Ripped Off At Markets?

[dknight]

Hey guys,

Wondering if you guys have any experience with the markets in Bangtao / Cherntalay.

I'm here in Bangtao for 6 months and was hoping to find some decent local suppliers for fresh fruit/veg/meat/fish, at some fairly reasonable prices.

I hit the night market last night and ended up dropping close to 1,500 on fruit and veg. To give you an idea on what I got for the money, here's a few things...

Fruit Stall:

- 3 small mangoes

- 3 big mangos

- small bag of mandarins

TOTAL: 280 Bht

- half a watermelon

- large papaya

TOTAL: 120 Bht

Veg Stall:

- 5 spring onions

- small bag of chillis

- handful of coriander

- 2 small egg plants/aubergines

- handful of ear mushrooms

- 1 onion

- 1 potato

- small packet of baby corn

TOTAL: 220 Bht

I had the general notion that living here would be 5x cheaper than the UK (maybe 2-3 times with current exchange rates)... but it seems that many of these prices are either on par, or just slightly cheaper.

Does the above look normal, or do you think there's any 'tourist pricing' going on here?

Any recommendations of where to shop (especially for good quality meat) would be gratefully received.

Cheers!

David

[phuketrex]

Go into Surin to the local market there where all the muslims shop. Should be far cheaper. Go buy the exact same things there and do a comparison. Bang Tao is not a cheap area...prices are loaded because it is so close to Laguna.

Veg Stall:

- 5 spring onions

- small bag of chillis

- handful of coriander

- 2 small egg plants/aubergines

- handful of ear mushrooms

- 1 onion

- 1 potato

- small packet of baby corn

TOTAL: 220 Bht

That is VERY expensive. I would get ALL of that for 100baht or less at the MaeUbol market in Patong.

I guess there weren't many Thais at the market? If there were then they wouldn't have been paying those prices and you had FAT added...Farang Added Tax.

Edited January 6, 2009 by phuketrex

[billd766]

I have no experience in the markets where you are as I live in the Central region of Thailand, however what I did is just follow the locals to see what they bought and get a rough idea of the prices. Grab a phrase book and mug up on local shopping and then just ask "an ni, tao rai" which basically is how much is that one. "an non tao rai", how much is that one? If you think the price is too high, just say "an ni paeng" which is thats expensive.

If you do it with a smile and pleasantly nobody will mind and you should get it cheaper.

Fruit Stall:

- 3 small mangoes I havent bought any recently but mangos are a bit expensive here as they are not in season where I live

- 3 big mangos

- small bag of mandarins probably about 20 baht

TOTAL: 280 Bht

- half a watermelon No more than 40 baht

- large papaya about the same

TOTAL: 120 Bht

Veg Stall:

- 5 spring onions about 15 baht

- small bag of chillis about 15 baht

- handful of coriander no idea

- 2 small egg plants/aubergines maybe 15 to 20 baht

- handful of ear mushrooms about 20 baht

- 1 onion about 5 baht

- 1 potato 10 to 15 baht depending on size

- small packet of baby corn no idea

TOTAL: 220 Bht

I haven't been to the market for a few days so I base that on the last time I went.

I suspect that if my Thai had been charged that much she would have let the traders know in no uncertain terms and walked away. She always gets stuff cheaper than me as

a) she is Thai

she is a woman

c) if she thinks she is paying too much she has an interesting vocabulary

d) at 43 she has been around a few years and was buying food from the market at 8 or 9 and then going home to cook for the family.

Good for her then and good for me now as she is a good cook and runs her own shop and noodle stall.

:D

[huggybear]

you had FAT added...Farang Added Tax.

Excellent !!! Haven't heard that one before.

[canadianmonkey]

when u go to the market bring 400baht with you, it should get you 4-5bags easily.. if it doesnt tell them they are scammers and ask for the real price

seriously i dont think i have seen a single item over 35baht at the market

[neverdie]

dk,

You have been touched for a few baht, I think its probably happened to most of us at some time.

At the moment, mangos are a little bit expensive, I bought a couple the other day, medium sized for 60 baht (however we also got sticky rice & sweet sauce) with them. Yum! I have noticed mandarins are also expensive at the moment, the other day i saw some for 300 baht per kg.

As for the rest:-

half a watermelon - 40 baht,

large papaya - 30 to 40 baht,

the rest of your listed stash about 90/100 baht - NO MORE, depending on the size of your hands i guess . We buy Corriander and other bunches of spices - 3 small bunches - 10 baht.

we buy the veggies every couple of days because i like em fresh, i'm not sure about how much thai you speak, but you may need to change stalls, also helps if you can speak thai, count fluently & voice your objection if you think you are being ripped off.

don't know if it will help you, but we also pay about 120 baht per kg for pork meat & chicken breast. Can't help you with seafood, i generally get that for free.

Good luck for ur next shop.

[dknight]

Awesome, thanks guys. Definitely sounds like I got slammed a bit there!

I'll check out the market in Surin, good tip there, thanks.

The odd thing was, there were TONS of thais at the market... I guess they're just very selective with their pricing when they hand over the calculator!!

[Zpete]

I go to markets, only buy where prices are on display, or take my Lil Thai gal.

[GraemeF]

I use the bangtao/chergntalay markest a lot when in phuket and while I expect to pay a bit of 'FAT' have always found them to be reasonable and not taking the P@$s

[phuketrex]

don't know if it will help you, but we also pay about 120 baht per kg for pork meat & chicken breast.

You're kidding aren't you? It's 62baht a kilo in Carrefour..for 3 pieces today I just paid 51.75baht for .834kg.

[Ping]

Many citrus fruits that you are used to at home (eg mandarines, lemons and oranges (the orange coloured ones!) are far dearer in Thailand than Oz and probably most other places. Obviously, because few Thais eat them (or they are considered 'luxury' items) and most - not all - market/supermarket items that only farang eat are usually far dearer than your home country's prices. So when you get a mixed bag of stuff that Thais eat and stuff that many do not, it will affect your overall parcel price and (unless you are aware of this price distinction) may leave you scratching your head. Eg, if you ask at the market for grapes, expect to pay up to 300 baht per kilo!

[Syl]

When you buy at these night markets, please remember that almost all there products are organic. The fruit & veg might not look as good as the supermarkets, and in some cases far more expensive.

Small price to pay for good eating.

Syl

[LivinLOS]

When you buy at these night markets, please remember that almost all there products are organic. The fruit & veg might not look as good as the supermarkets, and in some cases far more expensive.

Small price to pay for good eating.

Syl

One of my mates thinks this fantasy too.. That Thai foods are superior because they are organically grown..

Reality is the prawns are fed huge doses of antibiotics to allow them to grow in such high populations, the red pork is dyed with a carcinogen causing paint, the veg is grown with chemicals.. Etc etc.

You really think those tubs of chicken bits in Macro dont have exactly the same kind of growth hormones and chems used ?? If it makes money they do it.

[neverdie]

don't know if it will help you, but we also pay about 120 baht per kg for pork meat & chicken breast.

You're kidding aren't you? It's 62baht a kilo in Carrefour..for 3 pieces today I just paid 51.75baht for .834kg.

No I'm not kidding, but I was wrong in the post, typo, i should concentrate on one thing at a time. At the closest market or if I buy it from the mobile veggie man we pay 110 baht per kg for good pork meat and chicken BREAST. If we go into the main market that price is 100 baht per kg. If we buy chicken meat with skin on its 70-80 baht per kg.

I don't buy fresh food from Carrefour or tesco or big c, I have noticed they have had some good specials on their meat over time but it never looks fresh to me...sometimes its even a bit greyish....the stuff i get at the market is always good - needs a good tub before cooking but always fresh....i'm fussy with my meat. I didnt realise how little you may be paying at Carrefour, was 62 baht per kg a special??....But anyway even if it is that price all the time, I will keep buying at my market....I don't know where they are getting their meat that cheaply or how close it is to going bad but if it was me I would be Carefull about Carrefour meat .

This morning I chatted with a couple of friends when I was having breakfast, two of them own small restuarants (thai people) & they both informed me they were paying either 100 baht per kg @ main market & 110 at the smaller markets. I am imagining that the price may vary a bit depending on where abouts you are in thailand, which is standard.

Thanks for the info tho!!