Traditionally, Thais have always shopped for groceries in the local markets, buying their ingredients fresh from the stalls before returning home to cook up a feast bolly4u.trend. In recent years, though, as the country becomes ever more westernized and more and more family members head out each day to work, Thais have eagerly embraced the convenience of western style supermarkets.
While the capital of Bangkok has been the quickest to embrace the supermarket revolution, the quiet northern city of Chiang Mai is catching up fast how late is the closest grocery store open. The last few years have seen a number of supermarkets, both large and small, popping up in and around the city.
Today, the Chiang Mai supermarket of choice is undoubtedly Tesco Lotus. The British multinational has invaded Thailand with a vengeance frankfurt clark 69m series, and Chiang Mai now enjoys two hypermarkets on the outskirts of the city, as well as several of the smaller 7-11 style convenience stores known as Tesco Lotus Express.
The stores are enormous by Thai standards, each containing dozens of aisles of fruits, vegetables, meat, packaged foods and home wares that have become the hallmark of hypermarkets everywhere. Given their size of course basketball games lupy, these stores are located far from the expensive real estate of the city center. One is located on the superhighway to the north of the city, and the other occupies a large plot on Thipanet, south of the airport and Central Airport Plaza.
Of course, it isn’t just foreign owned supermarkets that have taken advantage of this new generation of wealthy, convenience hungry Thais. Big C, a Thai owned chain of hypermarkets that has over 100 branches around the country, has its very own hypermarket close to the Chiang Mai superhighway, south of the old town.
Beyond the large, busy hypermarkets of the city there has also been a surge in recent years of small, premium supermarkets aimed at Chiang Mai’s wealthier residents and foreign visitors. High quality imported products and excellent fresh foods are the hallmarks of these new boutique supermarkets, and they can be found dotted around the city.
Tops is a Chiang Mai supermarket aimed at wealthier patrons. There are two branches in the city, both of which are located within shopping malls. In the south, just a few minutes from Tesco Lotus, a branch can be found in Central Airport Plaza, while in the northwest you’ll find another branch in the basement on Kad Suan Kaew, the shopping mall closest to the old town in the direction of the university.
Finally, perhaps the best Chiang Mai supermarket for luxury products and fresh food is Rimping. This high end chain is a little out of the price range of many Thais, but those who can afford to shop there find only the best in local and imported goods. There are four branches of Rimping in Chiang Mai, though the two most convenient for residents of the city are the Nim City Plaza branch (close to the airport) and the Narawat branch, yards from the Ping river on Lamphun Road.
Whatever your needs or budget, you’re sure to find the perfect supermarket in Chiang Mai. With the retail revolution in full swing, grocery shopping in the city will only get cheaper and more convenient in the coming years.