16 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I saw most of these girls, and a lot more, tonight. It was up to me how many of them I wanted to buy a drink.

I want to see any place in S of France where you can see so many sexy girls in one place - and play with them if you like.

Oh look at all these girls that are prettier than Thailand miss universe ????

Wow, really?

 

Yes, the drinks in a bar are higher than other alcohol delivery methods. You're covering the bar's tremendous overhead, and renting a spot to park your behind. Yes, in tough times they're going to raise prices. They certainly won't give discounts and lose even more money. No, discounts won't pack in more customers, with their limited customer base. Even in non-Covid times, they don't cater to the general Thai public, and the slow seasons are killer.

 

For lady drinks, you're paying for the company of a lovely lady, and they're actually only the starting price. If you're hitting it off and enjoying her time, then absolutely you should tip her. Otherwise move on. If you're really enjoying it, then pay the barfine.

 

Happily married now, but I had partaken quite a bit back in the day following my first arrival. That first taxi ride to lower Suk. My God. After years of my dystopian American home state, where it used to be you couldn't just get the time of day, and now looking at them the wrong way lands you with assault charges. Hah! Thank you, Amazing Thailand.

11 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

 

For lady drinks, you're paying for the company of a lovely lady, and they're actually only the starting price. If you're hitting it off and enjoying her time, then absolutely you should tip her. Otherwise move on. If you're really enjoying it, then pay the barfine.

 

 

 

Had end of year work party last night in a small place near work (bout halfway between BKK and PTY), 100% Thai place it was (much like the whole area)... some tasty candy on hand to have sit and chat with (defo no touching).... drinks for the lady were 300b, thank <deleted> the boss was paying !!

 

we were a party of 30, there was easily 100 people in the place with every table having atleast 2 pieces of candy swilling green cordial.

I gave up on Nana Plaza a couple years ago, Ladies older and drink prices a lot higher than Pattaya

21 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I gave up on Nana Plaza a couple years ago, Ladies older and drink prices a lot higher than Pattaya

Nana changes constantly. I.e. a couple of years ago the 3rd floor was mostly not used or boring. At that time Angel Witch was one of the best and best visited bars. That was when Matt was still the boss. Fast forward to now. The best two bars are in the 3rd floor. Yesterday night I had a look into Angel Witch. I think one girl was on stage and no customers at all. And that was Friday night maybe 10pm.

Many of the bars changed. Some are a little better than before, some are boring, and a lot are closed. Let's wait and see what will happen in 2021.

So a night out with some buddies is planned and they complain about the price of a $5 beer and decide to quit?

I probably would have paid the entire bill and left everyone in the wind nothing more annoying to me then a group of fun killing complaining cheap charlies.

33 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

So a night out with some buddies is planned and they complain about the price of a $5 beer and decide to quit?

I probably would have paid the entire bill and left everyone in the wind nothing more annoying to me then a group of fun killing complaining cheap charlies.

Yes. But to be fair going out and having some fun is now (since a few years) a lot more expensive than it used to be.

Obviously most things get more expensive over time. But with some we notice it more than with others. If some people don't go out much then they often have old prices in their mind and are disappointed that almost everything gets more expensive.

Watching from afar (here in the UK) it is interesting to watch vlogs from those who live in Thailand but outside of BKK and visit the city. One vlogger was astounded that in Pattaya a small beer could be a little as 40 Baht but on soi 4 (BKK) it was something like 100 Baht plus. Most of my stays (4x each year) are in BKK so my surprise is in reverse. However, anywhere in the UK or the World in general, if any form of entertainment is provided I expect to pay more and more again in a Capital city. If you follow the ads/balloon chasers there are cheap venues at given times if you want them. Just as there are a good deal more expensive ones - check some of the Sky Bars or the hip-Thai-centric ones often in Glossy Bangkok focused magazines. (Think Instagram rather than getting hammered drunk though!)

 

Thai bar trade is the same as others the World over. They will not be unique if they price themselves out, as on trend areas shift to another part of the city - ad infinitum. The trick is to be aware of how/where the trend is moving. In my (UK) Town we use cost of drinks to deter and maintain the ambience of the establishment but offers may be there to those in the know. Mates rates as we call them.

 

However, the likes of Soi 4 / Nana and SC being farang-tourist focused currently face a big struggle as I am being shown/hearing about from people I know within. Tourism may not happen on any scale, or at all in 2021, and since my first trip to BKK in 2003 it is noticeable how many people I knew who lived there have died (often relatively young in UK terms) or returned "home" due to health issues. Out of interest I visit my regular BKK haunts when there but sprinkle these with any new venue I may be passing if appropriate. I cannot say if these will survive or price themselves out but Thais seem oblivious to the exchange rates but foreign managers should not be. For these, focusing on the expat and Thai community is vital. And since I've heard of one owner of multiple BKK bars losing more than a million THB a month - I would suggest a necessity.

Looking for a moderately priced beer in Soi 4, try the Bus Stop bar it was 80 or 85 a small bottle a couple of months ago. 

11 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure you know the principle of private and confidential information.

When a bar owner tells me these numbers and he asked me to keep that info private and confidential then I keep it private and confidential.

 

I can tell you I visited enough bars in the last 20 years in Thailand and I was still shocked by how much rent and key money they have to pay these days. Even in per-covid times they had to make a lot of money to pay these rents. And obviously it's not enough if they have a couple of busy Fridays and Saturdays. The rent has to be paid for every day. Also those empty Mondays and Tuesdays.

I'm surprised the property owners have not reduced the rent to help the businesses stay on their feet. One massage shop in Chiang Rai has had its rent halved post-COVID.

If I was still chasing tail, I would not be wasting my time and money on bars, lady drinks, and barfines. There are more than enough good-looking massage shop workers and caddies to go around, and many are quite happy to supplement their income. I still get the occasional proposition.

I was amused a few weeks ago in the massage shop, one of the women there who is quite attractive was massaging a middle-aged Thai. After they had finished, they both left the shop. I asked the owner, who was massaging me, where they were going. She said " Coffee, then short-time hotel".

7 hours ago, moobie said:

since my first trip to BKK in 2003 it is noticeable how many people I knew who lived there have died (often relatively young in UK terms) or returned "home" due to health issues.

believe it or not, heavy drinking every day isn't healthy, I guess many ran out of money partially due to the drinking and knock on consequences

10 hours ago, moobie said:

I cannot say if these will survive or price themselves out but Thais seem oblivious to the exchange rates but foreign managers should not be. For these, focusing on the expat and Thai community is vital. And since I've heard of one owner of multiple BKK bars losing more than a million THB a month - I would suggest a necessity.

Do lower prices mean more profit? No!

Some customers always look for cheap prices. And they go to a new place when the prices are lower than in another cheap place. So to attract these customers the prices must be really low. And really low means making very little profit...

 

Some bars have and had happy hour prices. The original idea was to attract customers i.e. before 7pm with low prices and then hopefully at least some of them would stay and continue drinking with normal prices after 7pm.

The problem with that concept is that many cheap Charlies leave the moment the normal prices start again or they order 3 beers 5 minutes before the end of happy hour. 

And the often regular customers who stay after happy hour don't really care too much about happy hour. They would also have paid the full price before 7pm.

So what's the point of lowering prices to rock bottom?

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I'm surprised the property owners have not reduced the rent to help the businesses stay on their feet.

Some have reduced the rent, some even a lot. But other property owners demand the original amount.

The problem is that even with half the rent it's still a struggle these days.

 

On 12/19/2020 at 1:37 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

If you want cheap beer why don't you go to 7/11?

On my way now.....

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

believe it or not, heavy drinking every day isn't healthy, I guess many ran out of money partially due to the drinking and knock on consequences

I knew a guy in Chiang Mai who had been a heavy drinker. The doctors had told him the next drink would kill him, had chronic fatigue syndrome. The last couple of months of his life he spent s###ting blood, went back to New Zealand. Committed suicide in a motel room in Auckland, dead broke.

I've also seen one other who came back to the condo after a night out, fell down some stairs and broke his neck. Died where he fell.

You're right, it isn't healthy.

20 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Some have reduced the rent, some even a lot. But other property owners demand the original amount.

The problem is that even with half the rent it's still a struggle these days.

 

IMO the ones who are still demanding the full rent will find the tenant closing up the business, and then they won't be able to get another tenant under current conditions. Som nam na.

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

IMO the ones who are still demanding the full rent will find the tenant closing up the business, and then they won't be able to get another tenant under current conditions. Som nam na.

That's obviously the gamble. But if a bar owner just paid a 8 digit amount key money to get another contract for 3 years he will think twice if he will walk away.

17 hours ago, 473geo said:

Guys here is how you have a good night out, put 10,000 baht in your pocket and go and spend it!! Your only worry should be, having to take your bank card as it might not be enough ????????

I used to do that but I was getting 45-50 to a euro the BF was 500 and long time was 1500.you know the rest.

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's obviously the gamble. But if a bar owner just paid a 8 digit amount key money to get another contract for 3 years he will think twice if he will walk away.

True enough, but if he paid out that key money recently and locked himself into a 3 year contract it does not say much for his business acumen.

I don't know what the situation is in Bangkok, but rents in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are falling off a cliff.

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

True enough, but if he paid out that key money recently and locked himself into a 3 year contract it does not say much for his business acumen.

I don't know what the situation is in Bangkok, but rents in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are falling off a cliff.

About a year ago, just before Covid. Yeah, that was bad timing - in hindsight. 

28 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

About a year ago, just before Covid. Yeah, that was bad timing - in hindsight. 

It's sometimes just sheer good or bad luck. I left Australia for Thailand in February two weeks before Australia closed its borders to anyone going in - or out. I think Thailand closed one or two weeks later. I was very lucky.

An inflammatory post and the replies have been removed.

12 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Yes. But to be fair going out and having some fun is now (since a few years) a lot more expensive than it used to be.

Obviously most things get more expensive over time. But with some we notice it more than with others. If some people don't go out much then they often have old prices in their mind and are disappointed that almost everything gets more expensive.

This time last year I was home visiting friends and family, the money I spent in one night going out on the town pays the rent on my house here..... Yeah Thailand aint expensive..well maybe for those stooges living pension check to pension check.

Not long back from a trip to Pattaya,  walked around looking  in the bars, had a couple of beers....I thought my wifes  mother and all her mates     were occupying the bar stools, Im not saying they were old mind you. !!     I even saw  one I recall from years past, when she   looked after a local bar during the  day, as she was past her prime then, now she had on the red silk dress and fresh lipstick,   that made me   get a double  whisky to revive me.   But hey,  the  posts on You Tube show them as young, vibrant, beautiful, it must be just me thats wrong.

1 hour ago, Techno Viking said:

This time last year I was home visiting friends and family, the money I spent in one night going out on the town pays the rent on my house here..... Yeah Thailand aint expensive..well maybe for those stooges living pension check to pension check.

I live as well as I want to on 50,000 baht/month average. That includes support for my Thai GF.

Living in Australia, I would not have a GF 23 years younger than me, and more than half of the 50K would be going in rent.

 

1 hour ago, HAPPYNUFF said:

Not long back from a trip to Pattaya,  walked around looking  in the bars, had a couple of beers....I thought my wifes  mother and all her mates     were occupying the bar stools, Im not saying they were old mind you. !!     I even saw  one I recall from years past, when she   looked after a local bar during the  day, as she was past her prime then, now she had on the red silk dress and fresh lipstick,   that made me   get a double  whisky to revive me.   But hey,  the  posts on You Tube show them as young, vibrant, beautiful, it must be just me thats wrong.

I guess this photo was taken 20 years ago, then.

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I guess this photo was taken 20 years ago, then.

I don't know, I wasn't in Pattaya for a long time. But I know this picture is from yesterday or the day before. I like it.

20 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I guess this photo was taken 20 years ago, then.

This is a recent photo. The woman on the left I met when she was working as wait staff in Hooters on Silom (now shuttered). I subsequently learned she is rather famous and long worked in a club in LK Metro in Pattaya. She is not someone a person would easily forget.

 

Obviously she was working with more than original equipment, but she was lovely and also quite friendly in Hooters. Her English was excellent, she had a good sense of humor, and was just a delight. She was the kind of employee one would like in a customer-contact role. In my 30-45 minutes of dining, I came to think she would be well suited to work corporate PR and is certainly capable of positions much more demanding that wait staff (though that is demanding in its own way). She gave the impression of being quite intelligent. Physically she is even more striking than the photo.

 

I became suspicious of her possible fame when most every male in the place asked to take a selfie with her. She went by the name of Su or Suki. Both the Universe and perhaps a plastic surgeon or two were very kind to her.

19 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure you know the principle of private and confidential information.

When a bar owner tells me these numbers and he asked me to keep that info private and confidential then I keep it private and confidential.

Why? No one knows it'd have come from you, you're anonymous! 

 

If it's so confidential that you're not prepared to back it up after announcing it on a public forum, why even mention it, that doesn't give your assertion any crediblity.  It's ironic that you're asking me if I understand the concept of confidentiality when it is you who brought up the subject using "confidential" information on a public forum.

 

If a bar owner really gave you that much specific information in a bar that he wanted to be private why would he tell you in the first place?  Doesn't make any sense.  I'm not doubting that the speculation may be correct but I am doubting that bar owners are actually confirming that information to their customers, you, and expecting it to not be discussed.

On 12/19/2020 at 1:18 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

I saw most of these girls, and a lot more, tonight. It was up to me how many of them I wanted to buy a drink.

I want to see any place in S of France where you can see so many sexy girls in one place - and play with them if you like.

No uneducated farm girls in the south of France...lots of East Europeans and Africans I've heard.