Did You Have A Nice Shopping Experience Recently?

[tartempion]

Planned to shop for some furniture at Udon Thani new Index mall yesterday.

Arrived there at 10.25 and unfortunately the place was closed: seems they open late at 11.00.

OK, drove to nearby Home Pro to have a look, bought a cheap carpet there, 500B.

Went back to Index, we were the first customers and had the usual 7 people welcoming us and only one male following our wandering and we stopped at the towel section. Found new large design towels at 249Bt and took 2 different colors. The man following us came to tell us they had a promotion running "buy one, get one free" and he brought us two more, one from each color. OK I thought, at least the man following us is useful. He then proceeded to get us 4 more small towels, same colors. I thought "what the heck? I don't need those!" Checked price, 89Bt each. Walking towards the fake flower section (knew my wife would want to complete the flowers she bought last year to fill the two big vases we had handmade in some handicraft village last year, lots of flowers go in the vases!) I wondered, hey "I can buy such towels 4 for 100 Bt at some cart" so considered putting them aside when paying. The man also gave the promotion flier which mentioned you get a 1k gift voucher if you buy for more than 20k Bt.

I might buy for 20K, thus we could possibly pay for some of the fake flowers with the voucher, guessing the flower bill would be +2K Bt.

Went over to furniture where a nice lady took over taking care of us. She would push our cart and advice us everywhere we stopped. We ordered a kitchen table, a mirror and a sofa, we looked around and hesitated/delayed some purchases to later.

Finally the lady walked us over to customer where it took an incredible 30 minutes to fill in forms and complete our order. Wife gave them our customer card, but no information in their computer using the card to find address etc, that much for the computer age.

Note I was able to drink 3 orange juices the time it took for the paper work because it was dam_n hot in there, the airco working since 11AM trying to cope with the heath.

Now our furniture bill was 18.800Bt, flowers and towels not counting for promotion.

Fair enough, I thought: lets go back and add one of the 2-3k items we could not decide on taking (you know sometimes you are not convinced the item is not 100% what you want, so give it consideration for a later possible buy). On that the lady changed her mind and started checking the price of flowers until she reached the required 20K. I was presented a bill at customer support for the 18.800Bt of furniture and we were told to pay the flowers and towels at the cashier and we would get our 1k gift there.

OK, fair enough again and we walked to the cashier.

Do you guess what happened there?

First record and pay for part of the flowers to reach the 1200Bt missing for the 1k voucher.

Still had some more flowers to pay with the voucher, you got that also? OK.

Then they billed the towels. OK. two big towels at 249, two free, two hand towels at 89, two free, total 676Bt, hope you could figure that out without computer?

Gave 1k Bt bill, was told slip showed 996Bt.

Arai na? What's up here? Big discussion with 3 cashiers and the wife.

Seems the man who completed our towel set got it wrong. Checking the promotion flyer.

Seems inside says buy i big towel, get small towel for free, but main page simply states "buy one get one free" Hmmmm, smells a rat.

OK, since we only wanted to buy two large towels and two small are free lets stick to that, so I took out half of the towels and asked to correct the problem.

The problem was transferred to a big desk opposite the cashiers and took 15 minutes to resolve with correcting the cash tickets and trying to figure out how much they should reimburse me. In fact took me a few second to know it should be half of what I paid, thus 498, right?

Life can be difficult for Thai people.

When finally this was settled we still needed to finalise the flower bill for the remaining 1k voucher and you guessed? The wife did not have 1k flowers to pay, so went back to flower section with one of the cashier ladies to get some more so we could finally close the deal.

To their credit I must say that this lady replaced two damaged flowers.

Jeez, all in all, what a mess and so much time to order, fill in the forms and pay in 3 episodes, fels like LOST, the TV show...but the we had plenty of time. Got out there past 13h and very hungry, maybe they should have offered lunch also?

BTW, when we left it seems we still were the only customers and did not meet any inside the huge two floor shop.

Edited June 10, 2009 by tartempion

[EvilDrSomkid]

<deleted> are you complaining about? That's nothing.

Don't tell me you have never run into a store clerk before who get's it wrong. Do you never make any mistakes?

The time it took to fix the mistakes was jot that long. OK, it was hot in there. Big deal.

Dare I remind you: TIT!

Juts deal with it, this the way things work here

Have nice hot day.

[sanmiguellight]

I thought it was only me that got either the 4 members of staff sprinting over to my in a Ben Johnson style fashion for merely looking at an item .... or the alternative of getting followed from 15 metres away by some young kid who is making me feel like a potential shoplifter.

[Mighty Mouse]

For we men, time is money, so you wonder if all that stuffing around was worth it.

.....and it was all for some flowers....in all that heat....it's enough to make you feel wilted.

[longstebe]

They seen you coming mate.

" Lets <deleted> with the farang".

The little b**tards where probably laughing there heads off when you left.

Got me laughing though

[JoeThePoster]

Heating = Free

Furniture = 18,800 baht

Towels & Flowers = 498 baht

1K cash voucher = priceless!

Welcome to Thailand.

[anothertorres]

<deleted> are you complaining about? That's nothing.

Don't tell me you have never run into a store clerk before who get's it wrong. Do you never make any mistakes?

The time it took to fix the mistakes was jot that long. OK, it was hot in there. Big deal.

Dare I remind you: TIT!

Juts deal with it, this the way things work here

Have nice hot day.

he's just telling a story, no need to yell at him!

[onnut]

18K for a sofa? and you are complaining about what?

[zorro1]

cant believe i read your post. Get a life pulleeesssse

[robbiecia]

Come on guys

Try and be civil

The OP was only trying to share his experience and some of you just want to jump on him

On a lighter note, don't you just love it when the salespeople follow you around like you are an arch criminal

[isanb]

My thai wife always has nice shopping experiences (that's why i guess she goes shopping everyday) . Me i go working in order to help her to have such nice experiences and anyway i hate shopping.

like that we are both happy (as soon as she respect the budget she has, witch is not often ).

Edited June 10, 2009 by isanb

[tartempion]

cant believe i read your post. Get a life pulleeesssse

I suppose you enjoyed more the "How many Farangs have a master degree" thread?

[Jingthing]

I found your shopping story amusing in a masochistic kind of way (it started to give me a headache). Thanks for telling it. I think most of us have had such Kafkaesque experiences shopping in Thailand and that one was a whopper!

[anothertorres]

cant believe i read your post. Get a life pulleeesssse

I suppose you enjoyed more the "How many Farangs have a master degree" thread?

too funny. meanwhile, these angry posters are dying to read the next update on "transfer my ex's husband/cop to burma!" thread. and i'll be honest, i'm kinda interested in that thread too

[Soutpeel]

On a lighter note, don't you just love it when the salespeople follow you around like you are an arch criminal

Oh Yeah.... .....Dont think they realise how this practice makes people uncomfortable and as a result it costs them sales...I know personally, when I am in a shop and the "shadow" appears, I am out the door...

[kudroz]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

[JAS21]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

If the bill is 549 Baht would you not expect to get back 451baht and not 500Baht The 49satang..which I have never seen... would confuse me also.

[zorro1]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

This whole thread is ridiculous in the extreme! 49 satangs ,who cares? Just a year ago you were paying full price at David Jones ,sears or whatever shopping center and forking out $20 for a Thai meal in your hometown. Cheap charlies alive and well in LOS

[Soutpeel]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

This whole thread is ridiculous in the extreme! 49 satangs ,who cares? Just a year ago you were paying full price at David Jones ,sears or whatever shopping center and forking out $20 for a Thai meal in your hometown. Cheap charlies alive and well in LOS

Zorro mate...suggest you take your mast off and re-read this post, he was trying to make it easier for the delievery guy to give him his change ie THB 500, from THB 1000 not Cheap Charlieing over THB 49...

[kudroz]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

This whole thread is ridiculous in the extreme! 49 satangs ,who cares? Just a year ago you were paying full price at David Jones ,sears or whatever shopping center and forking out $20 for a Thai meal in your hometown. Cheap charlies alive and well in LOS

Cheap charlie? Read my posts, I have a lifestyle that cost me well over 4M THB per year. I was merely pointing out that the Thai couldn't do simple math - maybe you missed the point. They can't understand why I would pay 1,049 THB on a 549 THB bill so I could get 500 THB back instead of several bills and change.

[zorro1]

mask off apologies

[Soutpeel]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

This whole thread is ridiculous in the extreme! 49 satangs ,who cares? Just a year ago you were paying full price at David Jones ,sears or whatever shopping center and forking out $20 for a Thai meal in your hometown. Cheap charlies alive and well in LOS

Cheap charlie? Read my posts, I have a lifestyle that cost me well over 4M THB per year. I was merely pointing out that the Thai couldn't do simple math - maybe you missed the point. They can't understand why I would pay 1,049 THB on a 549 THB bill so I could get 500 THB back instead of several bills and change.

Good response with the exception of " I have a lifestyle...." ......

[kudroz]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

If the bill is 549 Baht would you not expect to get back 451baht and not 500Baht The 49satang..which I have never seen... would confuse me also.

I mean to say 49 baht not 49 satangs.

[kudroz]

I've bought a lot of furniture from Index for both my home and office. Each time I need to go there, I dread the incompetents handling the bills. It always takes forever and they're confused by simple math. Each time I go there I must check the bill carefully because they're always mistakes. But frankly, I've encountered incompetence by people working in retail stores all over Thailand, not just from Index. Also I need to draw a map of my home/office so they can come deliver the stuff. God, it's like we're in the jungle. My GPS find the small sois and streets just fine, why can't they use a bloody map.

It happened many times when a food delivery guy comes to my house with a bill of, let's say, 549 THB. Then I pay him with a 1,000 bill and 49 satangs, expecting to get a 500 THB bill back. But each time, their brain farts and they give me the 49 satang back looking at me funny like I made a mistake ;-)

In iStudio Chiang Mai (Central Airport shopping mall), they have a farang who works there and assists English speaking people walking in the store. I had a very pleasant shopping experience there and it made me realize the crap I've been putting up with while shopping in Thailand.

This whole thread is ridiculous in the extreme! 49 satangs ,who cares? Just a year ago you were paying full price at David Jones ,sears or whatever shopping center and forking out $20 for a Thai meal in your hometown. Cheap charlies alive and well in LOS

Cheap charlie? Read my posts, I have a lifestyle that cost me well over 4M THB per year. I was merely pointing out that the Thai couldn't do simple math - maybe you missed the point. They can't understand why I would pay 1,049 THB on a 549 THB bill so I could get 500 THB back instead of several bills and change.

Good response with the exception of " I have a lifestyle...." ......

He alluded to me being a cheap charlie...

[Soutpeel]

He alluded to me being a cheap charlie...

He didnt allude to anything...he just cant read English... ....maybe one of Thailand finest ?...An English teacher...

[zorro1]

I can see where this is heading, and going back to Op"s post for some reason farang detest Thais making a profit. The language barrier doesn't help much but Im freaked out by mates who come here and shop seven stalls to finally get that 70bht T shirt and then go spend 10,000bht in next 4 days on hookers

[Soutpeel]

I can see where this is heading, and going back to Op"s post for some reason farang detest Thais making a profit. The language barrier doesn't help much but Im freaked out by mates who come here and shop seven stalls to finally get that 70bht T shirt and then go spend 10,000bht in next 4 days on hookers

Well at least they are spending their money wisely then.....visiting seven stalls to get a THB 70 t-shirt is only killing time...

[cm96]

Kudroz, Unless your flying out of the country first class many times per year the only reason your 'lifestyle' would cost you 4M baht per year in this country is your being ripped off. BTW if you think you should get back B500 change after paying B1000.49 on a B549 bill, YOU cant do simple math AND it was YOUR brain that made a foul smell. I also doubt you could find a random point while on a tight schedule using a local map.

[kudroz]

Kudroz, Unless your flying out of the country first class many times per year the only reason your 'lifestyle' would cost you 4M baht per year in this country is your being ripped off. BTW if you think you should get back B500 change after paying B1000.49 on a B549 bill, YOU cant do simple math AND it was YOUR brain that made a foul smell. I also doubt you could find a random point while on a tight schedule using a local map.

Like I said I meant 49 baht, not satangs and wrote the amount right. At least I'm not confusing Thai Baht and Dollars like you on this thread. As far as my lifestyle, it is not hard to spend 4M baht a year - cars, computers, house staff, house rent all adds up quite quickly.

Edited June 10, 2009 by kudroz

[ivowatson]

Like I said I meant 49 baht, not satangs and wrote the amount right. As far as my lifestyle, it is not hard to spend 4M baht a year - cars, computers, house staff, house rent all adds up quite quickly.

Maybe, you can hire me? I'm not joking, I'm looking for a job.