[LivinLOS]

Well been around it.. Its big.. Its going to be great... Probably the biggest change to Patong since I have been here.. It will eventually be great but right now almost nothing is complete or open.. The structure is there but the stores are not open (95%)...

Carrefore.. Well again this is a huge change.. For expats living in town it really will make life easier.. Selections looked great.. Wines.. Cheeses.. Cold cuts.. Even thai meals and noodles done on a pre pack for cheaper than street prices (20 / 25 baht).. The implications of this for existing shops and sellers are big.. Deli can kiss its custom base goodbye (and its premium prices) and pretty much the same for the two under ocean stores (but maybe less so tourist trade).. Though funnily enough the one thing I went to buy (unground coffee beans) they didnt have them so I still went to deli !!!

Drawbacks though.. First let me say I am hardwired to loath shopping.. My blood pressure rises and my tolerance for fools is gone, so any comments from me are from a stress head doing something he hates in a crowd...

But all that said, I park outside the direct entrances, walk in and shop.. After shopping you then pay and... The checkouts are at the inside of the shop (facing into JC complex) !! I mean WTF !!! Checkouts should be near the door.. I admit if you had parked under, there was an escalator down but the basic floor layout and foot traffic design looked totally back to front. Think about it.. When have you ever been to a large supermarket that places the checkouts in the middle and not at the doors ?? Lots of confused people walking back into the store again with paid for items..

Same goes for the layout of the trolley escalators to the floor 2.. They drop the returning line trapped against the wall while the going up line hold everyone there.. Created a total block.. Sorry but this seems screamingly obvious.. Its as though no one has considered flow or anything. It takes 5 mins, for someone with any sense at all, to see this is the wrong way round.

Again maybe its my dislike of people crowds and shopping but the isles felt much more narrow than any other supermarket, often isles are only just wide enough for 2 trolleys perfectly aligned.. Some even bottleneck into one width in places.. Add in 1000's of gawkers and thais inability to have one side of an isle go one way and another go another way, or just standing in the middle of obvious movement points with mouths open, was giving me the fits.. With luck this is just high season new opening volume and things will settle..

Lost of nice smiling girls, loads of selection, interesting looking wine store.. All good things..