Expensive Thailand

[bucknaway]

Are there any 35 Baht stores in Thailand? I am asking because china is so close and things should be cheaper in Thailand than here in the USA. Am I mussing something?

I am asking because china is so close and things should be cheaper in Thailand than here in the USA. Am I mussing something?

Yes, as usual, you are.

Imports from China are usually cheaper in the US than in Thailand. Why? Because import duties are lower, and because US importers of the WalMart variety buy in quantities that the Thai importers could only dream of -- thus they get lower prices.

[bucknaway]

I bet you wrote something insulting...... I will never know unless others quote you LOL :clown:

Remain ignorant, then.

I am asking because china is so close and things should be cheaper in Thailand than here in the USA. Am I mussing something?

Yes, as usual, you are.

Imports from China are usually cheaper in the US than in Thailand. Why? Because import duties are lower, and because US importers of the WalMart variety buy in quantities that the Thai importers could only dream of -- thus they get lower prices.

BG must be in the Christmas spirit; his response was merely condescending, not insulting. Ok, it was pretty darn close. Unless you interpret his response as implying that you shop at WalMart, which would make it a rank insult.

Sorry to ask, but do you?

[Dodger]

Boygeenyus...

Haven't you ever figured out that by insulting someone you're exposing (as usual) a serious character defect?

Do you actually think that you're amusing us with your repeditive cheap insults? Do you do this just to feed some deep and dark depression that's eating you alive, or do you just do it in an effort to get the attention that you were never given as a child (or an ault). In either case, I feel obligated to inform you that you're making an absolute fool of yourself and should probably just kick back, relax a little and try to get a grip on things.

People who spin their wheels trying to convince others of their high level of intellegence are always foolish people.

Mai pen rai

[dave_tf-old]

I'm guessing you are making the leap from an assumed exchange rate of 35 baht to the dollar and asking if anything like the American phenomenon of single price-point (usually just $1) stores exists in Thailand.

BG has explained why not...I'll just add this: What would be the cachet of having a one-price-point retail operation with such an unsexy and unwieldy (as well as constantly fluctuating and Americo-centric) value of 35? Why would that draw Thai customers? If such a retail venture were started, wouldn't it be better to pick a price point that had some zing (and meaning) to the Thai...such as Somchai's Everything 50 Baht or Pornping's 100 Baht Only Shoppe.

Since 1 Baht might just buy you a Lucy out of a pack of Krung Thips, Lek's 1 Baht Galleria is doomed to fail anywhere outside the slums of Khlong Toey, the hinterlands of Issan or the Hill-Tribes, or maybe Pattaya.

Unless you interpret his response as implying that you shop at WalMart.

Is that where they have those blue light specials?

If BG is an example of what living in Thailand does to you - im surprised anyone ever moves there.

The "cheap" reputation of Thailand is much exagerrated.

Some things are much cheaper, such as:

local produce
condos
sex and massage services
labor in general


While, some things are much more expensive:

cars
wine
western foods
even clothes when compared to discount outlets in the west


So, it all depends on what you need, or what adjustments you are willing to make.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

yes..all that sex you usually have at Babylon !

[Smiles]

As Jingthing alluded to above, it's what you buy that counts.

Food (85% Thai), accomodation (stay away from western chains), booze can all be gotten relatively cheaply in Thailand. But most importantly, those are probably one's largest living expenses.

Sex is cheap as well (though I'm outta the loop on the costs of that one), and a 'relationship' isn't necessarily a wallet-killer . . . though you have to be careful on that one.

Also, if you possibly tear yourself away from the Silom/Pattaya/Patong stroll once in a blue moon, you'l find that "stuff" can be had much less expensively. I have little doubt that BCG/Bucknaway haunts gay tourist traps almost exclusively.


Cheers ...

[bing]

Walmart was a good guess but it is Kmart that has the Blue Light Specials.

[bucknaway]

here in the USA, I do a little shopping at Walmart, but for the most part I am a Costco shopper... I also frequent the weekend markets here in Delaware and New jersey.

When I am in Thailand I shop the weekend markets and off the beaten path.

Now with the Dollar getting close to being worth 35 baht it reminds me of how expensive things are in Thailand. Right now I am in NYC and even here they have a $1 store.... But don't recall seeing a 35 or 40 baht store in Thailand and if i tried to pay 40 baht for some similar items I would get a nasty look from the vendor.

On Saturday night I went to the Hanger on Christopher street where they had 2 latin gogo dancers.... (ahhhhh, the memories......) Well the dancers were HOT and guys walked up to them, got a feel and tipped them with $1... So when your in Pattaya, get your feel of the gogo guys and tip them 35 baht! Tell them that is how much they tip in NYC! LOL

[TrongpaiExpat]

Tesco, BigC and Care four are pretty much priced the same and I would think have the buying power of Walmart?

Bangkok seems to operate in extremes. It's either a posh shopping center or a stall in the Chatuchak/Suan Lum style.

There is one place where these opposing shopping modes have clashed. In a corner of the Chatuchak Weekend Market there is being built a big fancy shopping center on Kamphaengphet Road.

Not long ago under the cover of night, vandals destroyed a section of the Chatuchak market that was right next to this new shopping center.

Suan Lum is also looking to be converted into a new shopping center. I would not be surprised if that land is cleared by vandals as well.

Suan Lum does not always have good prices. For example, they had these cotton bath robes on display and wanted 1000B for one. She came down to 800B but would not go lower. The exact same robe at Tesco in the exact same package sells for 350B.

I am in NYC and even here they have a $1 store.... But don't recall seeing a 35 or 40 baht store in Thailand

There is a 10 baht store in Big C, Ratburana district in Bangkok.

Tesco, BigC and Care four are pretty much priced the same and I would think have the buying power of Walmart?Population of Thailand 60m, population of the USA 260m. Number of Tesco, BigC and Carrefour stores in Thailand - somewhere in the low double-digits for each. Number of Walmart stores in the US - zillions. Comparable buying power - highly doubtful, with a probability tending to zero

Population of Thailand 60m, population of the USA 260m.

A bit behind the times old man

U.S. POPClock Projection

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 12/26/06 at 01:00 GMT (EST+5) is 300,467,579

COMPONENT SETTINGS FOR DECEMBER 2006

One birth every.................................. 8 seconds
One death every.................................. 11 seconds
One international migrant (net) every............ 31 seconds
Net gain of one person every..................... 14 seconds

SOURCE: www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html (http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html)

Nobody can expect to buy anything cheap while strolling along a designated tourist destination nor from sales persons at the beach. All over the world tourists are buying any kind of nonsense stuff of dubious quality at outrages prices. Why should a Night marked constructed mainly for foreigners be any different?

For this, visitors of Suam Lum = Lumphini Night Bazaar do have probably even good chance, to get some quality stuff not utterly overpriced.

The big stores are selling average quality for reasonably prices. There open for everybody, even for tourists.

It is common knowledge that sales prices do have nothing in common with the product value, it’s simply mingling of money demanded by seller and what customers are willing to pay for or can afford, and there is no further magic.
You can by some brand product utterly overprices and get exactly the same just without the brand logo for a fraction or the branded “Original”. If you count the enormous amount of work, capital for land and machinery, the risk of weather, and many others, farmers deserved definitely higher prices for there products, but the marked will not pay more.

Good bargaining is very hard work. If you need to bargain and you know about the rules, everything will be available at a price. But this takes time and need skills; many people lacking on both, especially tourists.

If you want to buy something cheap, there is still rice available: Any size, good quality at a very low price.

here in the USA, I do a little shopping at Walmart, but for the most part I am a Costco shopper... I also frequent the weekend markets here in Delaware and New jersey.

When I am in Thailand I shop the weekend markets and off the beaten path.

Now with the Dollar getting close to being worth 35 baht it reminds me of how expensive things are in Thailand. Right now I am in NYC and even here they have a $1 store.... But don't recall seeing a 35 or 40 baht store in Thailand and if i tried to pay 40 baht for some similar items I would get a nasty look from the vendor.

On Saturday night I went to the Hanger on Christopher street where they had 2 latin gogo dancers.... (ahhhhh, the memories......) Well the dancers were HOT and guys walked up to them, got a feel and tipped them with $1... So when your in Pattaya, get your feel of the gogo guys and tip them 35 baht! Tell them that is how much they tip in NYC! LOL



-----------
Ref: Wal-Mart and others:


http://www.monitor.net/monitor/sweatshop/ss-intro.html

Happy X-mas.

[bucknaway]

I wonder if I would work in a sweat-shop if that was the only employment around?

http://www.monitor.net/monitor/sweatshop/sweatlogo.gif

here in the USA, I do a little shopping at Walmart, but for the most part I am a Costco shopper...

I go to Costco every day. It is a cultural experience. The San Francisco Costco is like Mexico merged with China. Sometimes I feel like the only white guy there. So many are Fresh Off the Boat (or should that be, Fresh Over the Fence?). I like to watch the frustration of the cashiers as they try to communicate with these Chinese who speak zero English and always push the empty carts to the wrong side of the check out stand. But it sucks to be stuck behind them in the check-out line because they always pay in cash, pulling out a huge wad of bills, and it takes forever for them to count it out. Haven't they heard of debit cards? (probably too traceable for the IRS) And you have to be careful not to be standing too close when the deli workers put out the cheap, $5 fresh-roasted whole chickens, or you'll get stampeded by a Chinese herd!

When I want to visit the Phillipines I go to the South San Francisco Costco. I swear it's like being in manilla. (most of the filipino community lives in SSF/Daly City). They tend to bring the whole family, with young adult sons walking around with their moms...some gorgeous eye candy!

Sometimes, I'll hear someone speaking Thai in Costco, but not very often.

You can by some brand product utterly overprices and get exactly the same just without the brand logo for a fraction or the branded тАЬOriginalтАЭ.

I bought a pair of leather sandals in MBK, and later saw the same thing at Central, but triple price. The only difference is that the expensive pair has "Pierre Cardin" label and stamp.

Things are not so cheap in Thailand because the Thai Baht is quite high against the major currencies. So many farangs are coming to visit, or perhaps live in Thailand, and they bring their dollars, euros, GBpounds, roubles, etc. Where else in the world can you get what you get in the Land of Smiles? All those beautiful people waiting for you to spend your money with them. Add to this their hard work and industry, so that so much is manufactured for export. The industrial and commercial area around Bangkok seems to be huge. The Thai people deserve better than to have a dirt-cheap currency.

Where else in the world can you get what you get in the Land of Smiles? All those beautiful people waiting for you to spend your money with them.

And don't forget the beautiful people waiting for you to spend your money on them.

For Christmas Eve dinner my friends bought beef tenderloin at Cosco: 7 lb. @ $110.00 + $8.20 tax
Today I bought (whole) beef tenderloin at a Korean food store: 7 lb @ $41.93 + $3.13 tax
Both were grade A, both were well trimmed but I expected that from the Korean market to not be as good when I broiled some tonight. Wrong!

[Dodger]

Jojo...

I'd like to add to your quote:


COMPONENT SETTINGS FOR DECEMBER 2006

One birth every.................................. 8 seconds
One death every.................................. 11 seconds
One international migrant (net) every............ 31 seconds
Net gain of one person every..................... 14 seconds

Flocks of illegal aliens (net) every...........nano second

Thus, real popuational unknown.

[Dboy]

here in the USA, I do a little shopping at Walmart,

sorry man I just can't picture you shopping at Walmart. hehe

(meant as a compliment)

Dboy

For Christmas Eve dinner my friends bought beef tenderloin at Cosco: 7 lb. @ $110.00 + $8.20 tax
Today I bought (whole) beef tenderloin at a Korean food store: 7 lb @ $41.93 + $3.13 tax


At that price are you sure that the 'beef' you bought from the Korean store wasn't their culinary favourite - i.e.DOG !.

But what the hell, if it tasted good why worry?
I read a long time ago the account of travellers who were unwittingly served human flesh at a native feast and only found out after the meal what they had been served. They said it tasted just like prime beef ! :cheers:

[manfarang-old]

I have 't seen any 35 baht stores, but then again why would a store be pegged specifically to the Thai equivalent of a US dollar? Wouldn't they have to change their signs with every currency fluctuation?

I have, however, seen a few "99 baht or less" stores.