I'm all for legal weed including recreational use but it occurs to me the number of weed shops in Pattaya has reached a level of ridiculouslous that would be hard to believe if we didn’t see it with our own eyes!

 

Many of them are quite large, in prime locations, with fancy signage.

 

No doubt they're all selling buds at highly inflated prices with consumers having no idea if there is ok value in it.

 

It's doesn’t take Warren Buffett to plainly see there is no way there is demand to justify all those shops in the tourism demographics visiting here.

 

No doubt many tourists will try some out as they might in Amsterdam but compare the reasonable number of coffee shops in Amsterdam to the out of control absurdity here.

 

Expats who like weed are finding lower priced alternatives online so they aren't supporting the tourist shops.

 

So even if weed stays legal and hopefully so when are we going to see a massive shakeout of this glut?

 

If you own such a shop, what are you thinking?

People on holiday probably don't care much about the prices if they want to get high.

 

Yes, there is a glut but what about the glut of bars for many years a number of them with few

if any customers.  But, new bars seem to open up consistently. 

Should have controlled it ( licensed it )

All going to implode soon.  silly billie's 

21 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

So even if weed stays legal and hopefully so when are we going to see a massive shakeout of this glut?

only high quality kraft will separate you from another supplier in cannabis. exclusive strains and strong pheno hunting are the tip of the spear. the rest will drown in the ocean of mids that you are talking about in these places. even most of these flashy stores you talk about are carrying for the most part low quality cannabis. 

 

the shakeout is happening as we speak. the market is crashing on low and mid quality flower. 

 

tricky thing is too that what many people believe is good quality really isn't. they just haven't been exposed to better quality flower.....which is out there but not a lot of it. 

 

14 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

People on holiday probably don't care much about the prices if they want to get high.

this is also a strong part of the equation in certain tourist spots here. someone from a country where weed is illegal gets to indulge here on holiday. they care not the price at all nor what true market value is. 

Thais always  go over the top OTT for business craze . look at sois with 4  7-11 in 100metres or 20 beauty shops or  phone shops  ,, they just copy each other until they are  cannibalising  each other business,, normal situaton in LOS

Already overheard someone say "great all these dispensaries but where do I get a meal"?

Fact is, landlords prefer dispensaries over restaurants and its easy to see why. Easy money, less fuss.
 

Soon we'll be hearing that the local police will "commence a crackdown" on the proliferation of legal and illegal weed shops, first they let you set up and then they come "cracking".  

4 minutes ago, liddelljohn said:

they just copy each other until they are  cannibalising  each other business,, normal situaton in LOS

You were faster.

And sure it will implode if the new government will tighten the rules even a bit.

2 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

And sure it will implode if the new government will tighten the rules even a bit.

lets hope so prices will skyrocket again. 

Recently I was in Jomtien at the Beach Road at night. Endless shops and in addition many street vendors. But also here in Central Pattaya there are very many.

I am guessing the growers are happy to financially sponsor friends and family to open shops and push the product, the money involved now must be staggering.

 

Seems like around Pratumnak a new one opens every week

21 minutes ago, Bassosa said:

Already overheard someone say "great all these dispensaries but where do I get a meal"?

Have you? Have you really?

 

Where was that, then? That the person you overheard wasn't able to find somewhere to eat?

41 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

People on holiday probably don't care much about the prices if they want to get high.

 

Yes, there is a glut but what about the glut of bars for many years a number of them with few

if any customers.  But, new bars seem to open up consistently. 

Money laundering? Or they like to burn their money? I don't understand this too. 

pity their lungs and brain cells... all on borrowed time 

Remember fish massage?

 

I've noticed a similar glut of Indian restaurants but more limited to certain neighborhoods and many Indian tourists do stick to Indian while abroad. 

Also I've noticed when you talk to the owners they often have other businesses going like import export.

Why would number of weed shops impact anyone? If you're not into weed just ignore them and walk on by (just like people ignore Gogo bars, Gentlemens clubs and beer bars if they're not into them)

25 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Remember fish massage?

Coffee Buns, ca. 2006

https://bk.asia-city.com/restaurants/article/battle-buns

 

After the fad, it always turns bad.

 

Who cares how many cannabis shops there are, or why people feel the need to open one?

 

This boom/bust retail phenomenon is just normal here. How many nail salons, hair salons, massage joints, conveninece stores...are really needed?

 

These storefronts would probably be vacant otherwise. Occupied shophouses are always better than vacant ones.

 

If Cannabis remains legal for personal use, additional controls will limit purchase to a physical retail store, and online advertising, sales and fulfillment will be illegal (they already are, but other than the agregators, this is not really enforced).

 

 

12 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

Why would number of weed shops impact anyone? If you're not into weed just ignore them and walk on by (just like people ignore Gogo bars, Gentlemens clubs and beer bars if they're not into them)

Fair point.

 

I fear such gluts will add fuel to.the fire of Thais wanting to relist cannabis as a narcotic with them feeling it is giving Thailand a bad international reputation. 

 

Also I would like to see more variety in entrepreneurs taking risks. Most of these weed shops are probably going to fail. Suppose someone took a chance and opened just ONE Ethiopian restaurant here that yes would probably fail but if it didn’t would be a cultural improvement to the city? Also a great kind of food to enjoy while baked!

 

The Thai copycat thing is not wonderful.

The market will correct itself as it does with bars, massage shops, coffee shops and restaurants. The best survive, the rest die away, sometimes slowly. Large chains seem to be in play and they will be hard to shift. The low season should thin out smaller sellers but every week I see more not less.

I think an MFP Government will leave the topic alone; it doesn't show on their list of priorities. If the old guard somehow retain power they will need help from Anutin's BJT, as they do now, so they will turn a blind eye too.

The Thai government, whether by design or accident, has created an astoundingly dynamic free-market in weed. Given time, the free market will work its magic and the best businesses will thrive while the ones selling overpriced or poor quality ganja will close. Unless the politicians decide they can make some money by interfering, of course. Just enjoy it while we can, I'm not into smoking but I love a chocolate hash brownie on occasion. My Thai builder doesn't smoke or drink alcohol, but he swears by adding some hash to his food.

Typical of what you see in Pattaya, open 100 weed shops\bars when only 10 needed, same bars, massage shops, Indian shops

1 hour ago, 3NUMBAS said:

pity their lungs and brain cells... all on borrowed time 

50 yrs of daily puffing. Still play 60+ football - lungs OK. Brain cells functioning at least as well as yours. When's that stuff gonna happen? 90+? ????????????

The great economist, philosopher, entrepreneur, conservationist, script editor and all round nice guy, Douglas Adams had this to say on the subject....

 

The Shoe Event Horizon is an economic theory that draws a correlation between the level of economic (and emotional) depression of a society and the number of shoe shops the society has.

The theory is summarized as such: as a society sinks into depression, the people of the society need to cheer themselves up by buying themselves gifts, often shoes. It is also linked to the fact that when you are depressed you look down at your shoes and decide they aren't good enough quality so buy more expensive replacements. As more money is spent on shoes, more shoe shops are built, and the quality of the shoes begins to diminish as the demand for different types of shoes increases. This makes people buy more shoes.

The above turns into a vicious cycle, causing other industries to decline.

Eventually the titular Shoe Event Horizon is reached, where the only type of store economically viable to build is a shoe shop. At this point, society ceases to function, and the economy collapses, sending a world spiralling into ruin.

 

9 minutes ago, champers said:

I think an MFP Government will leave the topic alone; it doesn't show on their list of priorities.

It's there, #17 Re-listing of marijuana as cintrolled (sic) substance and introduced laws to regulated beneficial use of cannabis.

 

 

The number of coffee shops <noodles shops, smartphone kiosks, etc> has reached absurd levels, but Mr. Market takes care of that in his own due time.
Same with cannabis shops.  Mr. Market will shake out the weak and unprofitable. 

Mr, Mrs, and Miss Free Market just need to kick back and watch. 

Just send a strongly worded letter to Chuwit quoting the lack of soapy breasts on offer these days that should do the trick ???? 

4 minutes ago, RayWright said:

The great economist, philosopher, entrepreneur, conservationist, script editor and all round nice guy, Douglas Adams had this to say on the subject....

 

The Shoe Event Horizon is an economic theory that draws a correlation between the level of economic (and emotional) depression of a society and the number of shoe shops the society has.

The theory is summarized as such: as a society sinks into depression, the people of the society need to cheer themselves up by buying themselves gifts, often shoes. It is also linked to the fact that when you are depressed you look down at your shoes and decide they aren't good enough quality so buy more expensive replacements. As more money is spent on shoes, more shoe shops are built, and the quality of the shoes begins to diminish as the demand for different types of shoes increases. This makes people buy more shoes.

The above turns into a vicious cycle, causing other industries to decline.

Eventually the titular Shoe Event Horizon is reached, where the only type of store economically viable to build is a shoe shop. At this point, society ceases to function, and the economy collapses, sending a world spiralling into ruin.

 

This reminds me of when I visited Madrid.

There was a district that seemed to have nothing but shoes.

Of course I bought a pair.. Turned out to be too tight.

7 minutes ago, connda said:

The number of coffee shops <noodles shops, smartphone kiosks, etc> has reached absurd levels, but Mr. Market takes care of that in his own due time.
Same with cannabis shops.  Mr. Market will shake out the weak and unprofitable. 

Mr, Mrs, and Miss Free Market just need to kick back and watch. 

Yeah sure.

The myth of free markets kind of like a religion innit.

Like the alcohol market here.

"The number of weed shops in Pattaya has reached absurd levels!"

 

Let me know when it reaches the level of 'P4P' shops, as not been there in a while, and need a reference point ????

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

"The number of weed shops in Pattaya has reached absurd levels!"

 

Let me know when it reaches the level of 'P4P' shops, as not been there in a while, and need a reference point ????

Good point. I don’t notice them any more but at least with those there is a well proven demand.