Newguy70 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Looking at some of the posts on here, is poverty a real problem with farangs here? No tipping, 20 baht whinges over some red car, common request for cheap services and the latest one... burning candles to keep warm. Are we living in the Middle Ages? The impression I get is that a lot of these folk are either poverty stricken, or tight as a gnats chuff? You can keep on tipping and consider me poor... I stopped tipping the day I landed in Thailand. iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songhklasid Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I don't see the need for a car in thailand, when transport is so readily available,motorbike, yes to go to markets, etc, but with it's small size, & big population, your'e got planes, trains, buses, for long distances, or songhtaews, motorbike taxis, tuk tuk for short distances, unless you really live in the sticks, I cant see the added expense justified, just my 2 bobs worth. regards songhklasid. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thighlander Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 It's kind of a game, and since we can't work, why not? Walking with a nice cold beer vs. taking a tuk-tuk? Those are some of the tough decisions we can make, partially because we have the time to do so. Make no mistake about it; the Thais are great students and teachers of the same game. I remember a Thai friend asking me how much I had spent for my haircut in Hang Dong. I was proud of myself and perfectly content getting a good haircut and some nice bump and grind for 50 THB, and add 20 THB for the 19 yo daughter to pick me up and take me home on the motorbike. But my Thai friend shook his head and said pointed to his hair and said "som sip Thighlander."We can't work? Not only do some of us work, we have to. Lucky you, I say. You don't really walk along the street drinking beer do you? Where I'm from only down and out winos drink in public. .image.jpg I've been visiting Thailand for 16 years, CNX for 10 and don't recall ever buying a bottle of beer and not having them offer to open it for me, or at least had an opener attached to the register in plain view. I usually like to grab a plastic chair and have a cold one, but sometimes all the chairs are taken, so I do it for take away. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post kjhbigv Posted January 20, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted January 20, 2014 I think one becomes more aware of value-for-money, when the Pound (or Dollar, or whatever) buys 42 Baht instead of 75 Baht ! I agree.... when I first came here 6 years ago I was getting 70+ baht to the GBP.....when it went down to 45 I was getting a bit concerned, imagine being in your own country and prices increased by 40%! If you live here and your cash is earned in GBP from the UK then yeah, you do have to watch the pennies a bit.... what's wrong with that? I have seen many people come here flashing the cash at the start.... then leave with their tails between their legs back home! The key to live here is sustainability. Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wigantojapan Posted January 20, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted January 20, 2014 At the end of the day the ones who are looking down their noses( the wanna be rich set) why are they here in CM if they have so much money. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post worgeordie Posted January 21, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted January 21, 2014 I am a cheap charlie, I am also very wise with money and hence I am now very well off. And despite some thinking that's mental illness I assure you I don't have it. But remember we have to budget for the next 20yrs not the next month so I don't want to be panicking that's its all gone after 5 years....and I am sure you don't either Too bad !! You will die a cheap charlie!! I can't believe the number of cheap charlies here in Chiang Mai! I own a restaurant here, and if you can't leave 5 baht for a tip to someone who makes 10% of what you make, you should not live here! Your not well off! You are a miser who will die with your money! You are what we call in Chaing Mai a worm! Go back to the rock you crawled under!! I just wonder who is the real "cheap Charlie",why don't you pay your staff a living wage so they don't have to rely on tips,your reply would most likely be because all other restaurants do the same,come on don't be a worm start paying your staff a decent wage,you might have lower profits,but happier staff, Also been in business here I don't think its a good idea for you to berate anyone, as everyone is a potential customer. regards Worgeordie 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelsLariat Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) I am a cheap charlie, I am also very wise with money and hence I am now very well off. And despite some thinking that's mental illness I assure you I don't have it. But remember we have to budget for the next 20yrs not the next month so I don't want to be panicking that's its all gone after 5 years....and I am sure you don't either Too bad !! You will die a cheap charlie!! I can't believe the number of cheap charlies here in Chiang Mai! I own a restaurant here, and if you can't leave 5 baht for a tip to someone who makes 10% of what you make, you should not live here! Your not well off! You are a miser who will die with your money! You are what we call in Chaing Mai a worm! Go back to the rock you crawled under!! I just wonder who is the real "cheap Charlie",why don't you pay your staff a living wage so they don't have to rely on tips,your reply would most likely be because all other restaurants do the same,come on don't be a worm start paying your staff a decent wage,you might have lower profits,but happier staff, Also been in business here I don't think its a good idea for you to berate anyone, as everyone is a potential customer. regards Worgeordie I agree up to a point but there is no easy solution for the problem of less skilled workers in Thailand being paid peanuts. The other side of the coin is that if non-tippers think that tippers are “ruining it for everyone else” by driving up costs, then I suspect that they would be even less happy with how much an across-the-board increase in wages would ruin it. It's probably rare that restaurant workers in CNX make as much as 1000 baht per month in tips, but to bring wages up to what most Westerners consider to be a "living wage" would require a much bigger increase than that and would probably trigger even bigger price increases than what the even the most generous tippers presently contribute. Edited January 21, 2014 by AngelsLariat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arend Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 In American system, tips are regarded as part if not most of a waitress/waiter's wages. Thus, owners only pay minimum wage. Everyone knows this so customers know when tipping 15-20% that it is going towards basic wages. Whatever one may think, this system covers minimum wage but provides incentive for providing good food and service. Tips are often communally shared with entire staff, ie dishwasher etc. Few other cultures are set up this way. American businessmen often focus on creating incentive based systems to motivate workers...(at least since the whip became illegal). Incentive - reward or punishment? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NeverSure Posted January 21, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted January 21, 2014 In American system, tips are regarded as part if not most of a waitress/waiter's wages. Thus, owners only pay minimum wage. Everyone knows this so customers know when tipping 15-20% that it is going towards basic wages. Whatever one may think, this system covers minimum wage but provides incentive for providing good food and service. Tips are often communally shared with entire staff, ie dishwasher etc. Few other cultures are set up this way. American businessmen often focus on creating incentive based systems to motivate workers...(at least since the whip became illegal). Incentive - reward or punishment? Right on. Just don't forget that while the Federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, each state can reduce that by accounting for perceived tips. In some states, the food server is paid just over $2.00 an hour !!! and the rest of the income is tips!!! Link Granted, in a really good and higher end restaurant, that waiter might make $20 an hour in tips but she has to bust butt for it and have very, very happy customers. This would be a restaurant with a more expensive menu and a good wine list. Every customer who fails to tip her cheats her unless her service stunk, which is rare. The food is not her fault, and she will happily and quickly get you a replacement if you don't like the food. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryBird Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 It's called assimilation. All Thais care about is the price of things, why should we be any different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthedarkside Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Time to weed out the many off topic or inflammatory posts. Try to stay on the original topic about poverty amongst farangs. More posts will be removed if off topic/inflammatory/baiting 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkshire Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I don't think many people here have anything against people living within their means, living a quiet life or even being frugal with their money, but what is clear to anyone that peruses TVCM is that it comes across that a disproportionate number of people living here are obsessive about the price of everything and not only that, have a bad attitude that comes across as believing that everyone is out to cheat them so consequentially they are miserable moaning wingers. Half of these guys are not struggling to get by on fixed incomes, they are just having trouble adjusting to a different culture, have lost the plot and are sad and unhappy. Unfortunately for us they need to share their misery with someone and this forum seems to be the main avenue of their grievances. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's who I think the op was referring to and if that's the case I'm in full agreement, as you are probably aware already. Well said. There's nothing wrong with being frugal and careful. That's being financially responsible, not the same as being a cheapskate. That's when people constantly whine/whinge about a few baht. Especially the dual-pricing threads. I agree with an earlier statement you made, when said whiners/whingers would say "it's not about the money, but the principle." BS! It's absolutely all about the money and nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfrompattaya Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) Their are so many people on this board I think it is time to set up a welfare program for poor Farangs. Even through Cousin LeRoy and I already give thousands to the poor in American. We are willing to give 5,000 each that is 10,000 thousand US dollars if another 50 will given the same amount Come on all of you lets us raise a half million US dollars by next week This is what money is for Talk is cheap Edited January 21, 2014 by harryfrompattaya 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthedarkside Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Time to weed out the many off topic or inflammatory posts. Try to stay on the original topic about poverty amongst farangs. More posts will be removed if off topic/inflammatory/baiting And now more removed. This topic has reached the end of it's life and is now CLOSED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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