At Pornthip Plaza Cm Yesterday (friday)

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, TV friends,

Yesterday (Friday, around 3PM) I went to PP to pay my MaxNet bill. Walked past the area where copied DVD's and software is sold. Stores locked up. Shelves cleaned off. One store locked but cd-cases with copied covers still on display. One shop was still open ... with nothing but a few training videos, or something, on the shelves. I asked the fellow inside what happened; he shrugged and said "Tumruat ma."

Wonder how long that will last ? And wonder if they shut down all the places inside computer "malls" around here, and wonder if they hit the street DVD vendors on Changklan.

I walked around on the 2nd. and 3rd. floor, and was struck by the number of shops that were closed down that do NOT sell copied goods, also. Holiday ? Economic downturn ? Over-saturated market finally culling the losers ?

regards, ~o:37;

[phaethon]

Oh, please, please, please... someone go down Panthip Plaza (BKK) and tell me that all those "sexy D-Wee-D" hawkers on the ground floor have been taken out and shot

Edited May 23, 2009 by phaethon

[elektrified]

I was at PAntip on or about Monday to complain about my lousy Internet connection and the same thing happened. All the CD and DVD shops on the ground floor were boarded up and it was like a ghost town. I asked what was going on (not sure if I had missed a holiday) and I was told by the coffee vendor that the police had just been there and that everyone closed shop and took off running!

[IanForbes]

You can't pay the high rent of a mall shop if you don't make a profit. And, you can't make a profit if you don't have any customers. It takes money to weather a down turn in the economy and most Thais don't have any money in reserve. Their profits were already so slim they hardly kept their heads above water. It's going to get worse before it gets better. The few investments I have lost 20% last year. It will probably take 3 or 4 years to recover what I lost... if I ever do. But, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. I just feel sorry for the small business owners who are barely making it right now. The big chains can use tax right-offs to cover some of their losses.

[Steve2UK]

On past form, the usual arrangement is that those "paying their dues" to BiB get warned beforehand and don't open the day a raid is scheduled.

[phaethon]

On past form, the usual arrangement is that those "paying their dues" to BiB get warned beforehand and don't open the day a raid is scheduled.

The same thing happens at MBK, they know the police are coming and all the fake watch catalogues disappear off the counter tops

[barky]

On past form, the usual arrangement is that those "paying their dues" to BiB get warned beforehand and don't open the day a raid is scheduled.

The same thing happens at MBK, they know the police are coming and all the fake watch catalogues disappear off the counter tops

Phaethon, I'll chip in for the bullets. This is all for western media/watchdog consumption, who knowingly go through the charade, thank their Thai counterparts for their good policing and then get back to their gin and tonic/burbon. The follow-up reports that "with enormous cooperation from the Thai authorities great inroads are being made to stamp out fakes and illegal copies from public sale within the Kingdom"

[Loaded]

I think the rents at Pantip are very low anyway because they have never been able to attract more than a handful of tenants.

[Cobalt60]

I too was in Pantip a week ago while visiting CM, I thought the place had been struck by the recession. Funny how they still dont bother to open until 11:00 ish.

The night bazzar was rammed with stalls, but I thought not that many punters, but despite that some poor sod got knocked down on the street and left a big stain on the road.

[Sansai Sam]

I was there on Thursday and all the DVD shops are open!

[Mapguy]

One of the Kan Suan Kaew Central shops was barren of goods today, but the one adjacent to it was open for business!

Edited May 23, 2009 by Mapguy