King Power - From The Other Side

[WinnieTheKhwai]

the sad fact is that 70% of the value of the wares stolen gets directly lifted from the employees salary, as punishment.

real thieves

Summarized it for you.

Avoid King Power like the plague they are. Hope your friend can soon find a better / fairer job.

Edited December 28, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[way2muchcoffee]

The fact of the matter is that there isn't any incentive for the normal staff to frame any innocent people. They don't get any cut of the 'police-money' - that all goes to the negotiator and the police that is corrupting the justice system!

Not sure that's a fact. I would agree that in your very limited experience there is no evidence of such practices by staff. I would also agree that in your friend's considerably greater experience there is no evidence of such practices by staff. That does not mean that it doesn't exist. It also does not mean that it does happen. Bottom line, we just don't know.

Edited December 28, 2009 by way2muchcoffee

[TAWP]

If we don't know, why proclaim - as some posters have done for months - that is is a fact that KP is involved in scams against their customers?

And I see that WinnieTheKhwai is as liberal with quotes and truth as always.

[way2muchcoffee]

If we don't know, why proclaim - as some posters have done for months - that is is a fact that KP is involved in scams against their customers?

And I see that WinnieTheKhwai is as liberal with quotes and truth as always.

Fair point TAWP. Guess it's just typical garbage internet comments people make without knowing or seeing evidence. Something I try to avoid, but nevertheless have done in the past and probably will do again in future.

Edited December 28, 2009 by way2muchcoffee

[wamberal]

still wouldnt shop there, still way overpriced imo

Too true. I haven't seen a so called "duty free" shop in any airport in the world that wasn't over priced. If I buy anything in an airport it's a magazine, a newspaper or a snack to hold me over until I can find a proper, reasonably priced meal somewhere else. I don't even check the prices anymore because I can buy the same item cheaper at "full price" at home.

Where can you buy booze cheaper than duty free? It's usually about half the normal retail price.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If we don't know, why proclaim - as some posters have done for months - that is is a fact that KP is involved in scams against their customers?

And I see that WinnieTheKhwai is as liberal with quotes and truth as always.

It's not 'being liberal with quotes'. It's distilling my own angle and point of view using only words that were in the original post. If you don't like this debating technique then fine; no need to be nasty about it. As an additional service, let me spell it out:

I think the fact (as reported by TAWP) that King Power scams their own employees out of money to cover for their own security issues is vile. "Someone stole from me, so I'm stealing it back from my employees." And at 70% of their silly inflated prices, they might actually make a profit on it too! Based on that alone I would not buy anything from King Power, never mind who exactly was to blame for the cases where money was extorted from alleged shoplifters. (There may be doubt as to who shoplifted, but there is NO EXCUSE to keep this away from the law, and let corrupt cops and their associates threaten those people and extort money.)

TAWP seems to say "At least some King Power employees are honest people." Honestly I don't doubt that for a second. Elephant-in-room lounges somewhere in the paragraph above, though.

I hope that makes it clearer for everyone.

Edited December 28, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[TAWP]

WinnieTheKhwai>> While I agree that having the staff pay for stolen merchandise is a sad culture, the fact is that most companies here do it. So it IS the norm. So no need to single out KP is being 'special' in regards to this and want to boycott them. Then you shouldn't eat at any restaurant either here...

And it is the THIEVES and POLICE that is keeping it away from the LAW, NOT KP. Is that really so hard to grasp?

Edited December 28, 2009 by TAWP

[caf]

If we don't know, why proclaim - as some posters have done for months - that is is a fact that KP is involved in scams against their customers?

And I see that WinnieTheKhwai is as liberal with quotes and truth as always.

That's not a fair reply, the point is that we don't know whether staff are honest or not, likely some are some are not. You then respond by talking of other posters stating as a fact that kp is involved in scams. This thread is about staff.

We should all accept - and I think when posters comment on kp or their staff they are speculating albeit backed by many examples of hearsay - that we ALL do not know for sure.

But please accept there are possibilities. Some staff steal. Some customers steal. Some are stitched up. There is some police involvement sometimes. Agents are part of the scam sometimes. KP with its history may be involved.

(The interesting point is the incident that started this off where one side said customer guilty the other side not, has resulted in it being quietly closed - Thai style. )

[kolasaab]

still wouldnt shop there, still way overpriced imo

tabacco is cheap, 560 baht for 5 packs of drum, it cost more than that for 1 pack in uk

[TAWP]

caf>> There is a difference between someone doing something illegal, be he a customer or a staff-member, and a giant conspiracy with a whole company set up to scam foreigners. Which is essentially what some posters have proclaiming. Especially in the news-thread regarding the past events.

Edited December 28, 2009 by TAWP

[kikoman]

Here we go again! I have a friend who......................................

By the way, who in fact catches the person shoplifting if it is not the employees?

I have been in King Power shops on occasion, killing time between flights, I have always been tailed by a King Power employee.

Who turns a person in for suspected shop lifting if not these employees?

I know that I will never enter a King Power shop now or anytime in the future, despite your assurances that no scams are possible!

Cheers:

[phazey]

I'm surprised the shop assistant got the bullet for this. Did the window lickers who monitor and operate the security cameras get penalised - as imho, this should be in their realm.

[caf]

caf>> There is a difference between someone doing something illegal, be he a customer or a staff-member, and a giant conspiracy with a whole company set up to scam foreigners. Which is essentially what some posters have proclaiming. Especially in the news-thread regarding the past events.

Yes I appreciate the difference but the point never seems to get across that some customes shoplift, and others do not but are stitched up. The emphasis is too often blame the farang and kp can do no wrong.

"a giant conspiracy with a whole company set up to scam foreigners" these are of course your words and not those of the posters "essentially claiming...."

I think they would accept the company was set up to sell duty free and have never said otherwise as far as I know. That there have been some accusations against kp is another point.

Sometimes posters "over-egg" a point and get over emotional and exaggerate. Sometimes it makes their point persuasive ( some politicians can do this very effectively). But other times it is seen as an exaggeration and the point is lost. Depends on your audience I suppose.

As I said we rarely know the full facts and there is good and bad on both sides. Not all customers, staff and companies in Thailand are honest; some are. I assume you would accept that - and that was where I was coming from originally.

The original issue once it reached London was quietly dropped - Thai style. No loss of face, but some posters still go on with the myth.

Cheers

[PattayaParent]

I have been in King Power shops on occasion, killing time between flights, I have always been tailed by a King Power employee.

Who turns a person in for suspected shop lifting if not these employees?

I know that I will never enter a King Power shop now or anytime in the future, despite your assurances that no scams are possible!

Cheers:

You must look very suspicious then as I've never been tailed by anyone, or seen others being tailed either.

Likely you mean the staff that hover waiting to be of assistance to you as is found everywhere in Thailand.

[gregb]

If we don't know, why proclaim - as some posters have done for months - that is is a fact that KP is involved in scams against their customers?

Nobody is proclaiming it is a fact. People are saying there is a high probability of it being true. You are interpreting that as people saying it is a fact.

One thing that is a fact. King Power did not win a monopoly concession at Swampy because of their honesty, integrity and commitment to customer service. They are corrupt to the core. Given their past corporate history, it is completely believable that they have inspired a culture of corruption and criminal behavior by certain elements within their employ, and it is not a stretch at all to believe that some King Power employees are in fact materially participating in these questionable shoplifting events.

I have no personal evidence that the one grainy video King Power posted on its website is even the suspect as they claim. It could be a training video for all I know. Wouldn't be the first time King Power has lied, and if so it probably won't be the last either. I'm sure the OP's friend truly is innocent, but for my money doing any type of business with King Power is just asking to get jacked up. I just don't find King Power's position credible, and it's not worth the risk.

Vote with your wallet. Avoid them at all costs, and warn all your friends and family who visit them to avoid them as well. Better to be safe than sorry.

[TAWP]

gregb>> You are muddling the waters. KP's 'corruptness' (surely it is the airport people that is, not the company exploiting this?) in regards to rent has NOTHING to do with a spreading of rumours of an organized scam, that some posters regurgitate.

It is a huge red herring. One does not prove or disprove the other and IS unrelated.

One is carried out by management, the other would have to be carried out by the normal staff.

And your appologist stance on how the couple is innocent, the video not of them etc etc just shows us your bias.

[Briggsy]

You do not need all the staff at a shop to be involved for scams to be run. In fact, it would be detrimental to the scammers if they had to share their loot with a load of honest people who would probably muck up the scam. All you need is some staff, some security guards and some police. The police would not be a problem.

I don't believe all those foreigners accused were thieving. There were a much larger number of Indian nationals targeted, remember.

[TAWP]

Do any of you have ANY evidence that suggest there is any SCAM going on from any of the staff?

Besides your colonial distrust of the natives, that is.

[salty]

There is no corruption in Thailand so how could there be any evidence.

[caf]

If we don't know, why proclaim - as some posters have done for months - that is is a fact that KP is involved in scams against their customers?

Nobody is proclaiming it is a fact. People are saying there is a high probability of it being true. You are interpreting that as people saying it is a fact.

One thing that is a fact. King Power did not win a monopoly concession at Swampy because of their honesty, integrity and commitment to customer service. They are corrupt to the core. Given their past corporate history, it is completely believable that they have inspired a culture of corruption and criminal behavior by certain elements within their employ, and it is not a stretch at all to believe that some King Power employees are in fact materially participating in these questionable shoplifting events.

I have no personal evidence that the one grainy video King Power posted on its website is even the suspect as they claim. It could be a training video for all I know. Wouldn't be the first time King Power has lied, and if so it probably won't be the last either. I'm sure the OP's friend truly is innocent, but for my money doing any type of business with King Power is just asking to get jacked up. I just don't find King Power's position credible, and it's not worth the risk.

Vote with your wallet. Avoid them at all costs, and warn all your friends and family who visit them to avoid them as well. Better to be safe than sorry.

Tawp disagrees but the cctv incident was "sorted" in London at a diplomatic level. It is a Thai way to let things quietly go away. No one then loses face

[samran]

wife and i went through KP at the airport two days ago. We bought a Cybershot Camera for 1000 odd baht (nearly a 10% saving) compared to anywhere else in BKK and even the KP shop downtown. Much cheaper than in the Middle East, where we are for the next week.

We paid our bill and off we went.

Gotta be a scam there somewhere!

[Bottlerocket]

And the sad fact is that 70% of the value of the wares stolen gets directly lifted from the employees salary, as punishment.

I have recently asked her about the whole scam-angle as some posters think exist, that there is some conspiracy going on in King Power. And I can without doubt say that there is no such thing as a conspiracy amongst the normal staff to ever frame any shoppers. And it makes no sense that the staff in any way would be a part of such a thing or try to frame 'innocent' customers.

Maybe it's a way for the company to skimp on paying wages to their employees. Wouldn't doubt something like that for a second.

[mmushr00m]

Are some of you people really that sheltered/naive/innocent?Ask any cashier, shop clerk, waiter etc everywhere and you will see that if at the end of the day if the tally does not add up, it comes out of their pocket.

Notice how all cashiers go in with a set amount of money which they log? At the end of their shift the money in the cash must tally the reciepts if it doesnt it comes out of their pockets.

Its the same with inventory. If its your shop and things go missing regularly who do you hold responsible? Your staff for not doing their work which is to keep an eye on things, also it could be your staff or friends of staff knicking things. So you stop it/encourage vigilance by holding them responsible.

I work in a club while I was in Univ, at the beginning of everynight we did inventory, at the end we did inventory again. If the tally does not add up with the cash, we had to pay the difference. This was in farangland!!!

[TAWP]

Might be a case that some of the posters that scream highest against it as some Thai evil thing has never worked an a normal job during growing up or their studies etc, so they are kinda separated from the real world.

[caf]

Might be a case that some of the posters that scream highest against it as some Thai evil thing has never worked an a normal job during growing up or their studies etc, so they are kinda separated from the real world.

Speculation but probably not true.