Makro - Blatant Discrimination!

[Khelang Velo]

I went to Makro(location withheld) this morning ostensibly to buy beer for dinner with a friend this evening. I'm aware of the 'Alcohol Selling Times' but thought that it would be 11am by the time I went to pay. I was at the counter at 10:45 and was next to be served. Three assistants got very animated and were pointing at me as if I'd just flashed my backside at them. I asked them what the matter was and they said about the beer(1 box of 12 Singhas). I realised what they meant and after checking the time, I said no problem, I'll just look around for a while as I wasn't in a hurry. As I backed out I saw that the Thai guy being served in front of me had a box of 12 Leos and no other alcohol. As far as I could see he didn't let on about any 'Special privileges', if you catch my drift and he was not in any kind of uniform. I mentioned this to the staff but they said it was OK for him but expressed only a few 'Sorrys' to me. Initially I thought it was just that they thought I wouldn't understand Thai, or they couldn't speak enough English. I asked them to tell me in Thai but they just repeated 'Sorry'. I've been here long enough to know that Thais really don't like confrontation but I wasn't a happy Bear. I asked the floor manager, Customer Services and the Store Manager and all I kept getting was 'Sorry'. I even asked them to speak to my wife on the phone in Thai and all she got was 'Kor Tot'.

Alot of Thai people say you can buy large quantities of alcohol outside the timings. I couldn't see anything on the signs, only the 'Selling Times'. I contacted Makro HQ and they told me that the policy is Zero alcohol sales outside of the stated times.

[transam]

Think if you buy 2 boxes it is deemed you are a business so you can buy.

[stoneyboy]

Out of hours Makro will sell alcohol only over specified quantities,but it's not that much,a few litres,so yes a couple of boxes will cover this.

[Thakkar]

I think that people with business accounts at Makro are allowed to buy alcohol at any time.

On the wider point of there being some level of discrimination in Thailand: Yes, there is. Get over it.

T

[Khelang Velo]

Yes, that's what I'd heard. I told the staff that the Thai guy was only buying one box and it didn't make any difference to them.

[Khelang Velo]

I think that people with business accounts at Makro are allowed to buy alcohol at any time.

On the wider point of there being some level of discrimination in Thailand: Yes, there is. Get over it.

T

Alright, I'm willing to accept that, but perhaps they should have mentioned it to me or my wife. Like most foreigners I get irritated by most of the discrimination like 'Double Pricing' but see it coming on signs etc and grudgingly put up with it. One of the reasons I posted this, as with other people, is to get helpful feedback. A response such as "T.I.T" would have been better than your flippant comment - I guess you never get the hump about anything - Yeah Right!

[lemoncake]

Gee, you really have serious problem there.

Not sure how you will be able to go on without a case of beer from Macro

[soi41]

You talked to the manager, called your wife, called Makro HQ, all because in your case, the staff was actually following the rules! If you are going to enjoy your stay here, chill out.

[Khelang Velo]

Gee, you really have serious problem there.

Not sure how you will be able to go on without a case of beer from Macro

A true Comedian - had any offers to do stand-up on TV? I guess there's no use in asking you to re-read it to get the gist of what I said.

When I went to the store I'm sure they spelled it 'Makro'.

If they told me I couldn't buy beer because I'm an Ugly So and So, then they have a point.

[lemoncake]

Gee, you really have serious problem there.

Not sure how you will be able to go on without a case of beer from Macro

A true Comedian - had any offers to do stand-up on TV? I guess there's no use in asking you to re-read it to get the gist of what I said.

When I went to the store I'm sure they spelled it 'Makro'.

If they told me I couldn't buy beer because I'm an Ugly So and So, then they have a point.

[Khelang Velo]

You talked to the manager, called your wife, called Makro HQ, all because in your case, the staff was actually following the rules! If you are going to enjoy your stay here, chill out.

My point is that as far as I can tell they were Not following the rules.

[Thakkar]

I think that people with business accounts at Makro are allowed to buy alcohol at any time.

On the wider point of there being some level of discrimination in Thailand: Yes, there is. Get over it.

T

Alright, I'm willing to accept that, but perhaps they should have mentioned it to me or my wife. Like most foreigners I get irritated by most of the discrimination like 'Double Pricing' but see it coming on signs etc and grudgingly put up with it. One of the reasons I posted this, as with other people, is to get helpful feedback. A response such as "T.I.T" would have been better than your flippant comment - I guess you never get the hump about anything - Yeah Right!

You sailed past the helpful part of my response and honed in on the flippant part to get aggravated about. If you live with a lot of aggravation in your life, then it's clear that you've earned it.

T

[Khelang Velo]

I think that people with business accounts at Makro are allowed to buy alcohol at any time.

On the wider point of there being some level of discrimination in Thailand: Yes, there is. Get over it.

T

Alright, I'm willing to accept that, but perhaps they should have mentioned it to me or my wife. Like most foreigners I get irritated by most of the discrimination like 'Double Pricing' but see it coming on signs etc and grudgingly put up with it. One of the reasons I posted this, as with other people, is to get helpful feedback. A response such as "T.I.T" would have been better than your flippant comment - I guess you never get the hump about anything - Yeah Right!

You sailed past the helpful part of my response and honed in on the flippant part to get aggravated about. If you live with a lot of aggravation in your life, then it's clear that you've earned it.

T

Alright, point taken about being aggravated. I say the following without annoyance, anger or flippancy as an explanation as I want to avert a flame war.

Most of what I wrote, prior to the response on you being 'flippant' was to show that I wasn't aware about the benefits of a business account, which was very helpful of you; I just wish they had said that to me and then life would have gone on - a sort of 'A-ha' moment. The middle part was to show that I have to put up with 'Farang Tax' like most foreigners. When I ask other foreigners about other things, whether it's pricing or culture, they just say we have to put up with it, by replying 'T. I. T' It was wrong of me to respond in a flippant manner, apologies to you, but I think 'T. I. T' from my limited experience gets the message over in a better way and doesn't seem so bad.

Again, my apologies, I've taken the pill now.

[HanSRT10]

The minimum is 5 liters

You dont mention the size of bottle you bought, but if you got 12 bottles @ 33cl you are short about 1 liter

If the other guy got 12x 0.5 liter bottles he was good to go...

[Thakkar]

I think that people with business accounts at Makro are allowed to buy alcohol at any time.

On the wider point of there being some level of discrimination in Thailand: Yes, there is. Get over it.

T

Alright, I'm willing to accept that, but perhaps they should have mentioned it to me or my wife. Like most foreigners I get irritated by most of the discrimination like 'Double Pricing' but see it coming on signs etc and grudgingly put up with it. One of the reasons I posted this, as with other people, is to get helpful feedback. A response such as "T.I.T" would have been better than your flippant comment - I guess you never get the hump about anything - Yeah Right!

You sailed past the helpful part of my response and honed in on the flippant part to get aggravated about. If you live with a lot of aggravation in your life, then it's clear that you've earned it.

T

Alright, point taken about being aggravated. I say the following without annoyance, anger or flippancy as an explanation as I want to avert a flame war.

Most of what I wrote, prior to the response on you being 'flippant' was to show that I wasn't aware about the benefits of a business account, which was very helpful of you; I just wish they had said that to me and then life would have gone on - a sort of 'A-ha' moment. The middle part was to show that I have to put up with 'Farang Tax' like most foreigners. When I ask other foreigners about other things, whether it's pricing or culture, they just say we have to put up with it, by replying 'T. I. T' It was wrong of me to respond in a flippant manner, apologies to you, but I think 'T. I. T' from my limited experience gets the message over in a better way and doesn't seem so bad.

Again, my apologies, I've taken the pill now.

Peace.

Don't worry about it. I don't take offense so easily.

On the business account and why they didn't explain. Sometimes, an explanation may sound long and torturous in their heads and they just wish you'd accept 'Kor thod' as a catch all explanation and just wait out the ten minutes left so you can buy your case of beer and leave already.

I wonder though, what would have happened if you'd just given your case of beer to the Thai with the business account to buy on your behalf and reclaimed same once past the till! Would they have allowed that? I'll to try keep this in mind and give it a go at the next opportunity.

Cheers

T

[Khelang Velo]

The minimum is 5 liters You dont mention the size of bottle you bought, but if you got 12 bottles @ 33cl you are short about 1 liter If the other guy got 12x 0.5 liter bottles he was good to go...

Many thanks. I bought a box of 12 x 630 of Singha and he bought the same size of Leo.

[ThaidDown]

The minimum is 5 liters You dont mention the size of bottle you bought, but if you got 12 bottles @ 33cl you are short about 1 liter If the other guy got 12x 0.5 liter bottles he was good to go...

For purchase at any time the minimum is 10 litres.

Do not usually buy alcohol from Makro but might try 1 box (12x630) outside of selling time with card to see what happens. Only thing I can think of is that the Thai had a card and maybe you did not.

[taotoo]

The minimum used to be 10 litres - not sure if that's changed. Though as you say you were there before the cutoff time so shouldn't matter.

[Khelang Velo]

To Thakkar, the system doesn't allow me to re-post all the other quotes, so I've copied here:

Peace.

Don't worry about it. I don't take offense so easily.

On the business account and why they didn't explain. Sometimes, an explanation may sound long and torturous in their heads and they just wish you'd accept 'Kor thod' as a catch all explanation and just wait out the ten minutes left so you can buy your case of beer and leave already.

I wonder though, what would have happened if you'd just given your case of beer to the Thai with the business account to buy on your behalf and reclaimed same once past the till! Would they have allowed that? I'll to try keep this in mind and give it a go at the next opportunity.

Cheers

T

Appreciate the response. It's certainly a thought to put in the memory bank about people with business accounts. Some Thais are extremely helpful and will go out of their way to help. The Thai guy or the staff didn't mention that he was a business customer. If they had I would probably would have just accepted it without knowing what it meant, at least that would have been something. It's a bit like when you're in a queue/line and someone barges to the front - often times there's a good reason, but mostly they're just rude, but that's something else I've accepted as the way of life here and don't sweat it. I didn't actually lose my cool with the staff, though my post probably gave that impression. I just asked them to explain, as without an explanation it came across as discriminating. Saying Sorry is very difficult wifh many Thais, especially with the face-saving culture, but many do say it and quite often they keep repeating it, even more than foreigners do.

Many Thanks

[CharlieH]

So the real root of all this is a Thai for whatever reason went through and you had to wait 10-15 minutes before being served, this you found so outrageous and unfair you called your wife, the manager, HQ too !

Sorry mate but if thats right I suggest its diazapam you need not Laos, I mean really, all that stress and upset over 10 minutes, and before someone shouts its the principal, just remember you are in the East not West, chill out, life will be so much more enjoyable and stress free if you learn to roll with things a little and calm down its just not worth it.

[h90]

So the real root of all this is a Thai for whatever reason went through and you had to wait 10-15 minutes before being served, this you found so outrageous and unfair you called your wife, the manager, HQ too !

Sorry mate but if thats right I suggest its diazapam you need not Laos, I mean really, all that stress and upset over 10 minutes, and before someone shouts its the principal, just remember you are in the East not West, chill out, life will be so much more enjoyable and stress free if you learn to roll with things a little and calm down its just not worth it.

In the west if the rules apply you would also wait 10 min. We in Austria have crazy laws for opening hours and they must be followed, the same as the Alcohol selling hours here.

[isanbirder]

The rule is 2 cases x 12 x 630 cl if you want to buy outside hours.

Often what makes the difference over differential pricing is the farang's attitude.

Just yesterday, a barber tried to charge me B.100 for a haircut despite the fact that the price of B.60 was shown up on his mirror. I pointed this out, and asked why he charged more to farangs.

"Because you have a lot of hair!"

I pointed to my scanty locks, everybody around roared with laughter, and I paid B. 60. End of story.

[NewlyMintedThai]

And you believe this was because of your race...why?

[Shot]

I like beer

[ripstanley]

The minimum is 5 liters You dont mention the size of bottle you bought, but if you got 12 bottles @ 33cl you are short about 1 liter If the other guy got 12x 0.5 liter bottles he was good to go...

The minimum is 10 litres during the restriction hours. 2 cases of 12 by 630ml no worries. The 630ml are the large bottles

[Rooo]

For exemption the stated minimum on a sign is 10 litres at the Samui store.

[NeverSure]

When something like that happens, I always call the manager, the headquarters, my congressman, the police, and the liquor commissioner.

That's how I use up the 15 minutes until I can buy it anyway.

Then I spend the next two days being pizzed, because I have nothing better to do.

[sms747]

It's not a law just a govt request not to sell, nobody has ever been prosecuted for ignoring the request. Small shops, warehouses and even some 7/11 just ignore this nonsense. Also you can buy booze at villa markets all through the day as well as at foodland.

[Khun Jean]

Maybe they are not allowed to sell to people who are intoxicated.

[wooloomooloo]

Just yesterday, a barber tried to charge me B.100 for a haircut despite the fact that the price of B.60 was shown up on his mirror.

60 baht is overpriced. 50 baht at my wife's local barber.

If the barber charged me one hundred baht, he only absorbed his tip anyway. If I'm in a good mood, he may well have lost an additional 50 to 100 baht, but he wouldn't have known that.