chatette

The cashier wanted to give you a discount based on the spending points you'd accumulated on your loyalty program membership.
They ask to see ID (Thai ID card or foreigners' passport) to verify that it is in fact your membership card and not someone else's. It's a reasonable ask.
Their failing was they were unable to explain the reason to you or your girlfriend, which I would put down to poor training.
Nothing sinister.

No longer handing out plastic bags at the check out is a good first step but converting all packaging back to cardboard would be a very bad step for forests!

I was berated once by a policeman for crossing at the zebra crossing when the little green man told me to because there were cars coming. And he wasn't concerned about my safety, he wanted me to give way to the cars. Wittayu/Ploen Chit intersection toward what's now Central Embassy. Not some parochial zone. No hope.

Do they have `Wanted escapee' signs on them??

1 hour ago, johng said:

Which one ?

 

Smart DNS Proxy https://www.smartdnsproxy.com

I use DNS Proxy on a device (rather than modem) to watch TV outside of Thailand that I otherwise couldn't access. The annual fee is minimal and - so far, so good - I've been able to access everything I want and, if I want, airplay to TV screen. Vastly cheaper than True or AIS TV options.

I don't see that this pricing is particularly unfair, and is perhaps more generous than many other countries.

I can't think of too many countries where non-nationals benefit from subsidized services. 

Thailand's hospitals don't operate on a cost basis - they are subsidized by the state, and the pricing structure seems to reflect that those entitled to the subsidy are, of course, nationals, and - generously - Asean nationals.

Partial subsidies are enjoyed by working expats and students - a very generous concession as Thai students in the U.S, U.K. and Australia, for example, get no subsidy at all and must have insurance to get a visa. Lastly, those who don't pay tax pay full price. 

Any health insurance policy should cover at least most of the cost, which is still considerably lower than private hospitals charge.

An immigration officer at Suvarnabhumi demanded a work permit from a friend of mine a year ago when she was returning from a trip to Sweden.
She has held back-to-back Non-I Bs for many, many years and, of course, doesn't travel with a work permit as it's supposed to be kept at the place of work....
She was eventually allowed in (how kind) but was very shaken by the experience. Explanations simply don't work with immigration officials. Some are extraordinarily ignorant.

Is it illegal for a monk to have sex? Would surely just be a breach of some quaint ecclesiastical rules....Why would it have anything to do with his PR or his address? It seems the immigration police make up the rules as they go, or drag out antiquated ones when they want a budget boost.

Really, these days, PR is useful only for those who need it to qualify for citizenship, or to set up for retirement.

I found the process of applying for PR very annoying as I had to keep running around renewing my visa, reentry and work permit every few months through the process, could no longer use the convenient one-stop shop and timing was very tricky as I was traveling a lot for work.

Then, once I got it, renewals became more complicated and time consuming: instead of the one-stop shop, I had to go to one place to buy reentry permits for my passport (stupid notion if you have PR), another place to renew my work permit (no longer convenient one-stop shop), then there was the PR book, the household registration certificate, and the police book. Whew!

No Thais other than those at the offices that issued them knew what these things were, or what entitlements they gave me (certainly didn't get me Thai price for the Grand Palace, for example).

So let it lapse while living abroad since I'd otherwise have had to fly to Thailand to go to a counter to renew my reentry permits....

I had, however, applied for citizenship before I left,  got the interview delayed until I came back, and got my ID card and Thai passport a little more than a year after returning.

So much easier, faster, cheaper to become Thai and now face fewer bureaucratic hassles. 

I'd definitely recommend going for citizenship either directly, or by PR if you can't take the direct route, if and when you qualify.

There's really nothing to lose, unless your original citizenship doesn't allow two passports and you don't want to lose it. You can be asked to pledge to revoke, but Thailand can't make you do so.

Don't become that person who suddenly finds they no longer qualify to stay when they don't want to leave and have no where to go.
 

Legalize prostitution and get these pimps, police included, out of it. But of course that won't happen. Too many snouts in the trough.

If you're interested in heritage, you can walk through the Ban Krua community, which dates back to the reign of King Rama I, who allocated the land for Cham troops and their families from Cambodia to settle down. 
You can reach it by walking along the soi adjacent to the Asia Hotel; you can google for a map. Very colorful history, and a strong community that held its ground 20 yrs or so ago when it was threatened with eviction in favor of expressway ramps (no expressway anywhere near, was another proposition to favor vested interests). 
This BP story from earlier this year gives a little insight https://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/in-thailand/1604506/a-hidden-gem-in-bangkoks-heart

I back her. So many women carrying Thai passports or even born in Thailand are harassed by immigration officials of countries that they're legitimately entering simply because of their gender and country of origin.
Suggesting that `Thais have themselves to blame' is just sexist stereotyping at best and misogynistic at worst. Seems there's a congregation here.
As for what she's wearing, I suppose she'd be asking to be raped if she wore a bikini on a beach on Koh Tao, right?

Completely medieval!

They could do a lot better if you count the bananas they package in plastic bags and then put instinctively after sale into plastic carry bags (unless you say `no'). There's two unnecessary bags for a single transaction.

The housing estates off Sukapiban 3 Rd, like Pruksachart and Sammakorn, are all very well established. Sammakorn, in particular, has lots of decent restaurants, bars, shops etc., and is quite nicely set out. The traffic on Ramkhamhaeng Road's a nightmare, as previously stated, but the completion of the BTS should (one lives in eternal hope) improve that, while the newly opened road behind Sapan Sung (parallel to Ramkhamhaeng and the motorway) that leads to ABAC (and the Hua Mark end of Ramkhamhaeng) provides some traffic relief at the moment. It will eventually leapfrog the outer ring road, so you could also look at estates on the Bromsgrove school side of the ring road, too.
I used to live an low-cost estate out that way when my daughter was young and it was ideal as she and all the other kids could play out in the little sois as there was no through traffic. Much more sociable than inner city or even larger housing estate living. But the commuting was cruel.

I usually get tablets at Foodland (since it's very close to home) but you can get at most big supermarkets (altho not BigC) and Villa. I rarely use the dishwasher salt (have used only 1 1/2 packs in 10+ years) as there's no lime in the water to clear.
I put vinegar in the rinse tray, although probably don't have to as the tablets are supposed to ensure no streaks, and it leaves no residual smell. I also, btw, use it for the rinse cycle in my washing machine as is much better at cutting soap suds than stinky fabric conditioner. it leaves no smell.
Here's a randomly Googled guide on vinegar as a cleaning aid: https://www.stain-removal-101.com/how-to-use-vinegar-as-automatic-dishwasher-rinse-aid.html

Powerbuy has many. My Siemens has been going strong for ~ a decade. No roaches or rats ????. Buy tablets and salt from various supermarkets and use vinegar for the rinse.

 Sarasas Ektra School in Yannawa, recommended by a number of people in earlier posts, is also worth looking into and is said to have a bus service. 
https://www.ektra.ac.th/indexEng.html

BMA schools take migrant children, so quite possible although unlikely if he's not already fluent and/or literate in Thai (even though he would be very quickly if he were allowed entry).
A bi-lingual school may be a better (and easier for your child) choice.