Thais and business

[thailiketoo]

Why do you think, they have an estimated 2 mil Burmese living here , legally or not ?

To do the jobs they are too lazy to do, ring any bells.

Also they are smarter, more willing to help, build a better building for whatever and don't moan.

Look at the fat Thais going to school these days in Pattaya what are they going to do? live under mums apron i expect, they are too far down the road to the point of no return .

Not having been colonised or to war has'nt helped .

Thais fought WWII and Korea and Vietnam. So I guess you better re think the war thingy.

PS Burmese workers Thai bosses. I know it is different where you come from but normally the boss is paid more and is smarter and better educated than the minimum wage laborers.

[tingtongteesood]

"I always hear Thais complaining to have to less money but in the moment they have to do something for the buck they are just too lazy or ingnorant to do it."

They take the view that they're going to make small-money all the same, whether or not the work gets done properly.

11) Do not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations.

My question is, "They (being all Thai people) are just too lazy or ignorant to do it." Is that comment by the above poster degrading or overly negative?

See, what I'm saying if I call a person lazy and ignorant is that degrading or overly negative?

I'm just asking for opinions? I think any normal person would think lazy and ignorant were degrading and negative comments but I could be wrong.

It is not a slur if it is the truth, and a great many of us have experienced similarly crappy attitudes and work practices on occasion, it happens here a lot.

[eldragon]

Obviously business management / general labour / customer service skills are less developed in Thailand than in the West.

With this comes benefits (i.e.. many things are cheaper here) and opportunities (i.e. easy to compete with local businesses).

But I think we (westerners) have all (as consumers in Thailand) felt the OP's pain at some time... if you want to stay sane here, sometimes you just have to laugh at your own misfortune / frustration...

Is it really easier to compete? The gov makes it pretty difficult to even manage your own business.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Pii Kate]

I live alone and don't know much about keeping up property. I made the acquaintance of a great tuk-tuk driver and she took me to shops only Thais use. I got plaster, paint, an iron, ironing board and much more. discounted, still working a year later. Just a suggestion.

[brit1984]

Obviously business management / general labour / customer service skills are less developed in Thailand than in the West.

With this comes benefits (i.e.. many things are cheaper here) and opportunities (i.e. easy to compete with local businesses).

But I think we (westerners) have all (as consumers in Thailand) felt the OP's pain at some time... if you want to stay sane here, sometimes you just have to laugh at your own misfortune / frustration...

Is it really easier to compete? The gov makes it pretty difficult to even manage your own business.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

i don't know what business you are in, or which country you are comparing to, but in most industries here, compared to most western countries (certainly europe) the government is much less involved in the affairs of private enterprises... where i come from (for positive/negative reasons) there are lots more rules/regulations that must be followed (as they are much more strictly enforced)... in thailand, if you want to do something you can generally just do it... one way or another

Edited April 1, 2014 by brit1984

[eldragon]

Obviously business management / general labour / customer service skills are less developed in Thailand than in the West.

With this comes benefits (i.e.. many things are cheaper here) and opportunities (i.e. easy to compete with local businesses).

But I think we (westerners) have all (as consumers in Thailand) felt the OP's pain at some time... if you want to stay sane here, sometimes you just have to laugh at your own misfortune / frustration...

Is it really easier to compete? The gov makes it pretty difficult to even manage your own business.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

i don't know what business you are in, or which country you are comparing to, but in most industries here, compared to most western countries (certainly europe) the government is much less involved in the affairs of private enterprises... where i come from (for positive/negative reasons) there are lots more rules/regulations that must be followed (as they are much more strictly enforced)... in thailand, if you want to do something you can generally just do it... one way or another

Im interested in a small business. Everyone tells me you collect the money and thats about it. Not true?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Crazy chef 1]

<deleted>- second day off this week and the story continue.just got a wisdom tooth extracted though not in the mood to write to much.today i just wanna buy a sieve(may mee) a well cooked cordon bleau(still rare and after complaining put into micro wave) some 95 petrol for my motor sense (may mee)but fellows live is great :mum am and pop shop has stocked up with beer.anyway tomorow back to work....

[pigeonjake]

no there not all lazy!!!!!!

Oh dear Jake. I think you mean 'they are not all lazy'. 'There' has a totally different meaning!

spelling and gramer police again i fail every time,

and im not going to explain why again,,,,

jake

[thailiketoo]

"I always hear Thais complaining to have to less money but in the moment they have to do something for the buck they are just too lazy or ingnorant to do it."

They take the view that they're going to make small-money all the same, whether or not the work gets done properly.

11) Do not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations.

My question is, "They (being all Thai people) are just too lazy or ignorant to do it." Is that comment by the above poster degrading or overly negative?

See, what I'm saying if I call a person lazy and ignorant is that degrading or overly negative?

I'm just asking for opinions? I think any normal person would think lazy and ignorant were degrading and negative comments but I could be wrong.

It is not a slur if it is the truth, and a great many of us have experienced similarly crappy attitudes and work practices on occasion, it happens here a lot.

That's an interesting thought. I read the Thai Visa rule. "Do not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation."

Where does it say in the above that it's not a slur or degrading or overly negative if it is the truth?

I looked and looked. I don't see the truth mentioned. If you could point out where it says it is OK to post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments if they are the truth I would really appreciate because that will change my whole outlook on posting in Thai Visa.

[CiaranO]

When it comes to shops the general SOP is to wait till you have zero before re-ordering

[thailiketoo]

When it comes to shops the general SOP is to wait till you have zero before re-ordering

Gee you should Tell Big C, Tesco Lotus and 7/11 they haven't got the message yet.

[wym]

When it comes to shops the general SOP is to wait till you have zero before re-ordering

Gee you should Tell Big C, Tesco Lotus and 7/11 they haven't got the message yet.

His point is that isn't the natural indigenous way, and your counter examples are perfect confirmation, all highly automated retail franchises set up by westerners and run by western-trained people.

And in fact you get very regular complaints about even these outfits' supply chain falling down, although admittedly in low-volume goods imported from overseas and only important to foreigners.

[thailiketoo]

When it comes to shops the general SOP is to wait till you have zero before re-ordering

Gee you should Tell Big C, Tesco Lotus and 7/11 they haven't got the message yet.

His point is that isn't the natural indigenous way, and your counter examples are perfect confirmation, all highly automated retail franchises set up by westerners and run by western-trained people.

And in fact you get very regular complaints about even these outfits' supply chain falling down, although admittedly in low-volume goods imported from overseas and only important to foreigners.

Nonsense. His point was shops wait till out of stock till an order is placed and that is nonsense.

[Berkshire]

Why do you think, they have an estimated 2 mil Burmese living here , legally or not ?

To do the jobs they are too lazy to do, ring any bells.

Also they are smarter, more willing to help, build a better building for whatever and don't moan.

Look at the fat Thais going to school these days in Pattaya what are they going to do? live under mums apron i expect, they are too far down the road to the point of no return .

Not having been colonised or to war has'nt helped .

What an idiotic example. So tell me then, why are there some 20 mil Mexican illegals in America? Is it because Americans are lazy? I'm dying to hear your intelligent response...although I'm not holding my breath.

[wym]

It my be nonsense (much of the time) at larger chains, but rarely is the order placed early enough to prevent imported items from going out of stock.

Small mom & pop shops (those run the Thai way) it is most definitely hit or miss, and very often it seems that there is a huge disconnect between anyone who cares and those who actually are supposed to take care of business.

In some cases I'm sure it's due to people just being stupid. You also get stupid merchants back home, not saying it's a Thai thing. . .

Edited April 1, 2014 by wym

[Konini]

I often think that it Global would put me on as a sales person for foreigners and only paid me a percent of sales... I could really earn a nice little bit of beer money.

You're onto something there. Bunnings, a large hardware hypermarket chain in Australia employs tradies. Like every other weekend expert DIYer I'd go and explain what I was doing to a qualified plumber, carpenter/joiner, painter, electrician or whatever the trade and they would advise me not only on what to buy but how to do the job. Didn't worry about going to any other hardware stores after they opened in my area and I found that they really did employ tradies, not just said they did in commercials. Also a nice easy job for tradies coming up to retirement who don't want to do the hard yakka any more. They also employ older tile-layers, roofers, lansdscape gardeners and the like who don't want to retire just yet but find the physical stuff a bit too much. I really wouldn't go anywhere else in Aus, although the other big chains may be copying them now. The stores are always packed weekends, often with queues for the plumbing blokes. Give the money spending public what they want and they will spend it.....

A farang who was an all-round builder (so would have knowledge on plumbing and electrics) back home would be a very nice addition to the staff of Homepro-type shops for advice as well as finding things or explaining that 'thing' you need that no amount of sign language will convey (and you don't even know if such a 'thing' has been invented or is possible), but shopwork would have to be a reserved occupation. Consultant maybe? I wish they would do it. It would certainly help me, on my quests to Homepro and I'm sure many others.

[wym]

What an idiotic example. So tell me then, why are there some 20 mil Mexican illegals in America? Is it because Americans are lazy? I'm dying to hear your intelligent response...although I'm not holding my breath.

Because there is an intersection between lack of opportunity in Mexico and the desire/need for millions of American businesses to get their work done at a wage that no earlier-arrived American would do that sort of work for.

I know dozens of Americans living on public assistance that would never consider working hard outdoors for minimum wage - often the illegals are actually paid a few dollars more than minimum. It's still considered "starvation" income for the natives, requires many sharing a flat, using a bike to get to work rather than owning a car etc.

Is that lazy of them? Seems rational to me.

Open up the borders all the way, let worldwide incomes equalize IMO.

[Berkshire]

What an idiotic example. So tell me then, why are there some 20 mil Mexican illegals in America? Is it because Americans are lazy? I'm dying to hear your intelligent response...although I'm not holding my breath.

Because there is an intersection between lack of opportunity in Mexico and the desire/need for millions of American businesses to get their work done at a wage that no earlier-arrived American would do that sort of work for.

I know dozens of Americans living on public assistance that would never consider working hard outdoors for minimum wage - often the illegals are actually paid a few dollars more than minimum. It's still considered "starvation" income for the natives, requires many sharing a flat, using a bike to get to work rather than owning a car etc.

Is that lazy of them? Seems rational to me.

Open up the borders all the way, let worldwide incomes equalize IMO.

Wym, you're completely missing my point. I was responding to the idiot who was trying to rationalize that the existence of Burmese in Thailand means that all Thais are lazy. So if the knob really believes that, then he must also believe that all Americans are lazy because of the existence of Mexicans in America. Has to do with logic, cause and effect, etc. Of course we know that the Burmese are in Thailand for the same reasons that Mexicans are in the USA. But it's incredible that I have to explain this.

[wym]

Ask the Mexicans and they'd tell you the yanqui is lazy - all depends on where you're coming from dunnit. . .

[bowerboy]

In the company I worked in Bangkok we used to use the local agent of a big US company that provided medical evacuation stretchers.

We would order them from the agent who only then once we had paid would place his order with the US supplier. So orders of these stretchers would take 3 months to get delivered.

The Thai agent wanted to run a dream business where he only placed an order with his supplier when he got a fully paid order from his customer!! Amazing.

We stopped using the Thai agent and ordered from a Singapore supplier of the same product (who purchased in advance and kept them always in stock) and we recived the stretchers within 3 days and just passed on the import duty to our end customers who were fine with it.

We are talking $5,000 strectchers and 4 or 5 orders per month. You would think the Thai agent would of got it after we complained multiple times to the mother company in the US (who were the ones that directed us to the Singapore agent).

THAT is why you dont see Singaporeans living in corrogated iron shacks in shanty towns...wheras in Thailand..................

[kurnell]

The point is, Thais don't order new stock until the last item is sold. I see this everywhere, including my local drug store, where the owner, who is very smart, has perfect English (educated overseas) allows his stock to run out completely before ordering new stock. This means that there is a period of around 1-2 weeks where some of his items are not available. Occasionally I used to comment that one item or another is running out of stock, so time to order, but he never got the hint, or did, but just continued to do it his way. To me, it was obvious that he was losing sales while some items were unavailable, and it was also possible that customers would look elsewhere while he was out of stock, potentially losing regular customers, but obviously not to him. I see this everywhere, Emporium, Powerbuy, Starbucks...everywhere.

[wym]

In the past they would have found a way to make that Singapore bypass illegal, or at least too expensive. And they probably relied on many purchasing agents' willingness to take kickbacks for exclusive channels.

That's less and less possible these days and in the future, and indeed a rude wake-up call not only with ASEAN coming but accelerating globalization in all areas of business.

Edited April 1, 2014 by wym

[wym]

I think this isn't just stupidity, bad business skills, it's a fundamental mindset, deep cultural difference.

The Chinese-Thai merchant historically was purposefully invited into Thailand to help develop trade.

They see the higher/senior status of the capitalist/trader/shop-owner as all-important, to some extent more so than profits. Subconsciously, the businessman is doing the customer a favor, and if the customer speaks out of place as if it's the other way around (the western way) that is just being uppity, and he is willing to sacrifice profits in order to establish/maintain the "superior" position.

Very often the body language etc of the shopkeeper is "you're inconveniencing me, I'll serve you when I'm good and ready, or maybe not at all if I don't like the look of you."

Same with public officials even petty bureaucrats, very low status in the west, they work for us "public servants" after all, whereas here we're supposed to dress nicely, speak respectfully basically kowtow to them in order for them to be willing to deign to do their job.

Providing good customer service by our standards means "the customer is always right" bending over backwards to make them happy - that's just demeaning to local business mentality here.

Many foreigners interpret this as racism or something, but they do the same to the Thais, perhaps even more so.

Same in fact with elected officials, witness the Yellow disdain for "populist politics", pandering to the common people is considered dirty, beneath them, better to only allow educated professionals to vote.

Edited April 1, 2014 by wym

[ianf]

"I always hear Thais complaining to have to less money but in the moment they have to do something for the buck they are just too lazy or ingnorant to do it."

They take the view that they're going to make small-money all the same, whether or not the work gets done properly.

11) Do not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations.

My question is, "They (being all Thai people) are just too lazy or ignorant to do it." Is that comment by the above poster degrading or overly negative?

See, what I'm saying if I call a person lazy and ignorant is that degrading or overly negative?

I'm just asking for opinions? I think any normal person would think lazy and ignorant were degrading and negative comments but I could be wrong.

As for 'the above poster', if you take a look you will see quotation marks around the first sentence.

Also, the OP was obviously referring to the people which he hears whining about earning less money than others.

Hey Somchai! That's the best avatar I've ever seen!

[benalibina]

I think this isn't just stupidity, bad business skills, it's a fundamental mindset, deep cultural difference.

The Chinese-Thai merchant historically was purposefully invited into Thailand to help develop trade.

They see the higher/senior status of the capitalist/trader/shop-owner as all-important, to some extent more so than profits. Subconsciously, the businessman is doing the customer a favor, and if the customer speaks out of place as if it's the other way around (the western way) that is just being uppity, and he is willing to sacrifice profits in order to establish/maintain the "superior" position.

Very often the body language etc of the shopkeeper is "you're inconveniencing me, I'll serve you when I'm good and ready, or maybe not at all if I don't like the look of you."

Same with public officials even petty bureaucrats, very low status in the west, they work for us "public servants" after all, whereas here we're supposed to dress nicely, speak respectfully basically kowtow to them in order for them to be willing to deign to do their job.

Providing good customer service by our standards means "the customer is always right" bending over backwards to make them happy - that's just demeaning to local business mentality here.

Many foreigners interpret this as racism or something, but they do the same to the Thais, perhaps even more so.

Same in fact with elected officials, witness the Yellow disdain for "populist politics", pandering to the common people is considered dirty, beneath them, better to only allow educated professionals to vote.

The customer is always right.....do you really think that that is the attitude nowadays in the west ?

Wrong.

[geronimo]

I wish that negative threads would have a big capital N in the title, so I won't waste time reading them )

[nanapong]

Berkshire

You're very good at insulting people who have a different opinion to yourself. I've noticed your posts. Your an apologist for Thais no matter what they do. You're probably one of those prats who goes round with a wai for everybody. Throwing yourself on the floor for the monks and thinking you're part of it all. In reality the Thais are just laughing at the stupid farang but you're too dumb to see it.

[benalibina]

I wish that negative threads would have a big capital N in the title, so I won't waste time reading them )

Topic title ....read.....think...

[Seastallion]

"I always hear Thais complaining to have to less money but in the moment they have to do something for the buck they are just too lazy or ingnorant to do it."

They take the view that they're going to make small-money all the same, whether or not the work gets done properly.

11) Do not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations.

My question is, "They (being all Thai people) are just too lazy or ignorant to do it." Is that comment by the above poster degrading or overly negative?

See, what I'm saying if I call a person lazy and ignorant is that degrading or overly negative?

I'm just asking for opinions? I think any normal person would think lazy and ignorant were degrading and negative comments but I could be wrong.

Yes, it is degrading and offensive and clearly bigoted. But it's the same trash from the usual warped characters, so no surprise.

He's simply telling the truth , Thais are generally lazy and not very good at what they do. A sort of jack of all trades but master of none. Even so , it's the same trash who suck up to them no matter what they do.

He's not "simply telling the truth", he's making a sweeping generalisation, and whatsmore, a generalisation made from what were probably limited observations. With 65 million Thais, lets say a third are working age, he would have had to have observed a good sampling, (say 10%) of them, ie he would have seen 2.2 million people being lazy and ignorant.

I would argue about who is the ignorant person, as bigots are generally ignorant (and simple).

[benalibina]

Berkshire

You're very good at insulting people who have a different opinion to yourself. I've noticed your posts. Your an apologist for Thais no matter what they do. You're probably one of those prats who goes round with a wai for everybody. Throwing yourself on the floor for the monks and thinking you're part of it all. In reality the Thais are just laughing at the stupid farang but you're too dumb to see it.

Correct, i remember he referred on his post on a topic, the china option i think, to another poster as ....him/her being an idiot........hypocritical.