Sneaky Burger King

[easyride]

Now I believe anything in Thailand but by your description this shop is among the Top supermarkets in Thailand.

They'll be asking for a passport to get thier loyalty card next. Oops, sorry, they do!!

BUT are you aware that many goods are dual priced and the lower one applies to the loyalty card.

I don't get your point. My wife has a TOPS card. She is a Kiwi.

I was hoping not to reveal the supermarket name directly.

Go look at the meat counter for a start, you'll frequently see dual priced items especially on goods getting close to the expiry date.

The lower price is for owners of the SPOT card. I'm English and I've got a card too but still needed my passport when I appled for it.

I revealed nothing, you mentioned Tops supermarket first...perhaps you were trying to be cryptic, but it was a piss poor attempt at it.

As for the passport, I really don't think you 'get' how Thailand works.

To apply for just about anything in Thailand you need form of ID. For Thai's, the acceptable form is the ID card, which by law Thai's need to carry at all times. It has your ID number, photo and address all in one.

If you aren't Thai, what is the alternative? A choice of PR documents if you have PR, drivers license, yellow tabieen baan, or if you have none of these, then your passport and a letter from your embassy showing your address.

I don't see how they are singling you out for discrimination based on the fact that you had to show your ID to apply for something. Just.the.same.as.everyone.else.

But, for some reason you call this discrimination. No buddy, it would be discrimination if you weren't allowed to apply.

Thank you soooooooooo much for correcting me though I would point out that I tried to avoid naming the store because it contravenes forum rules and having re-read my reply I see nothing about being discriminated against. I think you'll find that Thai law states that ALL people need to carry ID. Perhaps my 20 years in Thailand has rotted my brain.

[samran]

Thank you soooooooooo much for correcting me though I would point out that I tried to avoid naming the store because it contravenes forum rules and having re-read my reply I see nothing about being discriminated against. I think you'll find that Thai law states that ALL people need to carry ID. Perhaps my 20 years in Thailand has rotted my brain.

Apologies then. I thought you were having a whine about it, cause otherwise I really don't get the point of your post. Perhaps my Thai ID card has rotted my brain.

[travelmann]

Duel pricing at burger king OR how to burn the hand that feeds you

If you want to go fighting there that's up to you

[nickmanchester2]

........ It's either that or I pack a sandwich BEFORE I leave for the airport if I'm flying on one of the cheaper, no frills flights.

.........

Always personal choice but I think pulling out your own sandwich on a flight makes you look a bit of a ............

Oh poor thing. Never mind laddie - one day you'll grow up and not give a monkeys about what people think of such a trivial thing

I took 3 cheese sandwiches on my flight to London from KL on AirAsia - I felt like a bit of a cheapskate bringing them out of my plazi bag, but yeah it saves a bit of cash and that why we take budget airlines right?

Only problem is though that they dont allow your own food on the flights - would they have grabbed the sandwich off me if they saw me eating it?!

[gregb]

Actually I don't have a problem at all with what Burger King is doing, and I am usually up in arms about dual pricing.

Every company though has a right to offer promotions to a target audience though, as long as they do not discriminate based on factors like race or citizenship, which is extremely offensive. Sounds to me like the airport Burger King has come up with a way to market this particular meal to Thai residents, who might be likely to travel often and return to Burger King again in the future, without impacting their general sales to foreign tourists who would likely never return.

Let's be honest. Any foreigner living in Thailand should be able to recognize the Thai numerals. I mean, it is 10 characters. A moron could learn that. And in this case, you'd really only need to be able to recognize the leading '1' to know that is was substantially cheaper than the other options.

So, while I absolutely abhor dual pricing, I am absolutely in favor of targeted marketing. It is important to distinguish one from the other. This definitely does not meet the definition of dual pricing. And "sneaky" I guess is a matter of opinion. Clever would be a better term as far as I'm concerned.

[Ulysses G.]

Let's be honest. Any foreigner living in Thailand should be able to recognize the Thai numerals.

Why? They are hardly ever used, so why would anyone go out of their way to just learn them?

In most cases, they would not do you any good if you could not read what item they were referring to anyway.

[samran]

But the Ulysses you'd logically need to argue then that the entire sign needs to be in english, which kind of defeats the point of marketing it to a certain demographic. What business case would there be then to have the product?

[Berkshire]

So, while I absolutely abhor dual pricing, I am absolutely in favor of targeted marketing. It is important to distinguish one from the other. This definitely does not meet the definition of dual pricing. And "sneaky" I guess is a matter of opinion. Clever would be a better term as far as I'm concerned.

But Greg, you're using logic in your argument. This contradicts the typical farang whining etiquette, which is to criticize the Thais for pretty much anything they do.

[Ulysses G.]

But the Ulysses you'd logically need to argue then that the entire sign needs to be in english, which kind of defeats the point of marketing it to a certain demographic. What business case would there be then to have the product?

My point is that the claim that every farang who lives in Thailand should memorize the Thai numerals does not make much sense unless they learn to read some Thai as well.

I have no problem with the sign being written in Thai.

Edited February 12, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[pjclark1]

Fancy that, a poster written in Thai, in Thailand.

How often are Thai numerals used over farang numerals?

Whenever they are trying to hide dual pricing!

[phetaroi]

And all this is of course part of a grandly conspiracy between the RTG and large corporations (otherwise know as 'da man' or 'Big Brother') and poor sweet innocent foreigners ('Joe Mainstreet', 'average [Australians/Britons/Americans/insert nationality here]').

God forbid it couldn't be moronic BK cashier being paid 120 baht/day who doesn't know how to do her job, mis-communications due to language barriers on behalf of the customer, and god forbid, targeted marketing by a company.

Funny on that last one, it is thoroughly OK that we get highly targeted adverts via google adsense on our computers all day long, but when it is a burger company that is not trying to sell you a lard laden piece of offcuts mixed with sawdust - up go the cries of "SCAM" and "DISCRIMINATION!" from frankly, morons, who don't see how well they are actually treated compared to not only most other foreigners in Thailand, but also Thai's themselves.

Seriously, grow up people.

You're so right. There are lots of scams, no question. But half of what people think are scams are just one of the things you mentioned. The number of conspiracy thinkers is staggering.

[ELCata]

Here's an idea. Why not just learn the Thai numerals? If your a bit 'tick 'innit then just print them out on tracing paper & overlay them onto the sign whilst falang & Thai alike stare at the strange monkey man.

I'm sorry, but as someone who not only actively & continuously learns about Thai culture, but has learnt to speak, read & write the Thai language to the best of his ability, this kind of attitude sickens me.

Lazy + Barely literate (in English) chimp + zero effort to integrate = Dual pricing conspiracy.

Jesus f*cking wept. No, but really!

[PNGinBKK]

I saw that too. The fact that the price was in written Thai script was a little like visiting National Parks, where the Thai price is cleverly written in Thai script.

Wow...imagine that...writing signs in Thai in Thailand...how dastardly sneaky of them...surely this practice of posting signs in a country's own language in that country is something only done in Thailand and nowhere else

His point is that they were charging the farang more - jack@$$

[PNGinBKK]

Here's an idea. Why not just learn the Thai numerals? If your a bit 'tick 'innit then just print them out on tracing paper & overlay them onto the sign whilst falang & Thai alike stare at the strange monkey man.

I'm sorry, but as someone who not only actively & continuously learns about Thai culture, but has learnt to speak, read & write the Thai language to the best of his ability, this kind of attitude sickens me.

Lazy + Barely literate (in English) chimp + zero effort to integrate = Dual pricing conspiracy.

Jesus f*cking wept. No, but really!

Jeez, someone has an over inflated feeling of superiority... get out much??

[DP25]

Let's be honest. Any foreigner living in Thailand should be able to recognize the Thai numerals. I mean, it is 10 characters. A moron could learn that. And in this case, you'd really only need to be able to recognize the leading '1' to know that is was substantially cheaper than the other options.

It is only 10 characters, but it is 10 characters that are not used very much. I thought learning the alphabet was much easier and more useful as it is everywhere, it gets imprinted in your head everywhere you go. You just don't encounter Thai numbers very much aside from tourist areas and newspapers (which are too high level for me)

So maybe expats shouldn't be fooled by these tactics, but this still definitely isn't cool

[samran]

So are they hiding the product too by having a thai sign?

[ELCata]

Here's an idea. Why not just learn the Thai numerals? If your a bit 'tick 'innit then just print them out on tracing paper & overlay them onto the sign whilst falang & Thai alike stare at the strange monkey man.

I'm sorry, but as someone who not only actively & continuously learns about Thai culture, but has learnt to speak, read & write the Thai language to the best of his ability, this kind of attitude sickens me.

Lazy + Barely literate (in English) chimp + zero effort to integrate = Dual pricing conspiracy.

Jesus f*cking wept. No, but really!

Jeez, someone has an over inflated feeling of superiority... get out much??

Nope, I don't get out much nowadays, I'm moving to LOS in 3 weeks so am trying to save every penny for the move, since you asked.

If you mean by an over inflated sense of superiority that I try to educate myself about other cultures & languages, amongst other subjects, then I am guilty as charged. Even chimps have learnt 10 or more symbols (or squiggly lines to you) in order to win themselves a banana, therefore a human than can not master even this simple task is 'lower than apes'; a cabbage.

Ever read a book?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvs2g5Nj0NI

[pjclark1]

Here's an idea. Why not just learn the Thai numerals? If your a bit 'tick 'innit then just print them out on tracing paper & overlay them onto the sign whilst falang & Thai alike stare at the strange monkey man.

I'm sorry, but as someone who not only actively & continuously learns about Thai culture, but has learnt to speak, read & write the Thai language to the best of his ability, this kind of attitude sickens me.

Lazy + Barely literate (in English) chimp + zero effort to integrate = Dual pricing conspiracy.

Jesus f*cking wept. No, but really!

My Thai mobile phone doesn't use Thai numerals, my Thai lady doesn't use Thai numerals (and she can't read or write English letters so we text each other in Thai). So it's a bit silly to insist everyone learns a set of out-dated and little used characters.

Sorry but

You come across as just another Thai apologist trying to justify those greedy and unscrupulous Thais that think it's OK to steal from white people.

Edited February 12, 2011 by pjclark1

[ableguy]

You can get a chicken or pork burger at 7-11 for 20 baht. Why pay more for something that ain't much better? I only go to a specific Mr Mikes because I can flirt with a certain girl. Other than that I'll stick with my 30 baht Kow Padt or Padt Thai.

Oh, I'm sorry, it was at the AIRPORT Burger King. The airports ALWAYS add another 100 baht onto EVERYTHING. That is why I mostly fly Thai air or Bangkok air. They have a lounge where you can eat for free and rest in comfort while waiting for your flight. It's either that or I pack a sandwich BEFORE I leave for the airport if I'm flying on one of the cheaper, no frills flights.

But I am sure you appreciate Ian, not everyone wants khao pad or pad tThai - it is why they look for BK, McD or KFC signage (and menus in English).

Always personal choice but I think pulling out your own sandwich on a flight makes you look a bit of a ............

Smart arse? I would think that for a second until I see what the airline offered me....then the only feeling would be one of envy....the Bangkok Airways lounges are good although if you pile your plate too high and listen carefully you can hear a low murmur of pumpui from the lovely young ladies.....

One can affordn to fly but cannot afford a sandwich ? interesting.

[pjclark1]

One can affordn to fly but cannot afford a sandwich ? interesting.

I fly around Thailand quite often, flights usually cost me 1,200-1,800bht a flight

If I were to have a 250bht burger every-time I flew, that would increase my costs by nearly 20%

Do you pay 20% more for anything when you don't have to?

Especially when normal Thai meals cost 20-25bht a time.

[smokie36]

One can affordn to fly but cannot afford a sandwich ? interesting.

This sort of comment makes me laugh. Given the quality of said sandwiches as Thai airports it would amaze me if anyone ever bought a second one.

But I digress. Getting back to BK and its burgers. If I found myself ravenous enough to desire one then I, in common with most westerners here as well I believe, would want to eat a burger made of beef NOT one made from pork. Frankly I wouldn't care if the price was 200 or 300 Baht. In an airport I would expect to get ripped off on price.

I would get ripped off at Heathrow as well.

Regarding dual pricing the only places this happened to me were on songtheuws when buying clothes or on entry to national parks.

I've never to my knowledge paid more for a meal in Thailand than a local would expect to pay.

Here there isn't even a question of that.....merely some perceived difficulty in buying a Thai style fast food item. If enough westerners order the pork burger you can be sure the next time they redo the posters it will appear in English....there's no conspiracy here folks its just an oversight.

Five pages worth of it...hahahahaha.....you're having a laugh some of you really need to wake up!

[StreetCowboy]

Here's an idea. Why not just learn the Thai numerals? If your a bit 'tick 'innit then just print them out on tracing paper & overlay them onto the sign whilst falang & Thai alike stare at the strange monkey man.

I'm sorry, but as someone who not only actively & continuously learns about Thai culture, but has learnt to speak, read & write the Thai language to the best of his ability, this kind of attitude sickens me.

Lazy + Barely literate (in English) chimp + zero effort to integrate = Dual pricing conspiracy.

Jesus f*cking wept. No, but really!

My Thai mobile phone doesn't use Thai numerals, my Thai lady doesn't use Thai numerals (and she can't read or write English letters so we text each other in Thai). So it's a bit silly to insist everyone learns a set of out-dated and little used characters.

Sorry but

You come across as just another Thai apologist trying to justify those greedy and unscrupulous Thais that think it's OK to steal from white people.

I really think you have the Thai apologists all wrong. What this chap in particular appears to be trying to do is show off what a great bloke he is because he has spent so much effort learning Thai. And quite possibly, he needs to, since he can't afford 250 baht burgerking meals etc; they often also make a big deal of their ability to go bush and live like a subsistence farmer.

Because he wants to make a big deal of the efforts he has gone to in fitting in, learning the language, eating bugs etc., then he feels he can't criticise the Thais, so he has to make the most of any opportunity he has to poke fun at the rest of us. We should not begrudge him that entertainment, since he probably can't afford to go the Comedy Club; the trouble is that all his cultural efforts may have damaged his sense of humour, which now cannot be properly expressed on Thai Visa, since there is no BOING!!! emoticon.

I suppose this is all a bit speculative, and generalising, but we should make an effort to understand where the other bloke is coming from, even if we scarcely know him from Adam, and for that, we often have to rely on stereotypes. Or I suppose we could try and strike up a conversation and learn a little bit about him, but there have already been several threads on talking to strangers, and how people tend not to like to do it...

Anyway, of all the multi-national buger chains, in my opinion BK serve the best burgers, though I've never mentioned the budget thaiporkburger that is the topic of this thread

SC

[Moonrakers]

Here's an idea. Why not just learn the Thai numerals? If your a bit 'tick 'innit then just print them out on tracing paper & overlay them onto the sign whilst falang & Thai alike stare at the strange monkey man.

I'm sorry, but as someone who not only actively & continuously learns about Thai culture, but has learnt to speak, read & write the Thai language to the best of his ability, this kind of attitude sickens me.

Lazy + Barely literate (in English) chimp + zero effort to integrate = Dual pricing conspiracy.

Jesus f*cking wept. No, but really!

Jeez, someone has an over inflated feeling of superiority... get out much??

Nope, I don't get out much nowadays, I'm moving to LOS in 3 weeks so am trying to save every penny for the move, since you asked.

If you mean by an over inflated sense of superiority that I try to educate myself about other cultures & languages, amongst other subjects, then I am guilty as charged. Even chimps have learnt 10 or more symbols (or squiggly lines to you) in order to win themselves a banana, therefore a human than can not master even this simple task is 'lower than apes'; a cabbage.

Ever read a book?

Euuuwww

What a horrible, self-righteous tit you are?

[StreetCowboy]

Here's an idea. Why not just learn the Thai numerals? If your a bit 'tick 'innit then just print them out on tracing paper & overlay them onto the sign whilst falang & Thai alike stare at the strange monkey man.

I'm sorry, but as someone who not only actively & continuously learns about Thai culture, but has learnt to speak, read & write the Thai language to the best of his ability, this kind of attitude sickens me.

Lazy + Barely literate (in English) chimp + zero effort to integrate = Dual pricing conspiracy.

Jesus f*cking wept. No, but really!

Thanks very much for the link. I see that the 0 appears to be a new addition.

Traditionally, did the Thais have a place value system of numbers like arabic numbers (I think not) or did they use a multiplicative system like the Chinese ('three hundreds and two tens and five' sort of thing). ?

SC

[samran]

Sorry but

You come across as just another Thai apologist trying to justify those greedy and unscrupulous Thais that think it's OK to steal from white people.

yes, those poor repressed 'white people' who have a history of disadvantage and are escaping to Thailand, only to be further exploited by those greedy and unscrupulous Thai overlords. Around every corner a scam and a theft waiting.

out of the frying pan into the fire! it is unsafe for a white man to walk down the street!!

Will you sing me a whitey spiritual hymn before you jump on the underground railroad to Laos and when you've 'crossed the Mekong' you can cry "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, Free at Last!"

Gimme a break!

[Ulysses G.]

I really think you have the Thai apologists all wrong. What this chap in particular appears to be trying to do is show off what a great bloke he is because he has spent so much effort learning Thai. And quite possibly, he needs to, since he can't afford 250 baht burgerking meals etc; they often also make a big deal of their ability to go bush and live like a subsistence farmer.

Because he wants to make a big deal of the efforts he has gone to in fitting in, learning the language, eating bugs etc., then he feels he can't criticise the Thais, so he has to make the most of any opportunity he has to poke fun at the rest of us. We should not begrudge him that entertainment, since he probably can't afford to go the Comedy Club; the trouble is that all his cultural efforts may have damaged his sense of humour, which now cannot be properly expressed on Thai Visa, since there is no BOING!!! emoticon.

Kudos on a most excellent and perceptive post!

[Berkshire]

I really think you have the Thai apologists all wrong. What this chap in particular appears to be trying to do is show off what a great bloke he is because he has spent so much effort learning Thai. And quite possibly, he needs to, since he can't afford 250 baht burgerking meals etc; they often also make a big deal of their ability to go bush and live like a subsistence farmer.

Because he wants to make a big deal of the efforts he has gone to in fitting in, learning the language, eating bugs etc., then he feels he can't criticise the Thais, so he has to make the most of any opportunity he has to poke fun at the rest of us. We should not begrudge him that entertainment, since he probably can't afford to go the Comedy Club; the trouble is that all his cultural efforts may have damaged his sense of humour, which now cannot be properly expressed on Thai Visa, since there is no BOING!!! emoticon.

Kudos on a most excellent and perceptive post!

UG, weren't you routinely accused of being a Thai apologist not so long ago? Trying to win points with the "dark side," are we?

[Ulysses G.]

I'm accused of all kinds of things on Thai Visa, but most of them are BS. I like most Thais and I like living in Thailand, but the holier-than-thou Westerners who lecture the rest of us on what everyone else should do can be most annoying.

[puyaidon]

FYI, Stopped by a non-airport BK on Chaengwattana Road on Friday and prices had risen over the previous week. Normally, my girl and I pay 520 baht for what we order, has been the same for over a year but now, 559 baht.

Reason by the staff who I have talked to every week is ingredients are more expensive now.

I would expect this is happening with Mickey D's also.

[w11guy]

I saw that too. The fact that the price was in written Thai script was a little like visiting National Parks, where the Thai price is cleverly written in Thai script.

Wow...imagine that...writing signs in Thai in Thailand...how dastardly sneaky of them...surely this practice of posting signs in a country's own language in that country is something only done in Thailand and nowhere else

Epic fail.

Take of those rose tinted specs.

you're so right !

Is it that difficult to understand that people wish to speak their own language in their own country ?

You make an effort, you get a discount, that's what I would call a good incentive, right ?

Ridiculous argument. In the UK they don't have prices in English saying £3 and prices in German, French, Thai, etc saying £4. This is just a way to rip people off. Yes, people should learn the language if they are here long-term, but do you honestly think it's ok for all countries to charge foreigners extra just because they can't speak the local language. So you're happy to pay extra when you go on holiday to countries where you can't speak the language? I doubt it. You're just being awkward for the sake of it. Probably sitting at home bored.