Bangkok Shopping Centres Are Better Than Western Centres?

[tubehero]

Personally, I think it is more enjoyable when you go to shopping centres in Thailand like Siam, MBKo or Central World, compared to centres in London. There are many reasons. For example, the architecture and infrastructure in Thailand in general are more glamorous. The food there is more luxurious and cheaper, so it is easier to enjoy eating and drinking, etc.

However, I don't know to which extent this imppression is shared by other Westerners.

Do you think Bangkok's shopping centres are better than New York or Rome?

[CharlieH]

Facilities and general comfort possibly, value for money no, big difference in quality, mostly copies and cheap crap in Thailand you think its a bargain/ good value but when it falls apart or breaks in a month you soon realize its rubbish.

Believe in the old saying " you get what you pay for".

Edited February 16, 2012 by CharlieH

[Jingthing]

Comparing the better American malls. Thailand is a hot country. The malls are used by the masses for air conditioning and a social space. In the US, the social space thing is mostly young people. The last time I was in the US I visited the top "luxury mall" in a big city. Of course the shopping options and quality of products were great but the sense of "fun level" was about 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, while Thai malls, I think, fall much higher. In other words, I found the atmosphere at the US mall depressing and dreary compared to better Thai malls.

[shepsel]

I find the upscale malls in Thailand, especially Bangkok, very interesting, enjoyable, and entertaining. The use of the vast common areas is very pedestrian friendly, the areas have lots of green spaces, washrooms are plentiful and spotless, and one can relax just looking, or sit in a cafe and people watch. I find the merchandise in the stores cleaverly displayed, plentiful staff to assist a potential customer.

When I return to visit my home country, I find shopping a drag and boring--uninteresting displays, unpolite and miserable looking people, and one can never find a sales person in a department store when they need one. When one finds a clerk, they usually don't know about the merchandise or just don't care to go out of their way to help me. Food courts are messy, dirty, and have uninteresting overpriced food. Last time I was at home I found the best service was at the local Costco.

[dsprtliving]

One of the most stark differences I have found between shopping malls here in Bangkok and back home is the dramatic difference in socially accepted noise levels inside a building. Dont' get me wrong....I do love a wander through the malls, but there are occasionally times when I've lifted my fingers to plug my ears. Sometimes i do it without even thinking in defense of the auditory assault that can take place between random blasting sound systems of competing shoe shops and/or inside the mall ear splitting concerts by the latest teeny bopper heart throbs.

Then, on the other side of the coin, I've been initially amazed at the hushed silence of shopping malls back home during the handful of times i've gone back to the US over the past decade. It's extremely quite compared to a jaunt through MBK or Siam.

[fishhooks]

One of the most stark differences I have found between shopping malls here in Bangkok and back home is the dramatic difference in socially accepted noise levels inside a building. Dont' get me wrong....I do love a wander through the malls, but there are occasionally times when I've lifted my fingers to plug my ears. Sometimes i do it without even thinking in defense of the auditory assault that can take place between random blasting sound systems of competing shoe shops and/or inside the mall ear splitting concerts by the latest teeny bopper heart throbs.

Then, on the other side of the coin, I've been initially amazed at the hushed silence of shopping malls back home during the handful of times i've gone back to the US over the past decade. It's extremely quite compared to a jaunt through MBK or Siam.

Have to give you a BIG +1 on that, the noise level generated by sales promotions with ladies screeching into distorted sound systems seems universal all over.

One other minus is in most of the larger stores such as Big C & Lotus, the staff are either closely following you around just when you want a relaxing look-see yourself, or alternatively they are gathered in groups talking amongst themselves or crouching down behind counters on their mobile phones or in the ladies case doing their make-up and hair.

Central / Robinson seem to be a tad more strict with staff and shopping there a pleasure.

Edited February 16, 2012 by fishhooks

[LuckyLew]

The only reason I would go to a mall is to go see a movie

or go for a bite of farang fast food. I have noticed the noise

level to be very high in the common tourist center mall. Every

time I hear or see a sales person with a megaphone, I just turn

and go the other way.

[kirk0233]

Central has large malls, but as previously noted the microphone screaming and "dinna kha" bother me as well as the lack of trash bins. The screaming is why I have started shopping for food at Max-value. It is a pleasant store to shop for food and does not practice this ear splitting marketing. Seating, unless you pay for a 100 baht coffee, is uncomfortable in the malls here. Prices for clothing are high and generally not in my size since I am over six feet tall. I don't find the restaurants to be that inexpensive. In fact, the food in the Thai restaurants I would frequent in the US had tastier fare which was considerably cheaper. Only my wife's cooking can beat my often frequented Thai restaurants in the US. One of my favorite pastimes at malls in the US was visiting a bookstore. I could drink a coffee in the store and sit in a comfortable chair or couch and browse books or walk about and view a large selection of Cds and DVDs. There is nothing comparable here for the reader. However, for an air conditioned walk central is the best Thailand has.

[pomchop]

Comparing the better American malls. Thailand is a hot country. The malls are used by the masses for air conditioning and a social space. In the US, the social space thing is mostly young people. The last time I was in the US I visited the top "luxury mall" in a big city. Of course the shopping options and quality of products were great but the sense of "fun level" was about 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, while Thai malls, I think, fall much higher. In other words, I found the atmosphere at the US mall depressing and dreary compared to better Thai malls.

The girl /woman watching is on a totally different level in bangkok malls....in many american malls most of the girls over age 18 have butts bigger than texas. The few attractive women are either married or have ten guys watching their every move like a bunch of love sick puppies. Thai girls/women always seem wiling to make eye contact and give you a smile....they actually seem to enjoy having men look at them and take it as a compliment rather than a threat.

[keeniau96]

Average mall in the USA are just satisfactory; low-level malls are dreary filled with fat butts. But the upscale malls are a totally different world. For example, the Stanford Mall and several others in Silicon Valley. Similarly, Rodeo Drive (not really a mall) in LA is pure people-watching pleasure and great shopping if you can afford it.

[Ulysses G.]

There are a lot more good quality, interesting things to buy in an American mall, but girl watching and just walking around is a lot better here.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[DP25]

Generally think Thai malls are much more enjoyable. I never go to a mall back home unless I absolutely have to, but I can happily spend an afternoon in MBK. I never go to a mall to eat at home but I love going to Siam Paragon to eat in their food court and pick up some stuff in the grocery store. Some of the malls near me at home are run down or infested with gang banging teenagers as well. I also prefer that malls in Bangkok are built vertically instead of spread over a huge area. Plenty of boring Thai malls as well, but at least there are few I can use.

[nomadicman]

Thai Shopping Centers in the major Sukhumvit hubs are excellent places to enjoy great meals and shopping. Most of the western malls have no service and poorly trained personnel. At least here in Bangkok... when you want to buy something you have full attention. The staff even takes the money to the casher to make the payment and return with goods and receipt. You do not get them in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Britain, France, Germany and the US which is the most pathetic....

Staff at most medium class types of shopping malls in the west have attitude problems with their staff. In Thailand, you do get sometimes some silly or stupid staff who are lazy but a majority of them are very good and go all out to show it.

I will continue to shop in Thailand.

[Jingthing]

You go to shopping malls in Thailand to shop? I must admit, that hadn't occurred to me.

Edited February 18, 2012 by Jingthing

[stickyrice2000]

Bangkok malls are hangout out place for teenagers even though many of them do not purchase anything. They have programs and events that bring singers and celebrities to entertain shoppers. There are many food varieties with reasonable prices. The focus and atmosphere between Westerner and Bangkok malls are different. For Western malls, it is all about sales and shoppings. For Bangkok malls, it is hangout place, entertainment center and shopping which make them more lively than Western malls.

[Fookhaht]

i never experienced multi-level malls (higher than 2 floors) until I came to Thailand. It seems as if the cost of land is at such a premium in the cities here that any decent mall has to be four or more stories to decrease the footprint.

I find it decidedly inconvenient to spend half my time riding escalators and walking all the way around a level to get to the next up-escalator positioned 300 meters from the last up-escalator (certainly a design feature forced by the marketing gurus).

I fine most western premium malls in the USA much easier and more convenient to get around, most of them (at least on the west coast) being one or two-level malls.

[rfukata]

traffic in and around the malls in Thailand seems to turn me off more than western countries if you are driving. In the US, there are huge parking lots surrounding the mall with easier access. Also, if you are a disabled person you are pretty much out of luck at the malls in Thailand.

[spidermike007]

Yes, I think we all feel this way. I can spend half a day in Siam Paragon. I avoid malls like the plague in the US. They are lifeless, boring, and unpleasant. The food is terrible, and everything is overpriced. At Siam, I can eat well, watch beautiful women, buy great books at good prices at Kusikoniya, catch a movie at an amazing cinema, go bowling, etc., etc. The malls in Thailand are lovely.

[IMA_FARANG]

I definately prefer malls, stores, etc. in Thailand to the U.S.

Malls in the U.S. are for one reason...buy something and then get out.

In Thailand, at least Bangkok, you can find the coffee shop and girl watch....a nice feature.

The one dislike I personally have with Thai department stores is:

find it decidedly inconvenient to spend half my time riding escalators

For me, this is because I have a problem with my right leg (I'm 65 years old...and my right leg has some nerve damage). So the department stores I select are those with elevators (lifts) because escalators are not really a viable choice for me. (I have to be aware of the possibility of falls.)

And unfortunatly, these elevators are often in the rear of many of the stores and designed to be used mainly as "service" access only. So I usually ignore the escalators and go looking for the elevators. The stores with good and convienent elevators are the ones that I go to.

Edited February 19, 2012 by IMA_FARANG

[JohnAllan]

No. And I wouldn't describe their architecture as great, or their food as luxurious. And there are far and away too many of them, in too close a range of each other. I'm far from convinced the numbers match the numbers of shoppers; simply the Thais' indulgences.

One of the latest additions - Sukhumvit again - is Terminal 21, and true to type, we have Thai security guards 'directing traffic', in their usual inimitable, and illogical, way, to the even greater detriment of through-flow on Sukhumvit. These guys need a proper job, without whistles.

They open them without even the most rudimentary checks for readiness, as evidenced by Paragon, where a little girl fell through a hole that had somehow been overlooked . . .

And imported goods, which make up much of what they sell, are often way overpriced, even taking account of tourist tax breaks.

[jeanelie]

Absolutely better, bigger, cheaper, cleaner, more complete.Thailand has the possibility to offer shopping tours for months without getting boring.

[PattayaParent]

The malls in HCMC are even better than here, especially if you have kids.

[tubehero]

@PattayaParent: Are you serious when saying that malls in Saigon are better than Bangkok?

[me4175]

Central has large malls, but as previously noted the microphone screaming and "dinna kha" bother me as well as the lack of trash bins. The screaming is why I have started shopping for food at Max-value. It is a pleasant store to shop for food and does not practice this ear splitting marketing. Seating, unless you pay for a 100 baht coffee, is uncomfortable in the malls here. Prices for clothing are high and generally not in my size since I am over six feet tall. I don't find the restaurants to be that inexpensive. In fact, the food in the Thai restaurants I would frequent in the US had tastier fare which was considerably cheaper. Only my wife's cooking can beat my often frequented Thai restaurants in the US. One of my favorite pastimes at malls in the US was visiting a bookstore. I could drink a coffee in the store and sit in a comfortable chair or couch and browse books or walk about and view a large selection of Cds and DVDs. There is nothing comparable here for the reader. However, for an air conditioned walk central is the best Thailand has.

I have to object on the book stores. They have nice ones as you described here, too. Try Kinokuniya in Paragon for example, just excellent.

Edited February 20, 2012 by IngoDettmar

[Ulysses G.]

In fact, the food in the Thai restaurants I would frequent in the US had tastier fare which was considerably cheaper.

I find it difficult to believe that Thai food in the US is cheaper and better than Thai food in Thailand.

[kirk0233]

Central has large malls, but as previously noted the microphone screaming and "dinna kha" bother me as well as the lack of trash bins. The screaming is why I have started shopping for food at Max-value. It is a pleasant store to shop for food and does not practice this ear splitting marketing. Seating, unless you pay for a 100 baht coffee, is uncomfortable in the malls here. Prices for clothing are high and generally not in my size since I am over six feet tall. I don't find the restaurants to be that inexpensive. In fact, the food in the Thai restaurants I would frequent in the US had tastier fare which was considerably cheaper. Only my wife's cooking can beat my often frequented Thai restaurants in the US. One of my favorite pastimes at malls in the US was visiting a bookstore. I could drink a coffee in the store and sit in a comfortable chair or couch and browse books or walk about and view a large selection of Cds and DVDs. There is nothing comparable here for the reader. However, for an air conditioned walk central is the best Thailand has.

I have to object on the book stores. They have nice ones as you described here, too. Try Kinokuniya in Paragon for example, just excellent.

I have been many times to Kinokuniya. From what I recall there are no places to sit, no coffee shop and no Cd's or DVDs. You are right, it is the best Bangkok has to offer, but it does not measure up to what I have experienced in the US.

[kirk0233]

In fact, the food in the Thai restaurants I would frequent in the US had tastier fare which was considerably cheaper.

I find it difficult to believe that Thai food in the US is cheaper and better than Thai food in Thailand.

It is true from my perspective. I found the price cheaper, service was much better, restaurant cleaner, and no bugs or worms in the food.

[AZBill]

I do think the movie theaters are nicer in BK than in the US, and there are certainly many more malls per square foot in BK, which provide a nice break from the heat. However I don't find good value in the BK malls and would never do any high-end shopping here as I don't trust the authenticity of the merchandise, even at the brand name shops. Further, Thai women (as beautiful as they are) and microphones do not make a pleasant combination to say the least! "Shrill" does not even begin to describe the noise that eminates from these dainty mouths when touting the latest phony white cream or boob enhancer! I do agree the lady watching in the BK malls is far better than in the States. I have noticed as well over the years that the overall butt size of the American woman has increased to monumental proportions to go along with their anti-male attitudes. Food is far better in the BK malls.

[bkk_mike]

Central has large malls, but as previously noted the microphone screaming and "dinna kha" bother me as well as the lack of trash bins. The screaming is why I have started shopping for food at Max-value. It is a pleasant store to shop for food and does not practice this ear splitting marketing. Seating, unless you pay for a 100 baht coffee, is uncomfortable in the malls here. Prices for clothing are high and generally not in my size since I am over six feet tall. I don't find the restaurants to be that inexpensive. In fact, the food in the Thai restaurants I would frequent in the US had tastier fare which was considerably cheaper. Only my wife's cooking can beat my often frequented Thai restaurants in the US. One of my favorite pastimes at malls in the US was visiting a bookstore. I could drink a coffee in the store and sit in a comfortable chair or couch and browse books or walk about and view a large selection of Cds and DVDs. There is nothing comparable here for the reader. However, for an air conditioned walk central is the best Thailand has.

I have to object on the book stores. They have nice ones as you described here, too. Try Kinokuniya in Paragon for example, just excellent.

I have been many times to Kinokuniya. From what I recall there are no places to sit, no coffee shop and no Cd's or DVDs. You are right, it is the best Bangkok has to offer, but it does not measure up to what I have experienced in the US.

Book store with a coffee shop that also sells CDs and DVDs... That sounds like the B2S in the basement level in Fashion Island.

Unfortunately all the books are in Thai...