Thai prices

[Guest]

I guess all of us know that as falang we get ripped off right left and centre when it comes to paying for things in LOS no matter how good we think we are at negotiating a discount we will always pay more than a Thai buying the same thing and that is a fact of life.

Just how much more a falang pays became apparent when I went shopping for some T Shirts and shorts with my GF in BKK. We found a small shop on the ground floor at MBK selling very good quality gear and I made a selection of 4 T Shirts and a pair of swim shorts Price for the T Shirts 400 baht each and the swim shorts 500 baht = 2100 baht. Over to my GF price came down to 1100 baht!!!

Moral of the story? If you want to buy anything in LOS take your gf with you!!!!

[Guest]

gf sometimes works but a better way is just play hard ball.
i got t's for 200bht...i said take it or leave it and i was prepared to leave

[stogie bear]

Moral of the story? If you want to buy anything in LOS take your gf with you!!!!

That applies to EVERYTHING you do in Thailand. Whether it is shopping for clothes or a car or getting a lease on an apartment or even getting a hotel room!

But even your girlfriend was ripped off... Those 400 Baht T-shirts are 89 baht in Seacon Square - but tourists will never make it out that far! Those watches you see for sale are all between 150 and 200 Baht in the regular malls.

Thailand is famous for shopping and quite rightly so, but don't forget your credit cards!

[Mai-Kee]

"i said take it or leave it and i was prepared to leave"

That's absolutely the best way. And it's easy, because they all sell exactly the same crap.

MK

[Guest]

I really do not understand why you rich farang think it is your God given right to get prices the same as the thais ? Clearly you are not thai and therefore should realise you will be on mark up assholes ! You lot probably earn 5 times plus what the local on the street earns is there any wonder there is a thai economy ? Jesus B400 for a tshirt is a fucking gift from God in my country were they retail minimum B750 period ! I'm still getting a good deal and helping a thai retailer out to keep them in business ! Get the picture ?

I doubt it - even it dressed itself in purple and announced itself as " the bleeding fucking obvious" !

Nuff said,

Bricktop

[Guest]

mmmmmmmm well i like to make the thais HURT a litle bit , bargain them down as far as you can go , make em HURT . and then give em a little extra just to put a smile back on their faces.....lol.........

They love to bargain but hate it when you make em HURT...fuck we are not all millionaires and most of usw have to save up our money each week to afford a trip or 10 to LOS.

Even back in Australia a wholesaler can buy 1000 t-shirts for 30bt each imported from China so why the hell should we get ripped off and pay 450

Rex

[Guest]

@ bricktop

you rich farang

how do you think we got that way?
paying retail?

[stogie bear]

Even if I was a millionaire I wouldn't like to feel duped by some street vendor. Tourists are in a strange frame of mind when they are on holiday. It's as though they believe everyone else is on holiday too! They often walk into traps that back home or more focussed they would normally avoid!

There are two sides to this... I DO agree that the two-tier pricing for national parks and temples is a great idea. (I wish the UK did it too!) But I don't like being held for a mug over a watch that I can get for a tenth of the price in a non touristy area!

In the two tier torist pricing system every tourist pays the same. fair enough! But haggling for a T-shirt? Pulleeeaaassseee! just go to Tescos! There are loads in Bangkok now!

[Guest]

@ice,

You don't really get it fella ! Anyway you could afford cheap, not trailer park style - you gotta steal not haggle - that's way too complicated.

[Guest]

stogie is just pissed because he has to live in LOS 12 months a year and assholes like us tourists jack up the prices for him on all the shit....even his beer Chang at the gas station.

I agree with what Thaipan said further up...bring a local with you and let her haggle with the vendor. she will settle at a price which is fair to the vendor so they still can make a living but good enough so us westerners are not gouged.

I remember I bought a beach towel on Phuket 2 or 3 years ago for 800Baht; when i told the ladyboy I was with she said I was crazy, it was only 200 baht. sure enough she went to the same shop with 200 and came home with an identical one, just different color. 500 baht each was STILL a good bargain to me, but the vendor probably paid 100 apiece for the towels so doubling her profit by selling them for 200 to Thai's is stiil fair for her. for me....she ripped me off at an 8X profit! I don't mind helping poor thais and their economy, but that is unacceptable.

Jon

[Guest]

Bricktop, I have no problem contributing to the Thai economy and yes I do know / understand that Thai's in general earn significanlty less than most falangs do so please get back into your pram!

Jon, what you said was right, my gf didn't bargain with them, just simply asked them "how much"? and then "can I have a discount please"? It was as simple and as uncomplicated as that, no hassle and no pressure.

In fact shopping this way I actually contributed more to the Thai economy than if I had been on my own.

Stogie, I know what you mean about Tesco! I was in the one at Ratchada, the Tesco / Lotus my gf lives near there.