I used to have a job reviewing wine foer one of the papers. Nothing terribly fancy, but it did mean I used to go to the wine sections of supermarkets quite often. I'd be looking for specific things -- price, country of origin, year, grape variety etc -- but would spend most of my time fending off staff who would pick up random bottles and tell me how good they were. Questions about what it tasted like were always met with "Aroi!"

I tried the iPod technique, but usually ended up having to take out the earphones because a girl was standing in front of me holding a B2,000 bottle of Laotian diesel wine and insisting I bought it. Once or twice I snapped and asked the girls if they even liked wine. "Oh yes, wine is very good," would be the reply. What kind of wine do you like? "Red!" Brilliant.

I can honestly say shopping for wine in Thai supermarkets was one of the most unpleasant consumer experiences I've had here. Even worse than the "You can try!" girls holding up random pairs of yellow trousers while I'm browsing black shirts.

Lovely to have a whinge on a rainy Monday morning

PS: I've just remembered that I boycotted John Langford shirts because of one particularly obnoxious assistant at the Paragon concession. I used to buy half a dozen a year. I bet they're feeling the pinch now!

Edited June 29, 200917 yr by polecat

Shopping is one area where I have no complaints. The experience in Thailand is a lot better than many places I've been to.