Why should you go there and how do you do it right?

This shop has everything you need: sunscreen, SIM card credit, beer for your villa, and something familiar from home—all in one place. The supermarket stocks Thai staples and a good selection of international products. The larger shopping center also houses a KFC, a bakery, a café, a pharmacy, restrooms, and an ATM. Outside in the parking lot, independent vendors sell fresh food and other odds and ends—often the more interesting of the two shops.

The supermarket has been modernized and expanded, and the shelves are generally well-stocked. However, two departments are weak, a point frequently raised by reviewers. Fresh vegetables can be wilted, sold out, or poorly labeled, and the meat platters sometimes look as if they've been sitting out for a while. If you cook for yourself, it's best to buy your fruit, vegetables, and meat at a well-stocked farmers market and everything else at Big C. Some products are more expensive than elsewhere.