Just How "broke" Are Thais?

[CPH]

Have you seen how many people check their account in European banks and leave without withdrawing anything because the account is empty at the end of the month.

[IDreamOfJenna]

A friend of my girlfriend completed an accounting degree in a decent university. She would like to work in a bank. Starting salary in most banks is... below 10K per month

After a few years experience, she can hope to reach 15K plus some yearly bonus.

Ok, some small business owners like noodle soup vendors can get a decent revenue, but the vas majority of jobs, even for educated thais, are paid peanuts. Of course most thais are flat broke at the end of the month.

[farang000999]

Thais are getting richer and farang are getting poorer.

This topic reads as some kind of group therapy session.

[farang000999]

A friend of my girlfriend completed an accounting degree in a decent university. She would like to work in a bank. Starting salary in most banks is... below 10K per month

After a few years experience, she can hope to reach 15K plus some yearly bonus.

Ok, some small business owners like noodle soup vendors can get a decent revenue, but the vas majority of jobs, even for educated thais, are paid peanuts. Of course most thais are flat broke at the end of the month.

Bank teller is hardly an "educated job". Sorry. What are they doing besides counting money and clicking a computer mouse?

Edited May 4, 2013 by farang000999

[IDreamOfJenna]

I didn't say it was an educated job, I said it was a job for an educated thai. Even the bimbos who are showing condo projects in the malls are required to have a university degree (with a barely better salary than a waitress or a maid).

Edited May 4, 2013 by IDreamOfJenna

[BookMan]

I didn't say it was an educated job, I said it was a job for an educated thai. Even the bimbos who are showing condo projects in the malls are required to have a university degree (with a barely better salary than a waitress or a maid).

So most likely they are not 'bimbos' since they have a University degree?

[JaiLai]

I didn't say it was an educated job, I said it was a job for an educated thai. Even the bimbos who are showing condo projects in the malls are required to have a university degree (with a barely better salary than a waitress or a maid).

So most likely they are not 'bimbos' since they have a University degree?

They are bimbos WITH a degree - lol

[robblok]

They're not broke. They're loaded these days. Seen any poor Thais lately? I haven't. They always seem like they are flush with cash. Makes sense as there is very little poverty in Thailand. I think there are more poor people in my former country(US) than in Thailand. Can you believe that? It's true.

judging by the gold scramble over songkran,new red number plates in circulation i would say many thais are doing extremely well as opposed to many western retirees struggling with meagre pensions,rotten exchange rates,and too many bar fines that have soaked up their savings.

Don't let the amount of red plates fool you, most are on finance, they have a nice new motor to show off in but park it outside their doss pit room / shack.

It really seems to get to you that Thais have cars and stuff. Are you affraid you have to compete or something like that. They prefer to spend their money on cars and phones you on your house.. nothing wrong with that id say. It is their money.

[StreetCowboy]

They're not broke. They're loaded these days. Seen any poor Thais lately? I haven't. They always seem like they are flush with cash. Makes sense as there is very little poverty in Thailand. I think there are more poor people in my former country(US) than in Thailand. Can you believe that? It's true.

judging by the gold scramble over songkran,new red number plates in circulation i would say many thais are doing extremely well as opposed to many western retirees struggling with meagre pensions,rotten exchange rates,and too many bar fines that have soaked up their savings.

Don't let the amount of red plates fool you, most are on finance, they have a nice new motor to show off in but park it outside their doss pit room / shack.

It really seems to get to you that Thais have cars and stuff. Are you affraid you have to compete or something like that. They prefer to spend their money on cars and phones you on your house.. nothing wrong with that id say. It is their money.

I expect part of it may be that a lot of Thais live away from home working in Bangkok or wherever, so a nice car is theirs, to take back home or wherever, but spending money on property where they live in Bangkok, since they are only there to work. If I thought this was my permanent home, I'd probably put another coat of Hammerite on the corrugated iron.

SC

[JaiLai]

They're not broke. They're loaded these days. Seen any poor Thais lately? I haven't. They always seem like they are flush with cash. Makes sense as there is very little poverty in Thailand. I think there are more poor people in my former country(US) than in Thailand. Can you believe that? It's true.

judging by the gold scramble over songkran,new red number plates in circulation i would say many thais are doing extremely well as opposed to many western retirees struggling with meagre pensions,rotten exchange rates,and too many bar fines that have soaked up their savings.

Don't let the amount of red plates fool you, most are on finance, they have a nice new motor to show off in but park it outside their doss pit room / shack.

It really seems to get to you that Thais have cars and stuff. Are you affraid you have to compete or something like that. They prefer to spend their money on cars and phones you on your house.. nothing wrong with that id say. It is their money.

Does not get to me, just goes with their train of thought, they would rather show off ( with things they can't afford ) and live in a s******e than the other way round, up to them - not for me though.

On another note that baffles me most of them seem to have a UBC dish outside their fleapit as well, also see this a lot on the corragated shacks knocking about, i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive ( and rubbish ) yet they seem to think it's no biggie....strange!

[robblok]

@jallai

It does seem to get to you you have to stress how they live in a bad house, or how its financed.

Fact.. they have a car and a house as long as it is not repossessed they can afford it, they can also afford all the gold and iphones.

This must certainly hurt some pensioners on a fixed income with these exchange rates.. they cant use their money anymore to impress girls.

They get questions why don't you have a new car or phone.. that must be the root of the resentment i read in your posts.

[MrHammer]

That Thais spend their money on things that other people can see as opposed to their living conditions really shouldn't come as a surprise.

[Soutpeel]

On another note that baffles me most of them seem to have a UBC dish outside their fleapit as well, also see this a lot on the corragated shacks knocking about, i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive ( and rubbish ) yet they seem to think it's no biggie....strange!

Maybe you need to move into said flea pit/corragated shack/doss room ..you will be able to afford UBC then...

Based on your posts to date on this topic..do I detect a degree of resentment against "poor" Thai's...as they can afford things you cant...whether paid for with cash or on the tick ?

[JaiLai]

On another note that baffles me most of them seem to have a UBC dish outside their fleapit as well, also see this a lot on the corragated shacks knocking about, i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive ( and rubbish ) yet they seem to think it's no biggie....strange!

Maybe you need to move into said flea pit/corragated shack/doss room ..you will be able to afford UBC then...

Based on your posts to date on this topic..do I detect a degree of resentment against "poor" Thai's...as they can afford things you cant...whether paid for with cash or on the tick ?

Perhaps i do need to move to a fleapit - NOT!

How do you know what i can and cannot afford? mind reader now are you?

I have no resentment just baffles me what their priorities are.

[JaiLai]

@jallai

It does seem to get to you you have to stress how they live in a bad house, or how its financed.

Fact.. they have a car and a house as long as it is not repossessed they can afford it, they can also afford all the gold and iphones.

This must certainly hurt some pensioners on a fixed income with these exchange rates.. they cant use their money anymore to impress girls.

They get questions why don't you have a new car or phone.. that must be the root of the resentment i read in your posts.

It does not stress me BUT thanks for your concern.

No resentment, i do not need to impress any of the locals here BTW. I have the new cars / phones etc but it's well within my means.

Back in the day and still to some extent the most important goal was to get a property secured and paid for long before luxuries like phones / cars / gold and whatever else were even thought about.

Maybe times have changed or more likely the thai do not care how they live as long as they look well off.

[Soutpeel]

On another note that baffles me most of them seem to have a UBC dish outside their fleapit as well, also see this a lot on the corragated shacks knocking about, i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive ( and rubbish ) yet they seem to think it's no biggie....strange!

Maybe you need to move into said flea pit/corragated shack/doss room ..you will be able to afford UBC then...

Based on your posts to date on this topic..do I detect a degree of resentment against "poor" Thai's...as they can afford things you cant...whether paid for with cash or on the tick ?

Perhaps i do need to move to a fleapit - NOT!

How do you know what i can and cannot afford? mind reader now are you?

I have no resentment just baffles me what their priorities are.

Well you did say you couldnt afford UBC..."i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive"

[Soutpeel]

I have the new cars / phones etc but it's well within my means.

If you hadnt bought a new car/phones then you could have afforded UBC then...

[robblok]

On another note that baffles me most of them seem to have a UBC dish outside their fleapit as well, also see this a lot on the corragated shacks knocking about, i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive ( and rubbish ) yet they seem to think it's no biggie....strange!

Maybe you need to move into said flea pit/corragated shack/doss room ..you will be able to afford UBC then...

Based on your posts to date on this topic..do I detect a degree of resentment against "poor" Thai's...as they can afford things you cant...whether paid for with cash or on the tick ?

Perhaps i do need to move to a fleapit - NOT!

How do you know what i can and cannot afford? mind reader now are you?

I have no resentment just baffles me what their priorities are.

Well you did say you couldnt afford UBC..."i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive"

I can afford UBC too but i feel its to expensive for what I would be getting. I have no problem spending way to much on a set of quick lock 120lbs dumbbells and import them from the USA but feel UBC is too expensive. I think many of us feel something is only worth this and wont pay more for it.

[JaiLai]

On another note that baffles me most of them seem to have a UBC dish outside their fleapit as well, also see this a lot on the corragated shacks knocking about, i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive ( and rubbish ) yet they seem to think it's no biggie....strange!

Maybe you need to move into said flea pit/corragated shack/doss room ..you will be able to afford UBC then...

Based on your posts to date on this topic..do I detect a degree of resentment against "poor" Thai's...as they can afford things you cant...whether paid for with cash or on the tick ?

Perhaps i do need to move to a fleapit - NOT!

How do you know what i can and cannot afford? mind reader now are you?

I have no resentment just baffles me what their priorities are.

Well you did say you couldnt afford UBC..."i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive"

No i said it's too expensive ( which it is ) i did not say i could not afford it, there's a difference!

[JaiLai]

I have the new cars / phones etc but it's well within my means.

If you hadnt bought a new car/phones then you could have afforded UBC then...

Even without buying these items i'd have still binned UBC, complete drivel so it is ( sorry WAS )

[Travel2003]

He was so poor, he didn't even have an e-mail address.

[SlyAnimal]

Most Thai people simply have a different set of priorities to westerners. As even if you grow up in a "lower quality" house by western standards, if all of your friends, family and neighbours have the same type of house, then to you it's just a normal house, no real need to upgrade to a luxury you can't necessarily afford. By comparison, maybe you can afford a brand new car on finance, as you wouldn't dream of buying 2nd hand, its just not what people do!. Comparatively in the west, in NZ at least, not many people but brand new cars, 2nd hand ones are fine, but yes it is really nice to have a fancy house.

Also Thai people often invest in gold rather than keeping money in the bank. If my NZ banks only offered interest rates which were less than inflation, then I think ppl in NZ would do the same thing lol.

[StreetCowboy]

On another note that baffles me most of them seem to have a UBC dish outside their fleapit as well, also see this a lot on the corragated shacks knocking about, i have just cancelled my UBC coz it's too expensive ( and rubbish ) yet they seem to think it's no biggie....strange!

Maybe you need to move into said flea pit/corragated shack/doss room ..you will be able to afford UBC then...

Based on your posts to date on this topic..do I detect a degree of resentment against "poor" Thai's...as they can afford things you cant...whether paid for with cash or on the tick ?

Smashing; another thread about deriding the hypothesised lifestyle of our fellows.

When one lives in a tin lean-to shack, threads such as this liven up the day no end. Thanks chaps!

SC

[bunnaag]

have you more interesting things to do today?

[aTomsLife]

No i said it's too expensive ( which it is ) i did not say i could not afford it, there's a difference!

Exactly, it's not a question of affordability, but one of value. I can afford to buy Levis in Thailand, but why pay nearly twice the price? I go home every year anyway, so can get better value for my money there.

Edit: While we're on the topic of affordability vs. value, just wanted to add that I find I mildly amusing watching people pay for Johnny Walker Black and then mix 90/10 ratio soda-to-whisky cocktails. Talk about style of substance, literally.

Edited May 4, 2013 by aTomsLife