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There is ample shopping opportunity in Bangkok. We just want to tell you some personal experiences and give you some limited advice.
While there are many smaller operators, the department stores in Bangkok and Thailand can be divided into two group : Central Group (Central World, Central Department Stores, Robinson Department Stores) and the Mall Group (the Mall Department Stores, Emporium, Siam Paragon). There are two major do-it-yourself chains, HomeWorks (Central) and HomePro (Plus).
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View of Sukhumvit road from the Queen Sirikit Convention Center (with an overcast sky). |
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You may find most (but not all) you need in these department stores or hardware stores. However one should not forget that individual companies or brands will still have there own shops and service centers around the city. Frequently though, these shops will be oddly located, not really looking intensily for customers. As a general rule (and if can locate the store), we think it is actually a better option to buy your goods directly from the distributor.
As an example, we may point you to Electrolux. This company which produces mostly home appliances is located on New Petchburi Road. We can easily reach this place, and have both some appliances there. Our latest purchase (a vacuum cleaner) had a slight flaw in one of the accessories. We brought it back to the store, and the part was replaced with a properly functioning one. Now, imagine having purchased the same at one of the department stores. You would have to tackle a lot of administrative hurdles and be ready to wait before a similar action would be taken.
Provided service from individual distributors may also be better. Many years ago we installed some water heaters. While installation was technically difficult (because of the location of the water pipes), a shop technician came and did the job properly. Many years later we had to replace one of these heaters. We bought a unit at HomeWorks. A shop technician showed us a chart with the installation fees, and we agreed to him coming to our place to install the new water heater. He worked quite a while, then announced that the job was done, and collected his fee (without receipt, I may add). While doing so, he had the audicity of announcing that the water connection pipes might start leaking soon, since they were of low quality (sold by HomeWorks). Within minutes after he disappeared I noticed that indeed the pipes were leaking. Indirectly, this good technician costs me a lot of additional hardship and money.
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Life Center, a small niche shopping mall, where you find many health related shops and services. Located on Sathorn Road, close to the Lumpini subway station. |
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Service may also however be duly lacking from major manufacturers. We tried to contact the Siemens/Bosch spare goods department one time. We must have placed about 30 phone calls, without any reply. Finally deciding to just go to the service center, we arrived at a time when the center (a 4 or 5 floor building) was simply completely closed for a few days. Anyway, in the end we managed to get someone on the phone. We were told the particular part (that is, a Siemens part) was not available at Siemens itself, but was available through a third party. We were politely given the telephone number of this company. However, when contacting them, they could not help us at all, telling us they used to be a distributor of Siemens goods, but stopped doing that some while ago, and did not sell or distribute any Siemens parts anymore. Just an example of how not to run a customer service department.
Some more advice :
Prices may differ between different locations of the same department store. For example, you may find cheaper goods at Robinson Silom than at Robinson Sukhumvit. Similarly Central Silom is cheaper (for some goods) than Central Chitlom.
We often pass through Central (so know more about it), but this applies to probably all stores. There are almost continuous promotions and discounts offered. You may think this is the chance of your life to buy cheaper brand goods. However, as stated, these promotions are almost continuous, while the name of the promotion changes throughout the year. In most countries, the practice of discounts is somewhat regulated, but obviously not in Thailand.
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Garbage Scavenger in a sidestreet of Sukhumvit Road. Walk around for just half an hour on any Bangkok street, and you will see this profession at work. |
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Foreigners are offered cheaper prices at times. We would suggest to only go for direct discounts. Any deal where you need to fill out applications, use a card, and the like, is mostly a waste of time. We did the effort once to obtain a card from Central (offering 5 % discount on goods), only to be told that it was not valid anymore when we wanted to use it a while later (there were by that time a number of other cards offered).
In any case, always try to get a discount. This does not apply to all goods (electronic equipment, supermarkets), but in our experience it is not too difficult to buy clothing, footwear and the like, and get a 5 % discount. The only thing is, you have to ask for it.
Be aware that quite a few vendors at shopping centers and department stores work on commission. For example, if there are many brands of sport shoes and sneakers available, it may well be that some have them have their own vendors working in the stores. So, if you start examining some Adidas footwear (just an example), you can expect the salesperson to actively promote that particular brand over other brands.
Related possibly to the commission issue : when starting to browse goods at department stores and other shops, expect to be accosted almost immediately by a salesperson. Personally, we find this quite disturbing and off-putting, so we have developed a technique to keep the vendors away, mostly by body language. You can always beckon them and ask questions, once you have surveyed the goods.
Certain goods you will not find, even in very large shopping complexes. For example, Central does not sell cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco. You will also have difficulty finding shops that sell fresh flowers (lots of plastic ones) or plants.
Be aware that in fancy shopping complexes, you are supposed to also contribute to the rent costs of the individual shops. Simply put, you may find exactly the same goods at a lower price in less fancy smaller shops that pay less rent.
Shopping at the airport before you leave should be discouraged. King Power, which offers Tax and Duty Free goods at the airport, is much more expensive than most shops in Bangkok city. This is a real eye opener, especially for European visitors, who have the experience of buying cheaper goods tax free at the airports in their respective countries.
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