Went to the booze shop as I fancied a whisky for a change

[wym]

My advice was sensible.. many expats that hate the prices here have moved over there to get cheaper booze and girls.

Isn't that exactly what I said with killing the golden goose ? I know you gonna say that expats are not of significance importance to the Thai economy, however tourists are a bigger factor, and if expats move to cheaper countries so will tourists.

Still keep in mind that the average expat spends monthly about 5 times the money an average Thai earns .

The expat population's spending is indeed not significant to Thailand's economy as a whole, even tourism as a whole is decreasing in importance as Thailand continues to develop.

And I'm sure TPTB would be happy to see the heavy drinkers in both categories move on and/or stay away, no matter how much they were spending.

AFAIC they can triple those particular taxes and that would be a good thing, especially if it makes more money available for treating Thai alcoholics, of which there are indeed many.

Making ganja legal as is the trend in the US will also bring in a lot of taxes, and I'm sure attract a lot of tourists, better quality than currently frequenting places like Pattaya.

OK I admit that last is stirring the pot a bit 8-)

[rgs2001uk]

But i see things as alcohol and such as a luxury that you can cut out. But of course its not nice to see prices rise.

But I always expected it as its natural that developing countries price rises outpace those of developed countries. I am lucky.. i work i can change my income and I hardly drink (when i do i buy the expensive stuff)

Of course alcohol is a luxury that can be cut out, so are Australian Beef, French cheese, Smoked ham, pickled herring and so many things. It are all luxury's not necessities.

But to me that looks more like a cut on freedom of choice.

I understand that price rises in developing countries happen faster, but I've rarely seen prices in developing countries been way higher than developed countries since the consumer prices normally translate to the average income.

so are Australian Beef, French cheese, Smoked ham, pickled herring

Your average Somchai doesnt consume these items so the price makes no difference to him.

If the farang is daft enough to buy them, so be it.

Transportation and import taxes probably account for the price difference.

I couldnt believe what I saw in a Big C the other day, a lemon for sale, price 200 baht.

[robblok]

But i see things as alcohol and such as a luxury that you can cut out. But of course its not nice to see prices rise.

But I always expected it as its natural that developing countries price rises outpace those of developed countries. I am lucky.. i work i can change my income and I hardly drink (when i do i buy the expensive stuff)

Of course alcohol is a luxury that can be cut out, so are Australian Beef, French cheese, Smoked ham, pickled herring and so many things. It are all luxury's not necessities.

But to me that looks more like a cut on freedom of choice.

I understand that price rises in developing countries happen faster, but I've rarely seen prices in developing countries been way higher than developed countries since the consumer prices normally translate to the average income.

Big reason for that is that imported stuff is taxed extra. Lot of protectionism here.. why do you think its hard to get a decent beer here.

I don't like that anymore as you, but it is not something new.

If you check what rot gut the locals drink.. that has not gone up too much. (red cock and such)

[JesseFrank]

My advice was sensible.. many expats that hate the prices here have moved over there to get cheaper booze and girls.

Isn't that exactly what I said with killing the golden goose ? I know you gonna say that expats are not of significance importance to the Thai economy, however tourists are a bigger factor, and if expats move to cheaper countries so will tourists.

Still keep in mind that the average expat spends monthly about 5 times the money an average Thai earns .

The expat population's spending is indeed not significant to Thailand's economy as a whole, even tourism as a whole is decreasing in importance as Thailand continues to develop.

And I'm sure TPTB would be happy to see the heavy drinkers in both categories move on and/or stay away, no matter how much they were spending.

AFAIC they can triple those particular taxes and that would be a good thing, especially if it makes more money available for treating Thai alcoholics, of which there are indeed many.

Making ganja legal as is the trend in the US will also bring in a lot of taxes, and I'm sure attract a lot of tourists, better quality than currently frequenting places like Pattaya.

OK I admit that last is stirring the pot a bit 8-)

Did the Thai government indicate that they consider making ganja legal, or was this just another of your dreams ?

You say tourism is decreasing in importance since Thailand continues to develop.

I thought economic growth and export figures displayed negative growth in 2013, so if i was Thailand i wouldn't encourage the tourists to leave yet.

Trippling the taxes will only have averse effects, as it is shown already, in that more people will resort to drinking illegally produced alcohol with all consequences involved.

[JesseFrank]

But i see things as alcohol and such as a luxury that you can cut out. But of course its not nice to see prices rise.

But I always expected it as its natural that developing countries price rises outpace those of developed countries. I am lucky.. i work i can change my income and I hardly drink (when i do i buy the expensive stuff)

Of course alcohol is a luxury that can be cut out, so are Australian Beef, French cheese, Smoked ham, pickled herring and so many things. It are all luxury's not necessities.

But to me that looks more like a cut on freedom of choice.

I understand that price rises in developing countries happen faster, but I've rarely seen prices in developing countries been way higher than developed countries since the consumer prices normally translate to the average income.

Big reason for that is that imported stuff is taxed extra. Lot of protectionism here.. why do you think its hard to get a decent beer here.

I don't like that anymore as you, but it is not something new.

If you check what rot gut the locals drink.. that has not gone up too much. (red cock and such)

Local produce has gone up as much as imported stuff.

Blend which is produced by red bull Thailand has gone from 198 Bht to 255 Bht ( 30%) .

[Nignoy]

what with all the complaining about price rises, our vets club on the sunshine coast, 15 years ago decided beer and spirits were getting to expensive In queensland so we decided to brew and distill for our own consumption, we pay a subscription to bulk buy our ingredients and we do not sell any, so we are legal, bottle shops and pubs in the area complained but we are doing nothing illegal,but complaining about alcohol prices in Thailand is weird, if you can afford to live here well good on ya but complaining about the price of a bottle or as some do the price of a cup of coffee is not worth it

Thanks for informing us what is legal in Queensland, but we are in Thailand and home brewing is illegal here.

If people complain about the cost of a cup of coffee, alcohol, imported foods or whatever then there probably is a reason for.I imported my still from Australia, and as I mentioned earlier on in the thread, my inlaws use it when I am away, it is nearly 8 years now, they must have a pretty good product because the BIB have never bothered them ,it is not your average rotgut we are talking about here,if I was 30 years younger I would seriously contemplate opening a legal distillery, the knowledge and nowse is there and the proof is in the product

The point is that many people choose to live here many years ago because they could afford it as you say, but things have changed rapidly and many of those people can no longer afford to live here, for reasons that are behind their own control .

[ultimate weapon]

farang no money to buy booze. ROFL.

[sms747]

In Norway a bottle of whiskey cost around 2000 thb. When I'm in Thailand i must admit i feel like a millionaire :)Sent from my HTC One using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

A bottle of good whiskey in thailand will also cost about the same. Unless you are comparing it to the local spirits like Sang Som, Siam Sato etc

Good whiskey's, and than I'm talking about single malts, start from 3000 Baht these days

Glenmorangie is OK and that's under 2k bhat, for those who cannot afford try ya dong at street stalls 120 baht a bottle and get the job done, far better than spirits form the shops

[ultimate weapon]

If you and your friends have so much money that you can afford to be ripped off and enjoy it, please send me and the OP some additional funds.

If you and your friends have so much money that you can afford to be ripped off and enjoy it, please send me and the OP some additional funds.

Its not called a rip off its normal for a country like this. Everyone with basic understanding knows that in countries in this state of their development prices rise faster. Common economics. Sorry that that goes above most peoples heads.

Not only that but with the exchange rate of farang big money this shouldn't be a problem imagine how the thais living there feel paying more.

[ultimate weapon]

great minds think alike 8-)

the girls are more expensive because of higher minimum wage

I think more likely to be the generally rising level of prosperity in Asia. Even poor upcountry girls are increasingly clued in as to their real market value, and demanding fairer deals. More power to 'em I say.

Also farang are no longer the high bidders, usually can't match what the wealthy Asians are offering.

Not least increasingly wealthy Thai men, who believe it or not are usually first choice among Thai girls, no matter what they may tell their gullible suckers customers prospective boyfriends.

Yup what you say it true it's going to suck for the sexpats who would rather the entire country just remain in poverty so they can pay cheaply.

[JesseFrank]

farang no money to buy booze. ROFL.

Who said that ?

Everything has a limit what can be considered reasonable priced.

[hanno]

I doubt if many tourists, other than alcoholics, will take the local price of imported booze into account in deciding where to take their holidays.

Such issues are simply not important to normal people.

Totally agree. Even more so as the prices in the countries that people come from are usually considerably higher. Compared to Oz or some European countries, booze in LOS is dirt-cheap.

[robblok]

farang no money to buy booze. ROFL.

Who said that ?

Everything has a limit what can be considered reasonable priced.

I 100% agree.. some things i can afford but find not reasonably price.. so I won't buy them.

[wym]

The expat population's spending is indeed not significant to Thailand's economy as a whole, even tourism as a whole is decreasing in importance as Thailand continues to develop.

And I'm sure TPTB would be happy to see the heavy drinkers in both categories move on and/or stay away, no matter how much they were spending.

AFAIC they can triple those particular taxes and that would be a good thing, especially if it makes more money available for treating Thai alcoholics, of which there are indeed many.

Making ganja legal as is the trend in the US will also bring in a lot of taxes, and I'm sure attract a lot of tourists, better quality than currently frequenting places like Pattaya.

OK I admit that last is stirring the pot a bit 8-)

Did the Thai government indicate that they consider making ganja legal, or was this just another of your dreams ?

You say tourism is decreasing in importance since Thailand continues to develop.

I thought economic growth and export figures displayed negative growth in 2013, so if i was Thailand i wouldn't encourage the tourists to leave yet.

Trippling the taxes will only have averse effects, as it is shown already, in that more people will resort to drinking illegally produced alcohol with all consequences involved.

Of COURSE ganja won't be legal in Thailand for a very long time, just throwing it out there as a theoretical idea, if the goals are to encourage quality tourism and raise government revenue it's a good one.

I believe 2.7-2.9 was the range for 2013, lower than predicted, lower than the past but Thailand hasn't had an absolute downturn in a long time.

Tourism was a lot more significant 10-20 years ago, my point was simply the ongoing trend, discouraging the consumption of expensive poison and raising revenue are much higher policy priorities than those VERY few tourists who are going to be influence by such petty factors.

The poor in Thailand drinking homemade booze has absolutely nothing to do with the kind of fancy imported stuff you're talking about. As I said as far as the wealthy locals are concerned the more expensive it is the greater the face, and they're the ones that count in this country not silly farang alkies going on about nothing.

[JesseFrank]

Compared to Oz or some European countries, booze in LOS is dirt-cheap.

However it is still early in the year, I nominate the above post for " taking the piss post of the year " .

[Loles]

Jessi Hombre, I understand you are up set and want to protest, but don't drink too much, it is unhealthful.

And it is full useless to talk about the old drink prices cause in Tesco you have to pay the current prices.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Loles

[JesseFrank]

Well I got a bottle of Grants whiskey with a free glass on my way home for less that 300 baht at Spar park and shop, cede plaza, CBD Abuja. usually I buy American honey, but I go through the bottle fast, it tastes like pure nectar in btw orgies. It's pricey here at about 400 baht at NEXT.

I am home alone and doing my grant, sorry if I went off topic.

Is that shop you mention in Thailand or Nigeria, because i had a look at Grants today at Big C and it was priced at 725 Bht . And Big C is in Thailand last time I checked.

[JesseFrank]

Jessi Hombre, I understand you are up set and want to protest, but don't drink too much, it is unhealthful.

Tomorrow i will declare victory in my protests against high booze prices.

[smotherb]

Talk about a bunch of poverty-stricken falangs. Sure, all prices have gone up--just like everywhere. It's still a better deal here than you get back home--at least it is for me. If you can't afford to pay the alcohol prices here, go somewhere else, drink cheaper booze, or stop drinking. You are still living cheaper here than you can at home--are you not?

last i was partying if farangistan there is no way i'd go anywhere near 5000 baht b4 midnight. even accounting for inflation in the interim cant see it.

Read my post, living cheaper I said. For me, alcohol, is only one of the living expenses, I drink Jack Daniels and pay about 20% more than I would pay in the States--and I can take it into any bar outside tourist-trap land and pay for only set-ups. So, I could take my lady out to a nice club for dinner, music and drink a liter of Jack without paying B5K. If you drink beer, you must be buying ladies' drinks and paying bar fines.

Certainly, my Jack, my Harley and gas for it, my chilled imported beef, and my gorganzola are by far my most expensive purchases here, but everything else--housing, clothing, food, drink, recreation, transportation, medication, etc.--is cheaper. I can do without those more expensive articles, but I don't want to--and, there are those extra-curricular things here that simply can't be found back home, at any price.

[thehelmsman]

I laugh at myself because I'm still grumbling the price of large Leo went up 5 Baht. Human nature. I laid down 840K. cash for a new truck without trouble but charge 5 more baht for beer and I'm really pissed.

Keep the booze thread going - booze and women topics are classic.

[JesseFrank]

I laugh at myself because I'm still grumbling the price of large Leo went up 5 Baht. Human nature. I laid down 840K. cash for a new truck without trouble but charge 5 more baht for beer and I'm really pissed.

Keep the booze thread going - booze and women topics are classic.

So you would also be a happy chappy if tomorrow they raised the price of diesel fuel with 30%.

[wym]

Price of all fossil fuels should be tripled over two years to encourage and subsidize development of alternative energy.

[thehelmsman]

I laugh at myself because I'm still grumbling the price of large Leo went up 5 Baht. Human nature. I laid down 840K. cash for a new truck without trouble but charge 5 more baht for beer and I'm really pissed.

Keep the booze thread going - booze and women topics are classic.

So you would also be a happy chappy if tomorrow they raised the price of diesel fuel with 30%.

A Happy Chappy I am I am - Listen, there are certain things in this world people will continue to buy no matter what the cost. The governments of all countries know this. The price of a pack smokes in US 6-11.00 depending on where you are. People grumble but they buy. I was in Gladstone, Aus recently and my friends were paying 20.00 AUS Dollar for a pack...<deleted> But people continue buying.

My diesel goes up 30% of course I wouldn't be a "happy chappy" because that would mean the price on all goods would rise to pay for transport. But I would continue paying for it.

I'm not a booze expert but I buy a few beers for the house daily. I don't try to save a few baht by buying cases at one time. When I return shortly I may buy a bottle of Patron - introduce the neighbors to Tequilla. seepseep

[smotherb]

A Happy Chappy I am I am - Listen, there are certain things in this world people will continue to buy no matter what the cost. The governments of all countries know this. The price of a pack smokes in US 6-11.00 depending on where you are. People grumble but they buy. I was in Gladstone, Aus recently and my friends were paying 20.00 AUS Dollar for a pack...<deleted> But people continue buying.

My diesel goes up 30% of course I wouldn't be a "happy chappy" because that would mean the price on all goods would rise to pay for transport. But I would continue paying for it.

I'm not a booze expert but I buy a few beers for the house daily. I don't try to save a few baht by buying cases at one time. When I return shortly I may buy a bottle of Patron - introduce the neighbors to Tequilla. seepseep

In the South we can get Olmec, quite a respectable Tequila, for about B700/lt--I even go out to the garden and stuff a worm in the bottle--bet the Patron costs mooore with less protein

[thehelmsman]

A Happy Chappy I am I am - Listen, there are certain things in this world people will continue to buy no matter what the cost. The governments of all countries know this. The price of a pack smokes in US 6-11.00 depending on where you are. People grumble but they buy. I was in Gladstone, Aus recently and my friends were paying 20.00 AUS Dollar for a pack...<deleted> But people continue buying.

My diesel goes up 30% of course I wouldn't be a "happy chappy" because that would mean the price on all goods would rise to pay for transport. But I would continue paying for it.

I'm not a booze expert but I buy a few beers for the house daily. I don't try to save a few baht by buying cases at one time. When I return shortly I may buy a bottle of Patron - introduce the neighbors to Tequilla. seepseep

In the South we can get Olmec, quite a respectable Tequila, for about B700/lt--I even go out to the garden and stuff a worm in the bottle--bet the Patron costs mooore with less protein

So you recommend putting a garden variety worm in a bottle of respectable so-so quality Tequilla. Good Idea. While I may look for that brand on the shelf, I'll save the worms for my next bottle of Mexcal.

Edited January 22, 2014 by thehelmsman

[smotherb]

A Happy Chappy I am I am - Listen, there are certain things in this world people will continue to buy no matter what the cost. The governments of all countries know this. The price of a pack smokes in US 6-11.00 depending on where you are. People grumble but they buy. I was in Gladstone, Aus recently and my friends were paying 20.00 AUS Dollar for a pack...<deleted> But people continue buying.

My diesel goes up 30% of course I wouldn't be a "happy chappy" because that would mean the price on all goods would rise to pay for transport. But I would continue paying for it.

I'm not a booze expert but I buy a few beers for the house daily. I don't try to save a few baht by buying cases at one time. When I return shortly I may buy a bottle of Patron - introduce the neighbors to Tequilla. seepseep

In the South we can get Olmec, quite a respectable Tequila, for about B700/lt--I even go out to the garden and stuff a worm in the bottle--bet the Patron costs mooore with less protein

So you recommend putting a garden variety worm in a bottle of respectable so-so quality Tequilla. Good Idea. While I may look for that brand on the shelf, I'll save the worms for my next bottle of Mexcal.

forgot to mention, the plants in my garden are maguey, or agave. I have made pulque, and am experimenting with mezcal, the worms, just showed up one day--didn't check their visas

[ableguy]

Govt increased the tax a few weeks back on all booze.