Costco in Yonghe seems to be out of Crisco*. I need it for my pies. If anyone is shopping in any other Costco around Taipei, let me know and I’ll drive over and pick it up.
Or if you see it in another store with blue tubs of Crisco, let me know please.
Very recent, first hand information preferred.
*Zero trans fat
Hmm… I’m just wondering if they might’ve stopped stocking it all together, as I bought a tub of the stuff a little while back for a mere NT$89 and was wondering why it was so cheap…
Not saying they have, just an observation.
The problem with Costco is that you can’t rely on them as an entrepreneur for continuous supply of a given product, they buy favorable priced lots of products and when they can’t get the best price they just don’t stock it …
Isnt there some number you could call and ask which store still has stock?? Especially if you want to buy in bulk?
Yes there is. Try calling:
1-800- 4483 27448
Of course this equals 1-800-giveashit. You might try it but I think it goes to a call center in - probably- India?
Can you rely on anything in Taiwan to be in stock the next time you go back to get it? I find it really frustrating at times, you see something you could do with having, but don’t buy it there and then, go back a few days later and it’s no longer in stock. This seems to apply to just about all sorts of shops here. :fume:
Yes there is. Try calling:
1-800- 4483 27448
Of course this equals 1-800-giveashit. You might try it but I think it goes to a call center in - probably- India?[/quote]
http://www.costco.com/Warehouse/Location.aspx?country=Taiwan is a link with all the local store numbers.
Well, I’m checking out the one in Xizhi later today, will let you know if they still have any left.
I’d appreciate that. Thanks.
However, I doubt they will have any. We called. They don’t buy it anymore, but there might be some leftover stock somewhere.
Maybe Jason’s or Carrefoure…
Indeed, you’re right, not a single tub left. Damn it, what’s wrong with this country? And if I’d only known how good the stuff is to bake with, I would’ve bought more when it was NT$89 a tub (we don’t have that kind of stuff where I’m from).
They sell liquid vegetable shortening and Crisco vegetable oil, but I guess neither can replace the solid stuff.
I really really do hate the fact that this happens here, why is it that every time they sell something good or useful here, it’s only for a limited time before it disappears never to be seen again?
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]Indeed, you’re right, not a single tub left. Damn it, what’s wrong with this country? And if I’d only known how good the stuff is to bake with, I would’ve bought more when it was NT$89 a tub (we don’t have that kind of stuff where I’m from).
They sell liquid vegetable shortening and Crisco vegetable oil, but I guess neither can replace the solid stuff.
I really really do hate the fact that this happens here, why is it that every time they sell something good or useful here, it’s only for a limited time before it disappears never to be seen again?[/quote]
TAiwanese are fad buyers. So there is a lot of experimental marketing. Only some products will stand the test of time. When importers first started to be able to import beer there were hundreds of brands available, but within 2 years the market was down to only a few winners. The rest having come and gone.
Crisco was probably not that big a seller and they thought not to import it anymore. Instead of doing the sensible thing and just not importing as much but building a clientele for a product.
Their marketing is “lets import a bunch of the stuff so we can get it cheap…oops cant sell it all so lets not import anymore”
Not knowing that many who bought would like to buy again and the market for that product can be built up.
Yeah well, I guess that’s one way of doing business…
The strange thing is that I can go to just about any other country in Asia and find more international products than you can find in Taiwan and most of the time at a much better price than here. Why is this?
I understand that to a degree, there are more foreigners in some of these countries, but not all of them. Is all this because the local population in those other countries are more open to foreign products, or is it something else?
Sorry about the rant, but I’m just so fed up with this happening time and time again and getting screwed when it comes to paying through my nose for stuff that costs a pittance in most of the world.
The only saving grace this country has when it comes to this is the somewhat affordable alcohol.
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]Yeah well, I guess that’s one way of doing business…
The strange thing is that I can go to just about any other country in Asia and find more international products than you can find in Taiwan and most of the time at a much better price than here. Why is this?
I understand that to a degree, there are more foreigners in some of these countries, but not all of them. Is all this because the local population in those other countries are more open to foreign products, or is it something else?
Sorry about the rant, but I’m just so fed up with this happening time and time again and getting screwed when it comes to paying through my nose for stuff that costs a pittance in most of the world.
The only saving grace this country has when it comes to this is the somewhat affordable alcohol.[/quote]
At least the foreign stuff is actually foreign made. I dont know about nowadays but when I was in Thailand a lot all the foreign branded products were made in Thailand and were not the same as its original quality.
The original product owners probably didnt want to divulge all its secrets in their production so the Thailand product was not exactly the same.
I agree that the same products found elsewhere should not cost too much in Taiwan. A reasonable markup over the same product in their home countries but shouldnt be exhorbitant.
I thought all these trade agreements will make foreign products more fairly priced in Taiwan.
Jason’s in 101 disappoints again. Nada.
Is there any reason it has to be Crisco? You can get local shortening or…dare I say it, lard…
All the big supermarkets have gone downhill over the past year as well, imho. They stock less and less stuff and when they run out of something it takes weeks before they have it back in stock. 
Is Taiwan going backwards or is it just that the locals refuse to eat imported stuff so that us foreigners here has to suffer due to the lack of imported goods?
I think it has something to do with the lack of transfat in Crisco, it’s somewhat better for you than normal shortening. What’s the local stuff and where can you get it, as I’ve never seen it for sale, but then again, maybe I haven’t been looking in the right places.
Try Wellman’s on Zhongshan North Road in Tianmu, just south of Taipei American School. We’ve bought Crisco there before.
Many, many moons ago I had some meetings with President/7-11 to bring Belgian products to Taiwan, They gave me a spreadsheet kind of thing with a reverse price calculation, they entered the price that would sell and I had to see that I could match the price FOB Belgium … it came to about a 200% mark-up at that time … I also had to pay 500,000NT$ to President per product before they would actually put it on their shelf in the 7-11’s, advantage … central distribution from their warehouse … that’s why imports are expensive in Taiwan
Never did business with them as the Belgian manufacturers thought it was crazy …
Oh, and when it doesn’t sell well it flies off the shelf after 3 months …
A foreigner owned and run supermarket with their own imports is starting to sound more and more appealing here…
Anyone ready to tempt faith and start one?
Half of the stuff could most likely be imported easily from nearby countries, it’s just that it’s not sold here for some reason 
:fume: