1BADDAT

On 2/17/2018 at 7:19 PM, jackdd said:

The author of this article just doesn't understand how capitalism works and thus makes false assumptions, and so do you.

A shop would always sell a product for as high as possible as long as the quantity it's selling doesn't go down.

So obviously when a shop currently is selling a product for let's say 9.5THB it is doing so because if it would rise the price to 10THB it would make less earnings compared to 9.5THB.

So if the current price is 9.5THB and the Satang would not be used anymore, the shops has to make a decision for every product, if lowering the price to 9THB or increasing it to 10THB would mean higher earnings. Over all products the price would most likely even out, and the customers would pay the same as before for their shopping cart.

I dont think many people in this thread understand the economics of the situation.  They would rather shake their fist about the "principle"!

12 hours ago, sicky said:

It's common knowledge amongst economists. For instance, looking at Britain's withdrawal of the half-penny and the pertinent arguments considered at the time, such as here... http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/1/newsid_2828000/2828819.stm

 

The article makes several cases in fact, for the small denomination having benefit for those on low-income, though notwithstanding the cost of producing the small-denonination can outweigh its value, hence finally the government's decision to withdraw it.  But yes, several points in support of it are hidden in that piece - good luck!

Nothing in that article proves that is the reason THAILAND keeps the satang.

On 12/30/2017 at 9:55 PM, connda said:

I came home from a trip to Mae Hong Son.  As I rounded blind corners, the sheer number of times that I found myself facing oncoming vehicles driving in my lane in order to 'cut corners' was really staggering.  And most made no attempt to pull back into their own land, but instead expected you to drive off onto the shoulder.  The level of aggressive driving is both amazing and suicidal.  I don't particularly care if drivers like that kill themselves, but unfortunately they put everyone on the road at risk.  The BIB could quadruple the number of road blocks, but they will never address the underlying aggressive and dangerous driving that occurs on the road between those road blocks. 

If you know a lot of people are doing this why wouldn't you just cut to the inside to avoid the possibility?  You know they aren't going to change their behavior, so better to change yours to increase your safety.  Or are you doing it to make a point or to follow the rules (the lines that are faded on the road from everyone cutting the corners.

On 12/30/2017 at 9:55 PM, connda said:

I came home from a trip to Mae Hong Son.  As I rounded blind corners, the sheer number of times that I found myself facing oncoming vehicles driving in my lane in order to 'cut corners' was really staggering.  And most made no attempt to pull back into their own land, but instead expected you to drive off onto the shoulder.  The level of aggressive driving is both amazing and suicidal.  I don't particularly care if drivers like that kill themselves, but unfortunately they put everyone on the road at risk.  The BIB could quadruple the number of road blocks, but they will never address the underlying aggressive and dangerous driving that occurs on the road between those road blocks. 

If you know a lot of people are doing this why wouldn't you just cut to the inside to avoid the possibility?  You know they aren't going to change their behavior, so better to change yours to increase your safety.  Or are you doing it to make a point or to follow the rules (the lines that are faded on the road from everyone cutting the corners.

On 1/1/2018 at 8:18 AM, sirineou said:

just this morning I had exactly this conversation with my buddy in Korrat .

We are building a house right now in Khon Kaen and will be retiring full tome there next year. I have a lot of good quality tools in the US and I would like to bring some of them to Thailand if it was cost effective.  Part of my challenge is the difference of voltage from the US to Thailand. SO.

If you are married to a Thai, and your wife has lived a length of time ( not sure what it is) out of Thailand she has the one time right to bring her personal  used items home without paying import duty.

So I am thinking a small container for me. Lawn Mower , pressure washer, weed wacker, should be no problem because they are gas powered. Some furniture, pictures books, clothes pots, pans. etc. Non electric tools, Washer Dryer and oven stove maybe, (all 220v), and tools such as rechargeables, that can be used with a transformer.

I am not sure of thes cost . will look in to it  and see if it is worth the trouble. or if for the cost I can buy everything there.

But if you have a wife, look into the wife repatriation option.

 

Thai electricity is 50hz not 60 hz like in USA.  Even if the voltage is the same, they will probably not work (things with AC motors).  Things that are digitally controlled like tvs and such can often be multi voltage.  Just read the UL label on the back to see.

1 hour ago, pauleddy said:

The non-fruity genuine Rolling is a nice drop, and is 666b in Villa. On the next shelf is fruit-mixed Rolling at 289b. Until you study the labels closely, you can easily get confused. Both labels are blue and have the same design.

This is Thailand. The label is not going to change to be easier to read. Just look at the price.  No real wine is gonna be 299 baht.  A real wine is going to be 500 baht+

41 minutes ago, observer90210 said:

Better to put wine bottles,  on the Duty Free "to-buy-list", when entering Thailand!!....And naturally, drink with moderation!

Unless you bring in the wine from another country, the "duty free" wine at the airport is not very good value.  The rules for duty free make little sense.  1 liter of alcohol regardless of alcohol %.  The liquor at least is manufactured in 1 liter bottles to maximize the amount.  I don't think I have ever seen wine in 1L bottles for duty free import.

15 hours ago, CrashTestDummy said:

Anyone?

DHL is the preferred carrier for my company from US to Asia but I would get a quote to confirm pricing first.  I had a bad experience with the Thai post.  I would not worry about packaging things in front of anyone.  No one really cares what you export out of a country as long as it is not illegal.  And the taxes you pay coming in the US will be nothing or something reasonable.  I am sure you can do a search to find out what the taxes will be.

 

How many of these  topics need to be posted?  Every week there is a new version of someone getting scammed for 100 baht or something similar. 

On 3/15/2017 at 1:45 PM, IsaanUSA said:

 

If you've never been to Thailand, you should DEFINITELY visit before committing to a move.  It seems crazy to randomly move to any country in the world without having ever visited.

 

Is it really that cheap?  It can be...as long as you're outside Bangkok.  Thailand can be done as cheap or as expensive as you want or don't want.  You need to have good self control, seriously.

 

Keep in mind that typically when people say SE Asia is cheap, they are referring to living like a local.  No imported beers, no imported foods, living with family, etc.

 

Also, as a 20-something, it's pretty difficult to actually live in Thailand.  You can read up on the Elite card though, http://www.thai-elite.com/

It's the easiest way for a young person to live in Thailand, visa-wise.

Agree with everything you said except for the elite visa info.  It is factually correct but anyone in their 20's asking if Thailand is cheap and is willing to work as a bartender probably is not the type of person who would purchase an elite visa.

4 hours ago, henryhughes96 said:

My other idea was to come over for 1 month just to explore the area and see what it has to offer.

This would seems like the best option. 

I used to fill an entire suitcase full of things like soup and other sealed package goods.  I never declared them and never was questioned in the 4 or 5 times I did this.  I don't know the official rules but I highly doubt you would be fined or get into any trouble.  If you are bringing in high end watches or liquor or cigarettes over the limit it might be a different story.

I don't think most of the wine sold in Thailand is fruit wine, but almost all of the cheap wine is.  If you are going to buy something like this then you might as well buy it in a big box and pay a lot less than 299 per bottle.  The more sensible option is to buy decent wine or don't buy it at all in Thailand.

 

I just got a case (12) of wine in California (where i currently live) for 1,000 baht from my friend that works at a winery.  Hard to justify spending 1,000 baht per bottle for the same thing in Thailand.

While the OP clearly needs to take a chill pill, go with the flow, and enjoy the moment, yadda yadda yadda, I too have experienced Thais recklessly over-ordering food in a restaurant when I was paying, and I can empathize with him for feeling his hospitality is being abused.

Thai culture does seem to treat an abundance of food as a reflection of prosperity, hospitality, and well-being; a way to create a festive atmosphere and mark an occasion. Just look, for example, at the excesses of food brought to temple on holy days. My wife has a tendency to make excessive amounts of food as a way of showing love and taking care of her family. When neighbors give garden surpluses away it more often is a bag of 20-30 mangoes rather than 2-3 mangoes. That sort of largesse seems to be valued in Thai culture. So it could all be totally innocent.

On the other hand, some Thais may be so unaccustomed to someone else picking up the tab that when the opportunity does present itself, they go buck-wild and exploit the opportunity to the hilt.

I suppose it's also conceivable that people could be maliciously over-ordering and then scarcely taking a bite just to send the message they aren't interested in one's company. If that's the case, the only solution is to pick one's dining companions more carefully.

The only practical suggestions I have would be to discuss beforehand what will be ordered, perhaps channel the orders through one person in order to avoid a free-for-all when the waiter shows up, and consider ordering the food in stages instead of all at once, so people can better judge how much room they have left in their stomachs.

Happy dining to one and all.

yabaa yabaa yabaa?

you need to know the lady for 2 years at least and show she is not a bar lady.

many ladies denied. especially with the USA.

if she dress too nice, it will be suspicious. it means she try to look good.

if you go casual with flip flop and t shirt you have more chance than dressing like a princess and high heel.

and where exactly did you get this information from? And is this recent? Because the political climate related to immigration is changing day to day.

More often than not I am more surprised how honest people are here. I have left my 5000 baht sunglasses on the restaurant table twice. I have no idea how much they thought they were worth, I just know they followed me to return them.

The other day I put my motorcycle helmet on my bike floor. When I came out from the shop it was gone. It is a cheap helmet for around town so I didn't really care too much but I didn't really want to go get another one. I turned around and the security guard had put it up for me at the desk he was at. I don't know if he had done it because it fell on the ground or not, I just know they made sure I got it before I left.

Hardly ever have an issue with cashiers and a few times they have actually returned money to me because I gave an extra 1000 instead of 100 (or similar). Only had one bad experience when it appeared the cashier at Family Mart was going to pocket the money instead of ring it into the register. Eventually she rang it up through the computer. I commented on that occasion and I was accused of being a thai basher...go figure.

The main thing that I have learned from Thailand is to try and stay calm and think things through rationally. I commend the OP for admitting he was wrong.

Last year I had a friend who made the mistake of keeping a Thai guy from bashing his own g/f - wife even more. And my Swedish friend got bashed ... and alcohol was involved. Intervening in domestic disputes is not a good idea.

About last October, a friend of mine moved a sign about 1/2 meter to park his g/f's car at a public park. This sign marked off parking spots for Samlor Tuk Tuk's. Six of the drivers immediately surround him and started a verbal barrage. My friend speaks Thai quite well and understood the threats being yelled at him and tried to calm them down. Then at full speed a guy with a big traffic cone jumped through the six guys and bashed my friend on the head with the hard plastic edge. This cut a 4-5 inch gash down to his skull and blood spurted everywhere. Well the hot headed drivers made a mistake. My friend is martial arts trained and the whack on his head did not phase him - only pissed him off. He then was attacked by the drivers one after another - with Muay Thai kicks ... My friend just grabbed their leg - then their throat and choked them out - put a thumb in the eyes of two of them and he then bashed their heads on a passing taxi and song taew. Three were down and my friend challenged the rest - they backed off. I was witness to this as I was running across the park and car park to get to him and calm him down. Police came -- several were arrested after they got out of the emergency room. They were later fined and given suspended sentences ... My friend was paid 20K baht for his medical bills - collected from the drivers by the Phuyaiban and the town attorney... Amazing Thailand.

Seems like a lot of trouble for a parking space.

A different place, a different day, different cops, a different weapon, a different Phuyaiban, and we may be reading about your deceased friend, or your friend in prison.

Sometimes I'm glad that mopping the streets with a bunch of thugs isn't even an option for me. I'd just have to find a different place to park. I can live with the shame.

My friend had no intention of disturbing anyone -- the movement of the sign did not displace even 1/10 of a parking space. No driver was displaced. My friend attempted in as calm a manner as possible to talk through the problem. But he had no choice but to fight back - he was viciously attacked just like the folks in Hua Hin ... You seem to have the odd take of the story that my friend intentionally went out looking for trouble. He has been in Thailand for 16 years - speaks Thai near native and was trying to defuse the situation. Your take that he was a foolish fist slinging cowboy is way off base. He had no choice but to fight his way out of it ... they had him surrounded and would not let him leave... Good Grief - all the keyboard know it alls --- you weren't there...

I am not saying what your friend did was wrong but it may not have been the best option. If he speaks fluent Thai and knew what the cones were for, then it probably would have been a better idea to just politely ask the taxi drivers if he could move the cone to park.

No more than normal,it's just becoming more visible due to an increased use of social media and the like.

You are very uninformed. The fact is that this phenomena is vastly increasing world-wide as the pressure of life is becoming unbearable for the 99% of non-elite. To say its normal is totally wrong (and dangerous for unsuspecting visitors), and Im surprised that so many equally ill-informed people agreed with you. However, I do agree that it is becoming more visible as taking a video of an atrocity is seen as "popular and cool and funny" rather than intervening as an individual/group/community as it detracts from the enjoyment of watching an innocent family being brutally mugged. But, more importantly, changing the culture of many Thais of being so aggressive and hateful toward innocent foreigners is necessary. As long as the culture of corruption (both financial and moral) prevail in Thailand the problem will never be solved. Clearly as there has been a very long hideous history of this in Thailand, I can only surmise that many Thais (particularly the authorities) just don't care and probably get off on it.

The best way to make your point invalid is to add a statistic that obviously makes no sense. The pressure is too great for 99% of the population? If it is unbearable, then what do they do exactly? They 99% fight among themselves? The 99% all attack the 1%?

Jonatong: You would probably be amazed at the varieties of theft in Thailand (and elsewhere.) For example, it's not uncommon for pickpocket gangs to pass off what they relieve from the "mark" two or three times. For bag snatchers, there ways to divert a "mark's" attention and then pass the stolen item to accomplices. Many people are amazed by the amount of thievery going on. I was in Vietnam so I've seen it all. I could go into a lot of detail but one of the most remarkable theft rings in Vietnam was run by the Sergeant Major of the Army and his ring of sergeants major at different locations. They WERE caught and did get terms at Leavenworth. The amount that they stole ran into the millions. There is more thievery going on all the time than most people realize.

I am not amazed at all by how much theft there is in the world. I am amazed that you decided to start a thread about a "theft ring at a supermarket" to warn others about a crime that wasn't actually committed. You saw the CCTV and had the bag when you left.

@mrblonde

If you told us the brand and type then you may get more accurate information.

Future wife eh. So I would expect there will be children to follow?

Then what do you do. Stay here and keep Mrs happy or go to Canada and give your kids a far better chance at a decent future?

Very little future for kids in the western world.

50% of Americans don't have $400 in savings.

Can't imagine Canada is better, when I was there it was another cold and lonely shit-hole.

Great for a weeks ski-ing, or a week boating and canoeing, no work to be had though.

And the women appeared to be the most aggressive feminists in the world, the men were truly whipped.

I guess you skipped Montreal on your journeys?

Quebec women are quite open minded and don't mind socializing even with older men.

Difference is, unlike Thailand they don't even expect payment.

Heck, I lost my virginity in Montreal to a 30 year old <deleted>.

Sorry, but Thailand does not even come close to true, genuine fun I had there..... and I am totally docile and anti social.

so is that why you are married to a Canadian woman? Oh wait...you married a Thai woman. Do you have multiple personalities?

Funny accountant some have. To advise on tax return on a Condo Rental?.Why , any idiot can work that out.

May I prove to you why your comment makes no sense and you probably don't have 5 bucks to your name?

Let me know if you accept the challenge.

If you have something to say, just say it.

P.S.

I have 10 dollars to my name and I accept your challenge.

I used to know an American who bankrupted himself trying to buy several Russian women online. Never got closer than a phone call. Dead now. Jumped.

he jumped in the US or here?