After quite a long wait, Carrefour, the french global hypermart is opening its doors in Amman new City Mall. I will definitely go and check it out (unless we get too much snow). I know how a Carrefour looks like, as I’ve seen them in Dubai. I more interested to see their pricing policy, and how the Jordanian staff will be coping.
Amman has gotten very expensive in the last few years. It will be interesting to see how a global retailer sees the situation. A Jordanian partner in a major Jordanian-foreign retail operation told me that the key to the Jordanian market today is value for money. Offer people something with decent quality that is not too cheap and not too expensive and you’ll do very well.
The level of service is another factor. Will our local staff be able to provide decent, efficient customer service. At Safeway, despite the renovation, the service aspect still lags behind.
Carrefour is proudly announcing that customers will be served by a staff of 400 people (wow) and 40 cashiers. In Jordan, this scale is unprecedented. Let’s see how the people factor fares.
User friendliness is another factor. Parking for example. City Mall claims to have 2,400 free parking spaces. Cozmo was digging up its drop off area a few weeks ago in a pretty messy manner and I was thinking to myself, is this how they are getting ready for global competition?!
The parking house of Mecca Mall is an ugly disaster and the valet parking service is so annoying. They blocked off a huge part of the parking for the valet. Why does everything in Amman need valet parking. This is insane. Can’t people wall for a hundred meters.
See you in the aisles 
UPDATE:
Just a quick report after my shopping visit. Carrefour has really changed Amman’s shopping landscape. The place is as huge as expected, extremely well stocked. Very wide aisles. Clear signage. In short what you expect in a European style hypermart.
Prices are OK, with some products priced lower than usual. The fruit and vegetable, meat, fish section are really great. A good surprise was the ready made food section (roasts, pizzas, and even mansaf
On the upper floor there is a large selection of clothes, home utensils, toys and a big section for electronics, computers, music, DVDs, etc.
The parking is, thank goodness, up to standard. But the on and off ramps still need work (there is still lots of construction work being done around the mall.)
The place is a winner.
Comments
16 responses to “Carrefour opens today in Amman”
Customer service in Jordan? Unheard of! I am looking forward to the TGI Friday restaurant that is opening in the City Mall, however.
Nice update! I look forward to going there!
hi ahamd ill take your word for granted….
so finally a desent place for grocery shopping, for the last couple of months i’ve been trying all the super stores to see which has good quality,good prices, a good nomber of varaity of one product, clean meat stands, with no ugly smells from anyplace, well arranged and sorted shelves and a place that makes shopping an easy task and enjoyable, and especially with no employees fighting right infront the costumers…..and not one place was up to the stander… and now finally Carrefour is open
thank you for telling
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Hi, I just loved your comments about shopping in Jordan, the detailed analysis was so accurate, just the way me and my wife observe the tiny details.
well… today, me. my wife and my two daughters desided to visit currefour … we went there around 5:30pm….
we approached the building, very impressing from outside…
many security men outside guiding us to the parking.
one security pointed to us asking us to go to the lower parking floor … we drove down… the way down was so raugh, the asphalt was so bad, so bumpy… two security asked us to open the car trunk… they opened it and I wonder if they looked inside or not… it was a fraction of a secong.. the checking was so poor.
Many staff in the parking were ready to show us the way… I admit they were well trained.
we entered the building, and went up using the escalator.. they were not ready yet, they had to cover the sides. and lots of noise coming from them.
when we reached the supermarket floor, we headed to the trolly’s and I was trying to pull one out, then i found out that we had to insert a coin to get it free! (good idea, so customers put back their trolly’s after putting their shoping in their cars, to get their coin back)
The first impression was the neon lights in the ceiling, they looked so bright… we entered inside.. lots of people there…
I looked around.. and i measured it quickly with my eyes, I was expecting bigger store, compared to Dubai’s or Jakarta.
The floor was so dirty, i saw one man driving a mini car wiping the floor…and another man using a V type floor wiper…
Goods were displayed ok… but the shelves looked so poor and of a cheap quality.
I also noticed that the staff were not well trained, everyone could hear them discussing their work in the middle of the isles, they were talking to each other so loud, and were blocking the way for clients.
We went up, the escalator, it’s too long, you get bored to get up there.
Again the floors were so dirty, and you can see staff all around with their striking yellow shirts, they would squeez them selves among clients to make their way in a very impolite way, without saying excuse me!
The perfume department looks so poor and dull, it needs lots of attractive lightings.
We walked around, we saw lots of stations in the isle displaying tissue paper boxes, the display again looked so poor with a cheap carton board wraping the base of the tables.
We went down, we paid our shopping, the cashier was just polite..nothing more! there was no welcome, and no good bye, and nor see you soon!
His nails we so long, he needed a maniucure, and the boys filling the shopping bags needed a good clean shave, their beirds were still half shaved.
I agree with you, the lighting looked little dull, and not cosy! a bit wild.
I must admit, the parking is so nice and spaces between each car and another is great.
Prices… we expected more attractive!
The overall experience was cheap display shelves, dull lighting, dirty floors, unexperienced staff, there is no personal service.
Would we go there again….! I doubt it.
COSMO is still the best so far, although it’s a bit dull in the lighting, specially in the can deparment.
I dont get it, isnt this Carfour a French retailer? what are they doing in amman? are ammani people THAT rich? are they becoming a consuming country like Kuwait and USA? where did this come from? and how does that affect the local industry and market? who gets what? this freaks the shit out of me, am i the only one here?
and what is this city mall everybody keeps mentioning? never heard of it… sooq el madeeneh? sooq el balad?
Mariam…. you are not seriouse! are you!
(French Jam3iyeh)
carrefour is a french whole sale outlet, and don’t worry, it’s meant to be for midlle lower class people hehehe, don’t expect it to be for the rich since it’s french! lol
It’s like a big co-op but with a french name, coz the management is french, so they do it with class
City Mall is in madineh tibeyeh st. If you are comming from 8th circle heading to swelle7, just 800 meter from 8th circle.
Go there and let me know.
well sometimes i do get stuck in making conclusions, but my point is, if there is nothing wrong with foreign whole salers to come to poor countries, why dont we hear about it happening in the upper countries like US and Europe? i mean, why cant syria have a market there? because its poor? this is not fair at all! its like if i sell bandoura to make a living, and my rich neighbor decides to sell it for less money in bigger stocks because he can afford it, i have to adob bandoratee?!? its not fair! and it is destroying Amman, and yes i think a consuming country must be rich, otherwise how do u expect the jordanian labor to counter balance the consumption of its “middle class” people? ma hatha elli bagoolo, when did we become a consuming country?
Its so funny how Arabs run to companies owned by those that totally mistreat us in their home countries, yes France. The funny is that its all women wearing hijab that shopped there the most? Can you go to school or land a job in France in your hijab? no I dont think so. And who said that Carrefour is targetting Middle to lower class? excuse me Ctown had way better offers than Carrefour. How can Carrefour afford to sell way cheaper prices in EU and in KSA and UAE but yet rob us here in Jordan; a country where there is more lower income families vs higher income families. And please do not cry out customs and taxes! Seeing so much under the table scams in Customs I dont believe that crap anymore. Carrefour giant can easily get around customs….How is a 2 litre coke such a good deal when its only 5 jordanian cents cheaper than the supermarket by my house. I am all for saving money and stuff and finding great deals (who doesnt love hunting for a cute outfit in the clearence sections) but Carrefour Jordan are a bunch of theives…After seeing their not so wholesale prices I would rather shop at my Jordanian owned stores if I am paying the same price either way!
C-TOWN is still the best!!
OMG, yet another mall. its like a fashion statement.
news flash :
look at all other existing malls and try to count how many people you see actually carrying shopping bags (as in are actually buying stuff). theres something happening in jordan that doesnt add up.
best mall in Jordan and good prices
I’ve been a foreiner in Jordan for 5 years now. This has been a great improvement since the openning of Mecca mall. This is great I am so happy for Jordan. I hope, it will continue to prosper in a positive way.
Hi…
I just wanted to complain about you’re service. I have benn trying to reach you’re driver for a delivery i was promissed with it since last week to be on sunday.
if I tell you that I called you’re driver over 20 times so far since yesterday.and he would’t even pick up his phone for once.I’m a customer who spent over 1800 JD and I don’t get the right service.
I realy think you guy’s should take a course for cutomer sevice and how to take of him the right way.
this deleviry is suppose to go to Mafraq – AL za3tery.
hi everyone!
i’d like to know if someone can help me? i’m doing a desk research on the surimi and i’d like to know if in the carrefour in amman they are saling this product!!
thanks
I was wondering if someone could give me their thoughts about C U Soon Supermarket. I’ve been there a few times and I think it’s spectacular—overall of course. You don’t really feel like it’s a mom & pop’s shop, it’s well organized and the products are both local and international.
The owners are always willing to listen to you, and it’s a relief that they can speak both Arabic and PROPER English.
Here’s my question though, do you think they could improve the image of their employees or something? The meat is great, and the supermarket is generally clean, the staff is welcoming and are mostly anxious to help. It’s refreshing.
I suppose I only want to know how other people feel about the place.