Why I Love Shopping Malls

[market trader]

Good luck with your "hobby". Sounds terribly boring. Take a hike or visit a waterfall...and much healthier for you.

I hate malls. My last 10 years in America I never entered a mall once (except maybe to enter the cinema).

There are too many malls, mini malls, whatever...in C.M. already. Some should be bulldozed. Put in parks instead. Banks???? Who needs so many banks? More people should use Internet banking and stop wasting so much gas and polluting the air driving to "mini-mall banks" when they can do 90% of the banking at home.

Free A/C?

Families shopping together for gold? I have not seen that here. Thais buy gold mainly as investments. There's no family joy involved. It's all business.

Please...less "fast food joints".

Back home I used internet banking for 100% of my banking transactions. I have been in Thailand for 3 years and still use my home country bank for transactions. Here in CM I use Bangkok bank and internet banking is next to impossible. For the last 3 months I have been trying to have my utility bills paid through direct deposit. So far only the electric company has achieved success. Lawrence its hard to believe that you, who was our restaurant critic when you were in CM would stoop to eating at the food courts. As for gold would you actually trust the gold shops to sell you top quality gold..A recent TV show I saw called " Scam city" Did an episode in BKK and gold products they sold which they said was worth $400.00 U.S. was actually worth $40.00 when evaluated in the USA. I will never forget before I married my Thai wife many years ago that her family told her that her wedding ring should be 22kt gold. Well we went to a gold shop in BKK and she got the ring she wanted but to this day in my eyes that ring looks like a piece of tin.

[LawrenceChee]

kkk Market Trader ...there are days when you are just passing thru mate a food court and want a quick chicken rice on a plate coz :-) I am easy going on both spectrums ...doesnt stop me from coming back in 3 weeks from more restaurants reviews...so watch for it.

Thanks Jeffrey - Looks like I will be spending some time hopefully in that new mall when I am back.

As for gold, I agree...I trust only the big one in Bangkok in Chinatown for the gold quality here. Anything else is subject to risk and any gold trader would know that Thai gold is not pure gold by world standards although selling it within Thailand is not a problem and I have made some money in the last 2007 run with some gold ingots here.

Internet banking...I have given up on here ....as such I like malls since all the banks are under one roof, I do most of my banking thru the internet for my overseas account.

For Thailand day to day expenses, updating a bank book and using an ATM card seems retro and fun for me and I enjoy that bit of it.

[naboo]

You enjoy reading bank leaflets and enjoy putting your bank book in the machine.

Please do forget to invite me along next time you go!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Swenson's girls are no way old enough you dirty old men! How they find so many staff who look 13 I don't know.

Hey, if they're old enough to pay income tax, they're old enough to appreciate.

Swensen's : It's the closest thing we have to Hooters.

Edited January 6, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[dave2]

re.

.there are days when you are just passing thru mate a food court and want a quick chicken rice on a plate

this is the takeaway version from a mom and pop cart i use

at chiang mai gate for 25 baht : )

dave2

ps .. the upstairs food court of tesco lotus kamtien do a huge

portion of this for 30 baht and cold water from the machine is free

[MESmith]

ps .. the upstairs food court of tesco lotus kamtien do a huge

portion of this for 30 baht and cold water from the machine is free

Are reservations essential on Valentines Day?

[Semper]

I agree the girls in Thailand and Dairy Queen is insanely good eye candy...it's like stepford village :-) all slim and long hair and smiley.,..well most anyway ....

Aren't they still at school?

They look very young to me.

Yeah, that's a little weird of a post. They look to be about 16 years old.

I remember asking my wife about how Dairy Queen can employ seemingly under-aged staff, but she reckons they are relatively mature women (twenties plus) who are just made to look 13 because of franchise rules about having to have pony tails etc. Don't know if its true though.

You could try to date one of them and see if her mother will threaten you with the police.

[LawrenceChee]

was waiting for your one-liner Semper ! Great one...

I agree with Winnie...if you old enough to work, you probably want people to appreciate your looks...nothing dirty about it...every man should have the right to enjoy looking at woman who will smile back..... if you are leering, you deserve the dirty looks...if you are admiring & look adorable then you deserve the smiles ! Nice pic @ Swensen

Thanks Dave for the pics love the Swensen @ that Tesco !

[elektrified]

Swenson's girls are no way old enough you dirty old men! How they find so many staff who look 13 I don't know.

Hey, if they're old enough to pay income tax, they're old enough to appreciate.

Swensen's : It's the closest thing we have to Hooters.

The girls at Swensons are young women, while the girls at Dairy Queen look to be High School kids.

[elektrified]

Back home I used internet banking for 100% of my banking transactions. I have been in Thailand for 3 years and still use my home country bank for transactions. Here in CM I use Bangkok bank and internet banking is next to impossible. For the last 3 months I have been trying to have my utility bills paid through direct deposit. So far only the electric company has achieved success. Lawrence its hard to believe that you, who was our restaurant critic when you were in CM would stoop to eating at the food courts. As for gold would you actually trust the gold shops to sell you top quality gold..A recent TV show I saw called " Scam city" Did an episode in BKK and gold products they sold which they said was worth $400.00 U.S. was actually worth $40.00 when evaluated in the USA. I will never forget before I married my Thai wife many years ago that her family told her that her wedding ring should be 22kt gold. Well we went to a gold shop in BKK and she got the ring she wanted but to this day in my eyes that ring looks like a piece of tin.

A Thai friend of mine who comes from a very wealthy Chinese family told me that his family only buys their gold from one shop in Bangkok that has been there for more than 100 years and that they even deliver the gold to Chiang Mai customers. He said they don't trust any shops in C.M.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Swenson's girls are no way old enough you dirty old men! How they find so many staff who look 13 I don't know.

Hey, if they're old enough to pay income tax, they're old enough to appreciate.

Swensen's : It's the closest thing we have to Hooters.

The girls at Swensons are young women, while the girls at Dairy Queen look to be High School kids.

Hm.. The challenge with DQ though is that they're mostly small booths.. so it's hard to spend any quality time there.

[LawrenceChee]

Tang Toh Heng is the name of the goldsmith in BBK Chinatown mate.

Their cousins own the chain in Hong Kong known as Chow Tai <deleted>. If you are keen in the gold trade and been buying gold bars...these 2 families have the best reputation in this region and will stake any gold items with their logos and take any item back when you want to sell it no questions asked as long as their logo is there.

I trust them for the quality and the weight of the bars they sell.

[elektrified]

Tang Toh Heng is the name of the goldsmith in BBK Chinatown mate.

Their cousins own the chain in Hong Kong known as Chow Tai <deleted>. If you are keen in the gold trade and been buying gold bars...these 2 families have the best reputation in this region and will stake any gold items with their logos and take any item back when you want to sell it no questions asked as long as their logo is there.

I trust them for the quality and the weight of the bars they sell.

It's actually Tang Toh Kang.

[searcher22]

re.

.there are days when you are just passing thru mate a food court and want a quick chicken rice on a plate

this is the takeaway version from a mom and pop cart i use

at chiang mai gate for 25 baht : )

dave2

ps .. the upstairs food court of tesco lotus kamtien do a huge

portion of this for 30 baht and cold water from the machine is free

I used to eat often at shopping mall food courts when I first arrived in Thailand. But I avoid them whenever I can now (the coupon-only ones). I've seen too many food-hygiene violations and had too many cases of diarrhea. When I'm pressed for time at a shopping mall and I'm looking for a quick and cheap meal, I even opt for the nutritionally-challenged McDonald's (no drink and no fries) simply because it's cleaner. For instance, there's one food court restaurant that stores their ready-to-eat soup noodles at almost floor level, next to mops and brooms. Sure, the little hair, ant or dirt in your soup won't harm you once it's boiled, but why should you eat it? I also cook more at home.

Are more upscale restaurants any better? I don't know. However, I consider street food to be a safer choice than food-court offerings (and also tastier), since vendors have a stake in their business and want you to come back. Most food-court employees don't give two hoots if you never come back again.

I would make an exception for the basement-level food court at the Central airport mall. I never had a problem there. Incidentally, you pay with cash, not coupons. It's always teeming with Thais, including the HI-So's. That's usually a good sign.

There are other exceptions for sure. Feel free to post your favourite coupon-only food court restaurant if you have one.

[naboo]

I am pretty sure Big C foodcourt stalls are leased out to individuals. Saw a Farang and ( I assume) wife operating one at Big C, Lamai in Samui, can't see Big C employing Farang to run a food shop. In this case they would have a stake in the business.

In Chiang Mai the food courts are poor. BKK has some good ones in Paragon and the like. Maybe upmarket Promenada will offer something worth visiting. Ooh, the anticipation.

Lawrence, as resident food guide, perhaps you could do a review of food courts on your return. Remember to note which Guay Diaow shop has best eye candy.

[elektrified]

re.

.there are days when you are just passing thru mate a food court and want a quick chicken rice on a plate

this is the takeaway version from a mom and pop cart i use

at chiang mai gate for 25 baht : )

dave2

ps .. the upstairs food court of tesco lotus kamtien do a huge

portion of this for 30 baht and cold water from the machine is free

I used to eat often at shopping mall food courts when I first arrived in Thailand. But I avoid them whenever I can now (the coupon-only ones). I've seen too many food-hygiene violations and had too many cases of diarrhea. When I'm pressed for time at a shopping mall and I'm looking for a quick and cheap meal, I even opt for the nutritionally-challenged McDonald's (no drink and no fries) simply because it's cleaner. For instance, there's one food court restaurant that stores their ready-to-eat soup noodles at almost floor level, next to mops and brooms. Sure, the little hair, ant or dirt in your soup won't harm you once it's boiled, but why should you eat it? I also cook more at home.

Are more upscale restaurants any better? I don't know. However, I consider street food to be a safer choice than food-court offerings (and also tastier), since vendors have a stake in their business and want you to come back. Most food-court employees don't give two hoots if you never come back again.

I would make an exception for the basement-level food court at the Central airport mall. I never had a problem there. Incidentally, you pay with cash, not coupons. It's always teeming with Thais, including the HI-So's. That's usually a good sign.

There are other exceptions for sure. Feel free to post your favourite coupon-only food court restaurant if you have one.

I disagree although some mall food courts are cleaner than others. The basement level food court at Central Airport Plaza has to be the cleanest of them all and yes it's loaded with HiSo's every day. They have a great selection there and you can see how clean it is. Never been sick from eating there. Street food is the dirtiest. We never eat at them and neither do any of the g/f's relatives anymore. Many use 2nd hand cooking oil, improperly washed vegetables, dishes, silverware, and meat and poultry are stored at dangerous temperatures.

[LawrenceChee]

sorry mate ...you are right..typo error it's suppose to be Tang Toh Kang.

As for food court, I like the one at Big C Hang Dong ....very clean, they have some nice beer promoters who are friendly and at dinner hours, they even have a free band....works for me at that price !

[uptheos]

A Thai friend of mine who comes from a very wealthy Chinese family told me that his family only buys their gold from one shop in Bangkok that has been there for more than 100 years and that they even deliver the gold to Chiang Mai customers. He said they don't trust any shops in C.M.

I bet that's sent a lot of people running to their bank boxes!

[NeverSure]

-snip- Well we went to a gold shop in BKK and she got the ring she wanted but to this day in my eyes that ring looks like a piece of tin.

I've seen 22K gold that was alloyed (hardened) with palladium that almost looked silver. There's something about the two..

"Palladium is one of the three most popular metals used to make white gold alloys (nickel and silver can also be used). Palladium-gold is a more expensive alloy than nickel-gold, but seldom causes allergic reactions (though certain cross-allergies with nickel may occur)." Link

[Rinrada]

As for food court, I like the one at Big C Hang Dong ........

agree...and the coffee aint bad and only 10 Bt a cup...usually go mad and have two......

[rene123]

I go to the malls to practise my grocery cart crashing skills. I load about 6 carts together and try to see how many cars I can crash into before securty chases me away.

[uptheos]

I go to the malls to practise my grocery cart crashing skills. I load about 6 carts together and try to see how many cars I can crash into before securty chases me away.

I always feel a bit conspicuous leaving my trolley near the aquarium.

But hey, that near to where I like to park.

[rene123]

I go to the malls to practise my grocery cart crashing skills. I load about 6 carts together and try to see how many cars I can crash into before securty chases me away.

I always feel a bit conspicuous leaving my trolley near the aquarium.

But hey, that near to where I like to park.

I was just kidding of course, but I always see people in the malls just leave their carts behind other people's vehicles and don't bother returning them to the holding bay. In Canada a certain group (not to be racist) just take them home as a means of moving their groceries from one place to another. Then, they get dumped in the nearest river.

[Thakkar]

I was just kidding of course, but I always see people in the malls just leave their carts behind other people's vehicles and don't bother returning them to the holding bay. In Canada a certain group (not to be racist) just take them home as a means of moving their groceries from one place to another. Then, they get dumped in the nearest river.

By "a certain group" do you mean lazy people?

Laziness is not a race, though wouldn't it be great if it were? Then we could all have a legitimate reason for being racist. As it is, a racist is just a hateful person too intellectually and emotionally inadequate to see things in deeper and broader terms.

T

[naboo]

I don't return my trolley to the holding bay. There aren't enough of them, best leave it where it is. But then, when I enter I always find a trolley near my car and take that one in with me.

Problem is, there aren't enough holding bays in the car parks.

[hellodolly]

I was just kidding of course, but I always see people in the malls just leave their carts behind other people's vehicles and don't bother returning them to the holding bay. In Canada a certain group (not to be racist) just take them home as a means of moving their groceries from one place to another. Then, they get dumped in the nearest river.

By "a certain group" do you mean lazy people?

Laziness is not a race, though wouldn't it be great if it were? Then we could all have a legitimate reason for being racist. As it is, a racist is just a hateful person too intellectually and emotionally inadequate to see things in deeper and broader terms.

T

Where I come from in Canada the people who take them come from all races and positions in society they are called homeless and use them to push their worldly possessions around in.

[jaideeguy]

You must be a lonely bored homeless person to actually enjoy malls and shopping. I used to enjoy the malls for an hour or so, but now, it's fight for a parking space, get what i want/need, quick trip in and out.....unless the wife is with me, then it's torture having to weave thru the crowds and go crazy trying to find what you want without the help of the useless sales idiots. Now, it's.... 'Get me outta here ASAP' and home to peace and quiet.

And they are building more malls argaaaaah!!!

[MESmith]

You must be a lonely bored homeless person to actually enjoy malls and shopping. I used to enjoy the malls for an hour or so, but now, it's fight for a parking space, get what i want/need, quick trip in and out.....unless the wife is with me, then it's torture having to weave thru the crowds and go crazy trying to find what you want without the help of the useless sales idiots. Now, it's.... 'Get me outta here ASAP' and home to peace and quiet.

And they are building more malls argaaaaah!!!

I find it easier to arrive before they open, much easier to park. Then, preferably, leave before they've opened. Save heaps

Then call in at Makro & Global House on the way home for supplies

Edited January 6, 2013 by MESmith

[uptheos]

I find it easier to arrive before they open, much easier to park. Then, preferably, leave before they've opened. Save heaps

It's a good parking spot for immigration.

[kaptainrob]

I go to the malls to practise my grocery cart crashing skills. I load about 6 carts together and try to see how many cars I can crash into before securty chases me away.

I always feel a bit conspicuous leaving my trolley near the aquarium.

But hey, that near to where I like to park.

I was just kidding of course, but I always see people in the malls just leave their carts behind other people's vehicles and don't bother returning them to the holding bay. In Canada a certain group (not to be racist) just take them home as a means of moving their groceries from one place to another. Then, they get dumped in the nearest river.

This practice is good for Thailand as it keeps 'trolley-boys' employed.

In the West, however, it's created a bonanza ... could even save North America from fiscal suicide ... whole industries are working at locating trolleys via GPS, helicopter, and returning them to the home store. Satellite tracking, legal eagles, trolley manufacturers ... scope is limitless.