No, it’s not the launching of a new Apple product or a free home giveaway causing a long line of locals in front of Siam Paragon today.
It’s the opening of the first Garrett Popcorn shop in Thailand, and everyone seems to be hungry for the American-originated snack with its abundance of carbohydrates and sodium.
As they tend to do for every foreign retailer’s opener, hundreds of locals waited in front of Siam Paragon this afternoon to get the first taste, which went on sale at noon.
And to prove the high demand, some popcorn nuts went home empty handed.
“Due to the personalized nature of the brand and our ability to only prepare a certain amount of Garrett daily, coupled with our customers buying habits (larger orders) we are not always able to serve all customers quickly. The experience of personal interaction is as important as our Garrett Popcorn quality,” said Garrett’s CEO Lance Chody.
Some Thai netizens who went home without crispy popcorn left complaints on the official Facebook page of Garrett Popcorn Shops – Thailand.
“I’m so disappointed. I wanted to get the first taste of Garrett Popcorn on the first day. I was willing to wait in the long line, but you stopped the line,” Krid Vititayanon wrote.
How could he not be disappointed? Previously, Garrett has been imported by minor retailers, who sold the popcorn online at double prices.
Today’s human traffic jam reminds us of Krispy Kreme, Sephora, and pretty much every imported brand when it was first launched in Thailand.
We all know the fever will soon fade, and grabbing a sack of CaramelCrisp will take all of five minutes.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Garrett’s completely sold out of popcorn on their opening day in Bangkok. According to PR representatives, this is not true. Queues were limited due to supply and some nut based flavors did sell out, but at no time did they totally sell out of popcorn. We apologize for the error.
The line is craving for Garrett Popcorn. @GarrettBrandsTH @Siam_Paragon #bangkok pic.twitter.com/8dG8fwj6Ib
— SparkPR Thailand (@SparkPRThai) January 29, 2014
ขอบคุณสำหรับการตอบรับที่ดีจากทุกๆ ท่านนะคะ ตอนนี้เราเปิดรับคิวแล้ว เพื่อนๆ มากันเพียบเลย แล้วเจอกันค่ะ pic.twitter.com/zgfqDddoLg
— Garrett Popcorn TH (@GarrettBrandsTH) January 29, 2014
เราพร้อมที่ให้บริการตั้งแต่เวลาเที่ยงวันนะคะ ขอให้เพื่อนๆ รีบมากัน วันนี้ทางพารากอนจะเปิดให้บริการถึง 6 โมงเย็นค่ะ pic.twitter.com/9nNHeZC3hD
— Garrett Popcorn TH (@GarrettBrandsTH) January 29, 2014
Countdown to Grand Opening of Thailand’s first @GarrettPopcorn store @Siam_Paragon: 12 days!! http://t.co/V41O5aJZvC pic.twitter.com/LlChfQ7Sp0
— SparkPR Thailand (@SparkPRThai) January 17, 2014
