My Thai wife and I went to Big C yesterday,and were able to purchase a large plastic barrel(26 gallon) with lid for water storage. Supplies were limited to 1 per buyer at a cost of TB179.

This morning while at Wat Tapan Market (Ratchatewi Dist.),my wife approached a vendor with similar barrels to check her prices. The reply was BT900. When asked why so expensive,the reply was farang should be able to pay more.

Just a note to watch what you`re paying. I would suggest,if prices are not posted,move on to the next vendor.

and be sure to tell the vendor that it's just racist, ridiculous and untrue idea that farang should be able to pay more.

as long as thais don't pay more than locals in my home country, i wont tolerate any farang addition in any prices.

and be sure to tell the vendor that it's just racist, ridiculous and untrue idea that farang should be able to pay more.

A concept that is so far beyond their understanding, it's not worth even trying to explain......

How much was the Thai price?

This happens all the time, not just during the present flooding crisis. I always feel I've been gravely insulted so I usually pull out a thousand baht note as if to pay and make a face of 'contemplation' before insinuating that I'm going to visit a brothel to have a ruddy good time with the vendor's imagined female relative (daughter/sister/mother). I usually find that 'Nana' is well understood, as is slotting my right forefinger in and out of a hole made between the thumb and forefinger of my left hand (aka the sex mime). Adding a shrill cuckoo whistle really tops it off nicely (Thai believe it calls the 'ghosts' or something).

and be sure to tell the vendor that it's just racist, ridiculous and untrue idea that farang should be able to pay more.

A concept that is so far beyond their understanding, it's not worth even trying to explain......

So you are saying that Thais are inferior to other people?

Fact is they do understand, they just don't care.

Why, in many cases, for hardware, it's best to hit the big stores as all pay the same and no chance for the rabble to diddle you... let the greedy pricks go out of business.

A few years ago we spent two weeks on Lombok island where we got harrassed by sales people at the beach all day long, every day. Finally I bought a few t-shirts to bring home.

Next day my wife wanted to buy some silk cloth but it was way too expensive. When I told the vendor it´s too expensive, the woman smiled and replied: "Yesterday you paid way too much for 3 t-shirts, why not pay more for my silk ?"

:jap: