Especially at the 7/11 opposite the police station in Koh Phangan. Fortunately there was a policeman standing next to me when I counted my change, which was 100baht short. He waited with me while the girl who had served me returned , she had handed me my change with no bill and disappeared immediately, before I had a chance to check the change. The policeman also told me that I could check the CCTV if she didn't pay me when she returned. She paid me of course.

 

Thank you for this advice, just to reciprocate, don't eat yellow snow.

You're welcome.

There was a trick a while back when Samui was not so developed. (No supermarkets, only a few of ATM's etc.)

The staff in a couple of the local mum and pop stores would hold back the small shrapnel.

When I challenged them on that 'You are farang. You tip.' was the response.

Pleased to say that it has not happened for a very long time.

However, many shop staff keep the satang coins these days.

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

There was a trick a while back when Samui was not so developed. (No supermarkets, only a few of ATM's etc.)

The staff in a couple of the local mum and pop stores would hold back the small shrapnel.

When I challenged them on that 'You are farang. You tip.' was the response.

Pleased to say that it has not happened for a very long time.

However, many shop staff keep the satang coins these days.

The Electricity company still does it

Unfortunately you should count your change every where you go.  Things like this can and does happen all over.  Not just  Thailand. 

I just hold my hand out and count the change in front of the assistant then give a wai, I have been undercharged as well as short changed. Sometimes it is a genuine mistake and I believe the assistants have to pay any shortage from the till so I just make sure all is correct

7-11s are generally good, but recently got shafted for 100 baht by bent staff member. Thought it odd that change amount didn’t appear on the till at the time, and it was a rare occasion that I hadn’t totted up in my head or counted the change. Only realised later and thinking back this particular person has done it before. Walked back in there at a future date and in front of everyone pointed at her doing the ‘looking at you with the eyes’ thing and proclaimed “I know what you did!” 
Might not have made a difference as a thief is a thief, but at least she lost a bit of face and knows that someone knows how clever she is not. 

3 hours ago, Asquith Production said:

I just hold my hand out and count the change in front of the assistant then give a wai, I have been undercharged as well as short changed. Sometimes it is a genuine mistake and I believe the assistants have to pay any shortage from the till so I just make sure all is correct

Why do you feel the need to wai the shop assistant.They are service staff most lickly half your age.Unless they do somrthing outstanding you are just makeing yourself look foolish.What,s next walking into a gogo bar and waing all the girl,s on stage🤣🤣🤣

3 hours ago, Asquith Production said:

I just hold my hand out and count the change in front of the assistant then give a wai, 

 

   Do you shake a shop assistants  hand when they give  you change back home ?

Pay from your phone with a QR code. No change. Problem solved. 

22 minutes ago, chris carre said:

Why do you feel the need to wai the shop assistant.They are service staff most lickly half your age.Unless they do somrthing outstanding you are just makeing yourself look foolish.What,s next walking into a gogo bar and waing all the girl,s on stage🤣🤣🤣

 

18 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Do you shake a shop assistants  hand when they give  you change back home ?

 If you think of the wai as a gesture of goodwill and respect, there is absolutely nothing wrong with waiing someone in a situation where it might not customarily be done. For a foreigner to do it it shows respect and awareness of Thai cultural and can be thought of as rapport building through body language. Mocking a fellow foreigner for making an effort to build cross-cultural respect and rapport is uncalled for. You are not the almighty authorities on Thai culture that you apparently believe yourselves to be.

33 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Do you shake a shop assistants  hand when they give  you change back home ?

I dont. Did I say I did here?

5 hours ago, chris carre said:

Why do you feel the need to wai the shop assistant.They are service staff most lickly half your age.Unless they do somrthing outstanding you are just makeing yourself look foolish.What,s next walking into a gogo bar and waing all the girl,s on stage🤣🤣🤣

I show respect, just because they are half my age does not mean I should not. I mean I could disrespect your spelling but I will give it a miss 

They are service staff most lickly half your age  Freudian slip?

You don't wai the shop assistant, bellhop or the person guarding the entrance to the subway station  It is inappropriate and it makes them uncomfortable, and we know how Thais feel about that.

My language teacher in BKK told us how she cringed when she saw tourists giving out wais to the people sweeping the streets outside Central World.

It's good to want to show respect in Thailand, but a smile and a nod goes a long way. 

 

 

On 12/15/2023 at 8:11 AM, Asquith Production said:

I just hold my hand out and count the change in front of the assistant then give a wai, I have been undercharged as well as short changed. Sometimes it is a genuine mistake and I believe the assistants have to pay any shortage from the till so I just make sure all is correct

No need to wai as you are probably doing it wrong. Have you ever seen a Thai waiing in a 7/11? Just a nod and thank you suffices.. 

On 12/15/2023 at 10:54 AM, gargamon said:

Pay from your phone with a QR code. No change. Problem solved. 

 

Oh the anti-cashless brigade are going to take umbrage at your blaspheme....   

 

.... How dare you hold up the boomers behind you with such digital sorcery....   

 

 

On 12/15/2023 at 11:54 AM, gargamon said:

Pay from your phone with a QR code. No change. Problem solved. 

Nonsense 

58 minutes ago, still kicking said:

On 12/15/2023 at 10:54 AM, gargamon said:

Pay from your phone with a QR code. No change. Problem solved. 

Nonsense 

 

What you think you'll get short changed when using PromptPay or TrueMoneyWallet ???? 

 

Quick, simply and efficient for most (but the slowest boomers).... the Digital payment is the most accurate and simple and completely eradicates the short-changing issues that people often report. 

15 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Quick, simply and efficient for most (but the slowest boomers).

That is not true for most people that I am stuck behind in the queues at BigC.

They play with their phones for ages. Some eventually give up and pull out a credit card (yawn).

I have cash ready (and BigC card) and out in seconds.

 

 

They count my change 3 times... I count it 3 times when handed to me.

15 hours ago, claffey said:

No need to wai as you are probably doing it wrong. Have you ever seen a Thai waiing in a 7/11? Just a nod and thank you suffices.. 

I do what I want. No harm to it. 

That's why I withdraw money from ATMs in 400 baht chunks, to get only 100 baht notes, for small purchases. Less chance of short changing when you have to pay for example 140 baht and you give them 200 baht instead of 1000 baht.

 

And yes, I have a Thai bank account and all-ATM-no-fee debit card.

 

P.S. I miss the time when we could pay at 7-11 any amount by credit card, not just 200 baht up like it is now.

On 12/15/2023 at 6:24 AM, swm59nj said:

Unfortunately you should count your change every where you go.  Things like this can and does happen all over.  Not just  Thailand. 

 

That's why I prefer paying by credit card whenever possible. In the good old times, I payed even 10 baht at 7-11 by credit card.

18 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

That's why I withdraw money from ATMs in 400 baht chunks, to get only 100 baht notes, for small purchases. Less chance of short changing when you have to pay for example 140 baht and you give them 200 baht instead of 1000 baht.

 

And yes, I have a Thai bank account and all-ATM-no-fee debit card.

 

P.S. I miss the time when we could pay at 7-11 any amount by credit card, not just 200 baht up like it is now.

 

Spend 200 up ya tight wad.... stop ya whinging.

10 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Quick, simply and efficient for most (but the slowest boomers).

That is not true for most people that I am stuck behind in the queues at BigC.

They play with their phones for ages. Some eventually give up and pull out a credit card (yawn).

I have cash ready (and BigC card) and out in seconds.

 

I have my phone out ready and pay in seconds and so do most people I see.

 

Perhaps a little confirmation bias on both our sides when we see a slower person on front of us.

 

That slow person you see playing on your phone for ages, is also the slow person who takes an age to get their wallet out and find the note or coins they want to pay with....  the very same sort up person who walks up to their condo / house door and only then starts digging for their keys....  

 

IF you are are the sort of person who has their 'cash out ready' when at the check-out at Big-C... You are also the sort of person who's efficient enough to have the PromptPay App ready to go as soon as the QR code pops up (as most of us are).

 

Thats not to suggest you should use PromptPay, thats entirely your choice, but it is to balance out the discussion of 'slow payers' and digital payment being made for additional queues at check-outs... I don't see it that way, I just see some people are slow, whatever the payment means. 

4 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

That's why I withdraw money from ATMs in 400 baht chunks, to get only 100 baht notes, for small purchases. Less chance of short changing when you have to pay for example 140 baht and you give them 200 baht instead of 1000 baht.

 

And yes, I have a Thai bank account and all-ATM-no-fee debit card.

 

P.S. I miss the time when we could pay at 7-11 any amount by credit card, not just 200 baht up like it is now.

 

TrueMoney Wallet... No need to carry around all those 20, 50, 100 baht notes in the first place. 

 

In a very thin, unobtrusive wallet, I carry around 1000 baht and 2x 100 baht in notes (which is very rarely touched)... the 1000 Baht is just incase the phone dies... the 200 Baht is for taxi's if I can't get a Grab / Bolt.