English Magazines

[bancha]

Hi all. What do you guys think of a bookstore with English magazines in Chiang Rai? My wife is not Thai, and we always have to go to

Chiang Mai to get her magazines in English. So we are thinking about opening a bookstore selling English magazines (not fictions like the one they already have in Asia books in Night Bazaar), just magazines, weekly and monthly. The problem is, will there be a demand for it? And is it enough for the bookstore of this sort to survive?Not to mention 1 magazine probably costs close to 300 baht. If we open it, it will be in the new Tops Supermarket in Aphi Square in the middle of July.

Thank you.

[Ulysses G.]

My feelings are that very few expats or tourists are willing to pay the high price for magazines and Chiang Rai doesn't have a lot of either, but giving it a try - and giving it some time so people know that they are available - are the only ways to know for sure.

[tayto]

My feelings are that very few expats or tourists are willing to pay the high price for magazines and Chiang Rai doesn't have a lot of either, but giving it a try - and giving it some time so people know that they are available - are the only ways to know for sure.

#I have to agree with Ulysses. The number of expats in Chiang rai isn't big enough to sustain this operation.

Many foreigners that are working and living here would be reluctant to fork out 300 baht for a magazine.

Heck, people here don't even want the free magazine that is available.

[toybits]

I subscribe to Time and Scientific American. Comes out a LOT cheaper. Get free gifts as well especially with TIME.

Other topics I am interested in such as Popular Mechanics or Popular Science, I can read off the web. Doesn't cost me anything. There is another bookstore at the Chiang Rai Airport but expensive.

Oh well... ces le vie... (hope I spelled that right)...

My feelings are that very few expats or tourists are willing to pay the high price for magazines and Chiang Rai doesn't have a lot of either, but giving it a try - and giving it some time so people know that they are available - are the only ways to know for sure.

#I have to agree with Ulysses. The number of expats in Chiang rai isn't big enough to sustain this operation.

Many foreigners that are working and living here would be reluctant to fork out 300 baht for a magazine.

Heck, people here don't even want the free magazine that is available.

[buddhafly]

i think its too tough mate. the market isnt there.

unless you can get the deal that shops in the US get which is you can return the magazine for a (partial? full?)refund if it doesnt sell.

[MrOzark]

I'll have to disagree with Tayto.

Having run both a community center and a magazine in Chiang Rai,

I can say from experience that many people are positive and enthusiastic

about reading material in English. The idea is good, and if planned properly,

perhaps with a coffee shop and/or enabling others to share or return read items...

Maybe combined with a net bar?

I'll be happy to work with you and others on this project, Bancha.

This would most likely happen with one person taking responsibility for the project,

with others supporting it in one way or another. There's quite a bit of cynicism in

CR, but its sources are impotent. I've met many that would be interested in

something like this.

[Joel Barlow]

A year or so after my first visit to ChiangRai, I went to Bali – my second trip to Indonesia. On the first, I saw only the docks of Jakarta; ‘communists’ in Bali were then being hunted down and killed.

As is well known, Bali offers exceptional beauty, and also night-life which has been disrupted by bombings. I don’t know if today’s bombers should be compared to yesteryear’s communists, but do know that, while the Balinese towns of Ubud and Kuta Beach aren’t all that distant geographically, they certainly are worlds apart, culturally. One’s an artist colony, with villas, terraced paddies and grace; the other has discos and tourists puking to greet the dawn as they stagger to their rooms from them. The airport is near Kuta.

What I’m getting at pertains to ChiangRai because of a parallel. There is much of beauty here, but it takes some effort to arrive where it can be noticed, both psychologically and physically. This TV.com forum regularly presents short postings I positing as parallel to Kuta’s dawn puke. As in, for instance, responses when I tried to direct someone critical of my not answering their question generously enough, to what I’ve posted elsewhere, in significant fashion easily found through google. As they say, no “good deed” shall go unpunished!

Years ago a European had a magazine rental shop by ChiangMai Gate in ChiangMai (no, that’s not redundant). It was there for years, and something like that might even outlast the brief duration of Mr Ozark’s magazine and “community center”. But ChiangRai is not conducive to successful flights of ego or profits taking. One can find much of value here, but it is not easily accessed through flashed cash – irritating to some, I know, and thus we have in this world violence of various natures, as has so horribly disrupted Bali on occasion (and this forum frequently).

[sceadugenga]

Hi all. What do you guys think of a bookstore with English magazines in Chiang Rai? My wife is not Thai, and we always have to go to

Chiang Mai to get her magazines in English. So we are thinking about opening a bookstore selling English magazines (not fictions like the one they already have in Asia books in Night Bazaar), just magazines, weekly and monthly. The problem is, will there be a demand for it? And is it enough for the bookstore of this sort to survive?Not to mention 1 magazine probably costs close to 300 baht. If we open it, it will be in the new Tops Supermarket in Aphi Square in the middle of July.

Thank you.

You'd need to carry other lines as well, what could be called "bread and butter" lines, while the magazines would be a sideline. Any English language magazine is expensive with import costs to go on top of that. There seems to be a wide range of shops selling Thai magazines in the area so competition will be strong if you carry them. Sounds as though you'd be happy just to cover your overheads anyway. Would going on the magazines mailing list... subscribing, be a better option?

I suppose by asking advice here at least you know who WONT be patronizing your shop now.

[jubby]

I would be interested in English magazines if I could afford them. Its highly unlikely that I could. Buying magazines was one of the little things that disapeared quickly on my ticklist when working out my budget for living in Thailand. I'd much rather spend the money on a evening out with my family.

Having said that, I would probably be interested in paying a small price for the magazines second hand, as part of a magazine & book exchange type business you could run alongside. If you where to buy them back from the Rich guy's after use. providing the pages weren't stuck together ;-)

If you could get hold of childrens books in english I would be interested as a way of supplementing the Thai education my children are receiving.

appologies if we already have a decent book exchange that i'm not aware of.

I would also probably buy a coffee or other beverage from you if allowed to browse said books & magazines. Could also become a meeting place for us as a change from the Bars. Don't know if any of this makes any business sense and don't really care, I'm just exercising whats left of my grey matter and chewing the cud as I don't get out much ;-)

cheers,

Jubby

[Totster]

As this thread is off topic somewhat and turned into a small flame war I'm going to close it.

For information - I have removed the off topic posts and flames.

Totster

Edited July 19, 2007 by Totster
Update regarding post removal