Pattaya's golden times are over: Bar and salon owner packing up as uncertain future looms

[rumak]

9 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I have seen lots of landlords still want the same rent

uh...... why do you pick out  rent  as the one expense that should be reduced ?

how about meat, eggs,  toothpaste,  laundry soap,  all restaurant food,  car repairs, 

electronic goods,   clothes,   haircuts,  massages,   furniture,  etccccccccccccccc

 

I think most items people spend money on are produced by large corporations that make billions of dollars.    Mall owners may be very rich.   Many individual owners of property have invested

time, effort, and money to create the service they provide.    Why do you think they are the

bad guys here ?   if that is what you are suggesting

[2 is 1]

2 hours ago, Leaver said:

When? 

 

How will they get to Thailand? 

 

When will the planes start flying?  Will airlines price gouge?

 

When will the boarders be opened up in their home country? 

 

Will tourists have to do 2 weeks quarantine in their home country after their holiday?  

 

More variables come in to play than just currency exchange.  

Money talk and bs walk! Thats the law in planet! And i really want get 700 bth extra whit my 100€!

[couchpotato]

1 hour ago, Leaver said:

No, the Chinese will not do to Pattaya like they did to Sihanoukville, but for sure the Chinese will buy some establishments.  Perhaps, some well known establishments.  

Maybe they will team up with Mr Baku. (hypothetically of course!).

[CharlieH]

Reported conspiracy troll comment and responses removed.

[edwardflory]

I spent the night in Pattaya about 7 months ago.  I lived in Pattaya for 3 years - 3 years ago.

 

Visited WS on a Friday 21:00 and saw:

Tourist Police Van...2 Regular TP officers, 1 FTPA and 1 trainee FTPA ( Foreign TP Assistants ), 2 Thai TP Volunteers.......

3 years ago:

3 to 5 regular officers, 4 to 6 FTPA maybe a trainee, 10 to 12 Thai Volunteers.

 

BIG CHANGE!!

[NCC1701A]

A woman serves beer at a restaurant after the government eased nationwide lock down during the corona virus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Hanoi , Vietnam April 29, 2020. REUTERS

[redwood1]

13 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Wonder how much tax she paid on her 1,300,000 baht a month turnover?

Maybe someone from the Thai tax department should investigate.

Sir were you one of the kids that ratted on other kids in grade school?.....

[Sujo]

I didnt see where it said she was broke. I did see where she is closing up. No customers so why lose money.

[Soikhaonoiken]

15 hours ago, Pungdo said:

I suspect it was more like 4,000-5,000 per day, my wife struggles with 1,000's and 10,000's mixes them up all the time.

Yep I think your spot on,  I have friends who own bars on Soi7 and they say the profit after all expenses, ie, wages, rent, key money, etc, etc, is aprox 50,000B - 60,000B  per MONTH in high season. 

[bristolgeoff]

that kind of profit or money made,could have brought the building.money must be somewhere in cars phones or land at home.i agree 1 or 2 mths  closed  they will be back like many i believe

[ChaiyaTH]

She meant 40-50K per day during a few high season months only for sure. I been in that exact street so many times, also during the day and evening, and the places are almost empty all the time. No way you would be turning around those numbers, not even half of it, during most months of the year.

Perhaps she talks about how things still were a few years back. Makes sense for her to now close then too, it was off before COVID and she knows nothing will be back for another 6-12 months. That would be tossing away a lot of money she did save + she can get back in cheaper over time if desired.

Edited April 29, 2020 by ChaiyaTH

[bristolgeoff]

Many years ago i was in pattaya soi  8.Afternoon drink.near eastman hotel.saw a few junior police walking round the bars.i moved on and saw them again walking down the soi back to the station.they had a bottle each of JW black,ready for the nights drinking i imagine..no need to hide it  laughing and back to the station.those days are gone now for awhile  in pattaya

[daveAustin]

Not much sympathy for this lady to be fair. She's made decent coin (probably ripped off 'one or two' customers ), likely nothing what she touts of course, which is probably the most she took in one day. It's her employees I feel for and others with no pot to pee in. If she didn't parcel away some of her profits, then more fool her. But on the wrecking of the tourist industry thing against a minimal hit by corona (non conspiracy aside), it would be a convenient vehicle for a drab government to rid Pattaya once and for all of this type of activity.

[kiwikeith]

16 hours ago, petedk said:

50,000 a day = 1.5 million per month. I assume that is turnover, so say she made a profit of 750,000 a month. 

Surely she saved some money.

 

I think that often the figures are exaggerated.

A gamble or two, would empty the til, good news I hear for some is girl's are cheap at present just a nod and a wink away, and available as takeaways are allowed 

[Ron jeremy]

3 hours ago, Sujo said:

I didnt see where it said she was broke. I did see where she is closing up. No customers so why lose money.

She ain't stupid, if she was making that kind of cash she wouldn't be getting out of dodge. 

She sees the writing on the wall, it's a perfect time to get out. Many many places will be doing the same. Why would she open anytime soon, no one there to support her business, at least to a profitable degree

[RichardColeman]

Be interest

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai media went to Pattaya where they found Thongjan Seuppheng packing up her bar beer and salon business. 

Never found that bar, where you can get your hair cut and get drunk at the same time

[pattayadude]

18 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Note that a lot of businesses on Walking Street were having problems long before the virus and lockdown

agreed. In my humble opinion however, this is due to changing times, new generation of sex tourists having different interest and doing things different in sex cities than the generation before, ridiculously higher barfines,booze prices and price for sex in Pattaya compared to 80's, 90's and 2000's, new smartphone generation of agogo girls being more informed about the world therefore having a $hitty attitude about what they do for living and how they do it, ease of travel and being able to "work" in richer Asian(Singapore, Hong Kong) and Middle Eastern countries(Dubai, emirates) and make far more $$ than dancing aimlessly until wee hours of each morning in a club, changing demographics in Pattaya and finally landing chicks from internet dating apps, adult cam sites much easier and smoother than bars and clubs. The list goes on and on...

Edited April 29, 2020 by pattayadude

[DutchieDutch]

Like someone already said before, they want Chinese and Indiërs. Maybe nice that Walkingstreet is crowded with Indiërs but they spend no money. 

Same the Chinees, they come with millions and all they do is follow the vlag of the tourguide???? 99,9% will never see the inside of a (gogo) bar. They eat on the Chinees foodboats in the bay, so only the speedboat owners are Lucky. The Indiërs sleep with 5 persons in a 25m2 room and eat in Indian restaurants so they spend also not much. And the bar business was already slow, not because the strong Baht, but maybe because the stupid high prices. Almost nobody will pay about €4,5-€5,- for a bottle of beer when they in Europe, but here they just dare to ask that much. Asking 20-30 Baht for a game of pool!!! Barfines from 500 up to 2000baht??!! Try to take as much as possible from the farang customers, but many many owners/managers don't give a <deleted> about there establishments.Just take a look in some bars how worn and torn everything is, chairs bonded together with ducktape, toilets where you should be more scared to get a desease then unprotected sex. They forget that "we" bring $6,4 billion every year. But I know more and more people seek other Asian placed to stay and live. For $150 you get a year visa in Cambodia, no 90 daysreports and if you wanna work or start a business.... No problem, no 25 copies of everything to show at the I migration. Thailand overplayed their hands about the farangs and many put or already did all their eggs in the Chinese basket. 

 

[pattayadude]

The already wounded Walking Street will eventually collapse and Covid-19 will be the last straw that broke the camel's back

[petedk]

19 hours ago, Titan1962 said:

Not a bad little profit 1,300,000 a month less operating expenses.

say 1 million a month profit after expenses. 12 million a year x 4 years + 48 million baht. She should have enough to see her out.

I'm glad you agree with me. I was called a "bar stool financial expert" for saying the same.

 

One of our friends in Bangkok owns quite a large restaurant and a music school for kids. The clients are all wealthy Thai people and the prices of the food and tuition are based on that. I have no idea how much they earn, but she is complaining bitterly now that they have been closed for a month. 

 

Don't these people save for a rainy day?

Edited April 29, 2020 by petedk

[pattayadude]

2 minutes ago, petedk said:

I'm glad you agree with me. I was called a "bar stole accountant" for saying the same.

 

One of our friends in Bangkok owns quite a large restaurant and a music school for kids. The clients are all wealthy Thai people and the prices of the food and tuition are based on that. I have no idea how much they earn, but she is complaining bitterly now that they have been closed for a month. 

 

Don't these people save for a rainy day?

A millionaire's complaints is more ancient than the pyramids. Don't worry, they even have enough for their grandkid's rainy days

[fourpack]

Seems we are not allowed to be critical of the reporter for a wholey misleading article. Freedom of press but not for anyone else it seems

Edited April 30, 2020 by fourpack

[cmrichsw]

20 hours ago, Susco said:

 

And she still couldn't save a little to overcome a 1 - 2 month lockdown?

Believe it or not Susco not all people are as smart as you are. How many Thai's do you know that have a saving account other than a gold chain they can stash away sometimes. Your profile says senior I wonder what you really know about Thai people and the culture?? 

[ChipButty]

I would say she is being smart and cutting her losses whats the point of pouring money down a black hole?

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, Skallywag said:

Hopefully some will be torn down.  Too many dilapidated, unsafe buildings on Beach road, WS, and second road

And Third Rd, and Buakhao, and Arunothai, Bongkhot, Yume, heck, where isn't there?

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Thongjan told Thai PBS that she used to rake in 40-50,000 baht a day during her 12 noon -12 midnight opening hours

Sounds like BS to me. Maybe when the US navy was in town, but in low season, no way, IMO.

That collection of bar beers were the dodgiest in town, IMO and didn't get any more mongers than the other bar beers on better places like Soi 8.

 

IMO more likely her business was already failing and the shutdown was the last straw. Times have not been good for years due to city hall incompetence.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, petedk said:

Don't these people save for a rainy day?

No. Do you know much about Thainess? Que sera sera.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, DutchieDutch said:

And the bar business was already slow, not because the strong Baht, but maybe because the stupid high prices. Almost nobody will pay about €4,5-€5,- for a bottle of beer when they in Europe, but here they just dare to ask that much. Asking 20-30 Baht for a game of pool!!! Barfines from 500 up to 2000baht??!! Try to take as much as possible from the farang customers, but many many owners/managers don't give a <deleted> about there establishments.Just take a look in some bars how worn and torn everything is, chairs bonded together with ducktape,

Even Thai bars have overheads to pay. If the OP is right about the 100,000 baht a month rent that is hard to pay when few customers in the bar.

Can afford 600 quid + to fly to/from Thailand, but can't afford 30 baht for a game of pool? If that poor, why drinking in a bar and not on 7 11 steps?

 

1 hour ago, DutchieDutch said:

toilets where you should be more scared to get a desease then unprotected sex.

Always been that way.

 

1 hour ago, DutchieDutch said:

They forget that "we" bring $6,4 billion every year.

So what? It doesn't just get spent in a Pattaya bar. It's shared between millions of Thais.

 

1 hour ago, DutchieDutch said:

No problem, no 25 copies of everything to show at the I migration.

That may be correct, but immigration is not concerned about your holiday experience. Perhaps they should be, but they ain't.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, pattayadude said:

The already wounded Walking Street will eventually collapse and Covid-19 will be the last straw that broke the camel's back

Not if someone with a brain takes over Pattaya, but if not I fear you may be right. Not just Walking Street- everything from Naklua to Walking Street and from Beach to Second Rd/ Buakhao.

Edited April 30, 2020 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Be interest

Never found that bar, where you can get your hair cut and get drunk at the same time

Where did they say they were in the same space?