the sandwiches .....


I wouldnt really be fussed it there was / wasnt a box unless the item is for display or to re sell or unless its laokhao - thats ethanol in the in the real world.

Mash.

As someone commented on another topic. How aggressive the current crop of members are .I posted in what I thought was a humorous vein about buying a bottle of scotch, even saying I found the experience amusing, as did the staff, and the replies have all been abusive, even suggesting that I am the one with a problem .Well quite honestly I only wrote it as a change from reading about ball sports etc, in an attempt to bring some of the old variety we used to experience on here.Obviously its not what you want . So its back into my cave and ---- you all .

TB they take the bottle out of the box to put one of those magnetic anti-theft devices on. So the cashier would have to take it out again to remove the device, also to scan the UPC code that is on the bottle, not the box. Big C also takes them out of the box and leaves them out, but the boxes are nearby. In fact a few times at Big C when I have picked up a bottle and put it in my basket an attendant came running over and put it in a box. Then the cashier has to take it out of the box again. I usually have to help them reassemble the box, as I buy 100 Pipers and the box has a carrying handle and an origami like arrangement on the lid. Four sections that have to be folded over in a particular sequence or it won't work and the girls usually can't figure it out.

Like you I prefer to have the box as I can't bear the thought of the bottle breaking and losing even a few precious drops of Scotch. Even if it is only 100 Pipers.

I have to agree with you, bottle breakage and transport of bottle, out of the box. I think it a bit tacky to be walking through the night market, as I know you enjoy you relaxing meal time outdoors at the market at times, and you beverage is hard to find, so BYO rules. Walking through with a bottle seems a bit unkoof, much like drinking a bottled beer from a paper bag in the states. ENJOY.

Though saving a box is a good idea, and had you known. They didn't have or would take so long, sure you would of not asked. Though we never know until it's too late that the simplest task here takes a committee to get right.

You may find Big C cheaper, as I do for some wine products, and since one near you now, may be worth the effort.

kopkei wrote:nice example of how idiot farang sometimes can behave in los...,was he trying to make a statement he can win from thai?
i can believe if it was concerning something more important , but the missing box of his scotch bottle ?, but everybody's different . maybe he collect boxes?, maybe he don't have glass at home and drinks out of the box, maybe he likes recycling paper? or maybe the scotch taste better when it is in the box?
many stupid questions on stupid behavior ....is it strange asking when you came home , did you take it out of the box?
(same like the thai did..) ,and did you keep the box you so fought for?..., is it hanging in a frame on the wall maybe?,
first victory over thai..., what ridiculous all this , i do not understand....enjoy your scotch and keep your golden box. ..

555... Very nicely put...

Trubrit... Thanks for making all falangs living here look like total "dick-wads"...