The Suit-seller Hawks, Abundance Of Foreigner Tailor Shops

[hamishgillan]

I sympathize, they are really irritating, calmly ignoring is the best and easiest treatment, in fact it is the only way.

This is a lesson that must be learned and carried with you on your travels, whether its stepping off a train or arriving at a new airport there will always be touts after your money, intent on offering you something you have no interest in.

Any tricks/jokes etc could backfire and only result in prolonged engagement and frustration on your part.

I cannot believe anyone would buy one of those suits when the people who the touts pester can afford the real thing, madness.

[hamishgillan]

Another hot spot is Nathan RD, tsim sha tsui in the Kowloon side of Hong kong.

[alyx]

How about and pointing at your mouth then to one ear

he'll understand that you are un(willing)able to communicate

It might do the trick as the guy might feel uncomfortable

[fire and ice]

What can their real business be? I've been to TH eight times and have only met about 3 people who ever purchased a suit there.

And I watch the storefronts when I pass day after day when I am on holiday, never, never see anyone buying anything.

Once I was looking at watches and the guy took me through a door in the back of a tailor shop where they had a small room full of watches.

Anyway, I don't think that many of them sell suits for a business. I think it's a front for other things. How can you survive even if you sell 10 suits a month (which would be amazing) for 100 bucks each?

I wondered the same thing for a few years until I actually wanted a pair of dress pants. So I chose a shop that didn't hassle me (much). I asked them about the lack of clients and they indicated to the fax machine to me that was churning out faxes - once they have your measurements and re-fittings done (and so long as you don't pork-up or trim-down) they can then remake you more suits, shirts etc.. and ship them off to you anywhere in the world. They basically want repeat (faxed) business and said that most people keep re-ordering for over a decade adding up to a lot of clothes from one walk-in.

When they asked how fast I needed the pants I said not for a month until I leave. Since I was not in a hurry for my pants they told me that to make them fit well they needed about 2 weeks and 2-3 re-fits (it took 2 re-fits in the end for my pants). But they said they would not turn down business to people who say they need clothes in a hurry - they will still willingly take an order for someone leaving in 3 days but hacked together quickly with only 1 re-fit. But they prefer 2 weeks because it results in good quality and repeat business.

I have heard congruent stories from a couple of other people who have bought suits.

Of course since then I have lost about 10kg so the pants no longer fit But a lot happier not being overweight now.

[on-on]

Wear headphones, they don't even bother half the time. That's how I avoid most crap. A good chunk of the time walking down Sukhumvit I don't even have anything playing, I just have the headphones on, heh. Can't hear a dam_n thing over the roar of the buses and motorcycles anyway.

My experience has been that the owner is usually Thai Indian, but the touts identify as Nepalese or Indian. I know a guy who has been around Bangkok a long time who started out as a tailor tout back in the 1960s. He's Burmese, maybe a lot of them are. I dunno.

'SCOOZ ME. SIR. SIR. SIR. SIR. SIR. SIR.

[tw25rw]

The Sikh guy who sold me my suit told me he was 4th generation Thai.

[highlander76]

my normal reaction to just ignore them never ever shake hands with them

[mmushr00m]

Another hot spot is Nathan RD, tsim sha tsui in the Kowloon side of Hong kong.

Yea, I was recently in HK and The Chungking mansion area on Nathan rd, Tsim sha Tsui, are full of them, At least in BKK they are only in front of their shops. There they are all gathered outside around 100m of pavement. Hordes of them.

At least in BKK they just ask, there they follow you, try to crowd into you, invade your space etc. AND they all look like baddies from indian movies.

In BKK, I think they are Nepali. I was around Gurkhas and nepalis for afew years of my life and they fit the resemblence more then indians

[VBF]

3 tested methods for me;

1.The Peter Sellers "Being There" method for you old timers or Borat approach for the hip, say something nonsensical back to them. Keep up the game of chicken and always smile.

2. Oh no, I am not into young men and look at them in shock, or if you are feeling particularly naughty, ask how much for super happy ending. They usually high tail it with a terrified expression.

3. Cough into your hand and then go to shake their hand. Keep coughing. ask aloud, gosh I wonder if I have H1N1.

Yes, it's a rude response, but after the same guy asks you the same question for a month, and you keep saying no thanks, you are allowed to do this.

Numbers 1 and 3 sound good to me! I'm quite good at a Sellars mock Indian voice

As is noted elsewhere in this thread, they are far more troublesome in Patts and Phuket. These nasty a***holes are the only group of people I absolutely DETEST in Thailand.

I always think that Thais "hassling" you for business do it right - if they wave a book or leaflet at you and you ignore them, they (usually) just shrug it off and go away - mai pen rai! These excuses for humanity get right in your face - I've actually lost it and raised a hand to one of them before now and slapped his book under a baht bus - not a good idea in LoS!

Amusingly, I was in Pattaya a while ago with an Indian mate from UK - he noticed these a***holes plying their trade and referred to them with an Indian expression that, he later told me meant something like "bull's anus"