Old old story.

Don't try and understand Thai logic, it does not exist and you will only end up giving yourself a headache.

I can only give my answer to op about shower gel and shampoo: The smallest 20-29 Baht packets are never on sale but the biggest sizes (like 150+ Baht) are on buy one get one free special very often. Only the stupid would buy them at regular price.

 

And be aware these <deleted> (mostly internationals) only fill the packs half, as mentioned earlier. As if there wasn't enough plastic waste already!

what about 7-11 coffees? 

 

Currently in Australia, If I wanted $3 worth of hot coffee; I'd get three $1 individual serves - as it works out better value ($/100ml) than a $2 or a $3 single serve!

 

 

it's the small things that really matter ? 

I have noted the same so when it seem to be the case, I use my phone calculator and choose the cheaper deal. 

 

 

Sometime buying 2 of a single items are cheaper that the deal they offer OR 2 smaller items are cheaper than a large one.

 

Like you  say  … only in the big chains. It is my guess that no employee  in Thailand like  to report mistake by the >Manager>  or Big Boss. The Boss make the pricing, so this is the truth .

If you been in Thailand 6 years one thing you must have learned is that it ain’t “logical” and more importantly it ain’t “rational “


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Let the customer believe, that he/she buys cheaper when buying a big pack. I found smaller packs cheaper with Mocona Coffee, some tissue brand (24 roll/30 roll), cereals and canned fish, all at Big-C extra. Also some shampoo refill bags are more expensive than the regular bottle. Always shop with a calculator in your hand.

I think it's not illogical. It's the result of careful marketing studies. The Ley potato chips example, 20THB for 53g bag and 30THB for 75g bag. Yes, the larger bag has the higher unit price, which is contrary to the usual practice, but probably people are less likely to buy the larger package anyway. I imagine they experimented with various prices until they found the exact price at which people bought less. I know it's not true of all products, because a clerk at my local Big C pointed out to me how much less the unit price was on a larger bottle of Listerine mouth wash was (the employees at our Big C are extremely helpful and cheerful).

Try buying an electric bike ( ebike ) here. There is a 60% import duty on them. How nuts is that. 

14 hours ago, hobz said:

But why does that never happen in Sweden?

Swedes are special. They have special needs.

and then there is the case of 7/11 selling coke for 17 baht that is smaller than 15 baht coke at mom and pop shops.

In my local supermarket in America I always note that 2 cans of tomato sauce costs less than 1 can of the same total amount. How can this be? The packaging obviously costs more.

A Thai friend who teaches young kids asked me what I meant by "1/2". I would think any teacher would know what a fraction is. Then again....

Did you just confess to drinking San mig Light.

It tastes like pripps blå. ?

26 minutes ago, elgenon said:

A Thai friend who teaches young kids asked me what I meant by "1/2". I would think any teacher would know what a fraction is. Then again....

Might be a Thai thing. They seem to prefer percentages.

 

My wife fails to comprehend 1/2 but is happy with 50/50.

probably the bags cost more than the product in them.  Larger bag, larger cost.

They cheating simple people who can not calculate. It's very well planned....

10 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Might be a Thai thing. They seem to prefer percentages.

 

My wife fails to comprehend 1/2 but is happy with 50/50.

I think the OP is looking for a cultural difference to explain a worldwide (except Sweden, of course) problem. The fact it happens here has nothing to do with culture. It's just business.

 

Just now, duanebigsby said:

The fact it happens here has nothing to do with culture. It's just business.

Could it be stupidiness?

16 hours ago, Maybole said:

This is not confined to Thailand. My wife used to get impatient with my checking value for money between pack sizes in UK. On many occasions the smaller pack was cheaper. It's a common supermarket trick but not illegal.

I thought all UK supermarkets have shown the per gram or per unit price on everything for sometime now.  

You have too much time on your hands.....

17 hours ago, hobz said:

Your answer is Soo unhelpful.

 

17 hours ago, hobz said:

Washing deterrents often have illogical prices here too.

Is washing "deterrent" a Swedish specialty?

 

16 hours ago, hobz said:

16 hours ago, digbeth said:

sometimes things go on sale that makes the smaller size/pack cheaper, the people making the sale/promotion can miss things and didn't notice that it will make the bigger size things cost more per item

But why does that never happen in Sweden? 

 

 

Try to find out in Sweden. There seems to be more logic than in LOS.

 

17 hours ago, samsensam said:

it happens in the uk too, usually someone has made an error inputting data to a computer.

 

i certainly wouldn't generalise too much over a few pricing errors in supermarkets.

If this were a few errors it would not be noticed . This is widespread and usual.

 

51 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Might be a Thai thing. They seem to prefer percentages.

 

My wife fails to comprehend 1/2 but is happy with 50/50.

So if it is 1/2 as much....?

17 hours ago, hobz said:

Isn't it strange that I never saw it in Sweden for 30 years but I see it constantly here.

 

That can't be coincidence. Sorry.

 

Of course I don't want to generalize too much over it. But I'm 100% confident it says something about Thailand or Sweden. Interesting to me personally even if it's really minor. I love minor culture differences. They are fun conversation starters and can be used to open minds etc.

 

Maybe it's simply computer errors. But in Sweden they get fixed quicker because Swedish People complain more? It's the only known factor that I know...  Swedish ppl love complaining and Thai people rarely complain.. 

Everyone makes errors... But the swedes fix them quicker due to constant complaining?

 

I heard also that Thai lower/floor staff never report problems upwards to higher staff.. something about face or whatnot..  in Sweden they do.

We used to shop at Tesco/Lotus as there was nothing else around for at least an hours drive, however recently a BigC store opened directly opposite another Tesco/Lotus store in another village, i.e. within the same travelling distance as the other Tesco/Lotus store that we used to shop at.

 

As my wife lived in Sydney with me for 9 years, she learned to check the bill and to take the bill to the counter when there was a discrepancy and she would be be reimbursed the price of the product, and also given the product for free, she woke up quick smart and if she could find something that was advertised for a special price but was a different price at the check out, she was always happy, because she would get reimbursed the product price and the product, and the bonus was, I would let her keep the $ for extra pocket money as she didn't work.

 

We don't shop at Tesco/Lotus anymore because they are always and I say always making mistakes with the price on the products and my wife has to wait for ever for them to check and give her back the difference, enough time is wasted shopping, and then you have to wait forever to get 30 baht back on an overpriced product, perhaps people won't go to the counter because it takes to long and the amount is too small to worry about, well not my wife, she won't let them get away with 1 baht, so I have stopped shopping at Tesco/Lotus, one customer of say between 3-5k baht per week, (big family) and BigC have our business now, zero mistakes, same products, but the funny thing is my wife shopped at Tesco/Lotus the other day as she had to go to that town for something else and thought to kill two birds with the one stone, same thing happened again, she was overcharged and was ready to kill someone, fortunately for me, I stayed home, and on the odd occasion when I have had to go with her to that Tesco/Lotus with her, I sit at Amazon and have my 50 baht latte till she finishes, again, overcharged....lol, maybe one day she will learn not to shop there, because when I say, no more, it means no more, BigC thumbs up all the way, Tesco/Lotus thumbs down always overcharging. 

Just now, elgenon said:

 

So if it is 1/2 as much....?

50%

Thais are just not very good at pricing. These signs really do indicate a special kind of stupid.

Perhaps the big stores take advantage of the fact that mathematics is not necessarily a Thai strong point, and that most customers would automatically assume that the larger item would be better value.  Surely not?

 

You only have to watch assistants or even the owners in the smaller stores, without up-to-date cash registers, using a calculator to work out the change required from a 100 baht note for a 70 baht purchase.  

The pricing for multiple packs compared to single items in Thailand retail stores has favored the retailer most often .

This is not a mistake . When i buy three photocopies @ 2 baht each In Pattaya [  0.25 satang in Chaing Mai ] and the shop assistant requires a calculator to work out the cost the retailers know Thai people are unlikely to check the actual cost so the con will continue .