Name (Chinese): 家乐福 Address (Chinese): 黄河路 Address (Pinyin): Sanba Square or Huanghe Lu District: Zhongshan Directions: Near Jin Hui Building Telephone Number: 8274-0001, 8465-3299
Like Walmart, Carrefour offers a wide range of home goods and groceries.
Over the past two years I have shopped for most of my things at Sanba Carrefor. I have now stopped apart from some western items like tinned tomatoes and pastas. The price of meats have nearly doubled in the past six months and the quality of the vegetables is pretty bad for the price. As for frozen fish - freezer burn. I have seen my weekly shop increase by 30% for the same items so now I buy a lot of my veg/ fruit/ fish/ chicken from the markets. Service standards are abysmal, at the busiest times is when they stock the shelves everywhere, if something is not priced at the cash desk they will try to put it to one side as though you never wanted it in the first place. They always look harassed and in most cases never greet or thank you. Don't they realise it makes their job easier and nicer and helps the day go. I'm being too hard, everything comes down from management and of course if customers have a face like a spanked ass do you try to be nice to them. It probably grinds you down after a while. But the prices and quality --------?
The branch on the Huanghe Lu is pretty basic, but the Carrefour store on Lushun (Luxun) Lu in Zhongshan is great. The international section is very well stocked, and is not limited to western food only. Prices are near their western equivalency but the non-international foods are reasonably priced and of good quality so the cost is not too high overall. Also, the fresh bread is european savoury and not asian sweet which is possibly one of the nicest things for foreigners in need of some home comforts.
Walking around in Carrefour at HuanheLu Xi'an Lu, I noticed they moved things around a bit. The electronics are now at the entrance andat a first glance it seems a good improvement. Everything is more open and organized. The electronics department of Carrefour is my favourite among the supermarkets, with a descent selection and good prices.
When you get to the escalator down, it becomes horror though as you are forced to make a U turn past cosmtics and a cashier with a horde of women. As Carrefour is always hot and overcrowded, this is a BAD THING.
I like carrefour for their bread and I buy some household electronics there, but if I don't have to, I don't like to go there, because it is just to crowded. Thubs up for the newly stocked paprika spices though :)
I still prefer Wallmart on Xi'an Lu, I can spend as much time browsing trough the products as I like and I don't get the urge to flee the battlefield. The also seem to have a more consistent stock.
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this Westerner's worst nightmare, Wednesday, 02 May 2007
I know this is true of almost every place that a person can shop in China, but Carrefours seems the worst as far as crowding goes. Everytime I have been to the Carrefours on Huanghelu/Xi'anlu I get an stepped on, pushed, elbowed, kicked and crowded. I really don't care to even spend enough time inside the store to find out what kind of selection they have or what they're prices are like. I did manage to get over the overcrowding long enough one day to find they are one of the few stores in the city that actually sales margarine.
If you don't mind hundreds of people crowded in aisles barely big enough for 2 shopping carts and 30 minute check out lines, then Carrefours is the place for you.
I cannot agree with the other reviewer. There are SOME Western foods available but the range is limited. It totally depends on what the Chinese want to buy! For example the cheese selection is non-existent except for the "plastic" varieties (of which there are many). There is an extensive range of yoghurts but they are all the same. Those of you who are Western only have to remember the varieties on supermarket shelves over there. The canned foods are very limited in range and choice.
I know that our diet and taste in food is very different, but at least Carrefour - the French flagship and Walmart the US flagship supermarkets should try to diversify just a little bit more. Then I will have no need to go to HK, Singapore or the Philippines to get my Western treats.
BTW Metro has a better selection of tea, coffee, chocolate and wines than Carrefour and they DO have a good cheese selection.
curiousgirl
