The Massage Chair and Market Stall Effect

Having returned to Thailand after a 6 month sabbatical I noticed there is a clear sign of the economic health of a city or province when you arrive.   When you visit shopping malls once filled with bustling independent retail chains like Amorn, Bata, Mr DIY you suddenly find they have been replaced by space filled by market stalls or automatic massage chairs. 

Those stores still open have reduced staff levels and moved remaining stock lines around to make gaps less obvious.  Thailand is not alone with grappling with the ongoing impact of the Covid epidemic or the Ukraine war which has left no country unaffected and the growth of internet shopping  and the ease of home delivery all have caused a radical change to our shopping habits.

In the UK our high streets have been blighted by all of the above coupled with the banks closing branches at an incredible rate leading to shops being boarded up or changed to charity shops or tattoo parlours which leads to town centre degradation.

I'd hate to see Thailand go the same way so am interested to hear how people think local business confidence can be regenerated and how the expat community can help in this respect.