Walking away from idiocy

[PJcm]

Thanks. A story like the OP is why some girls when they see a farang approaching their counter may say to the other girl: I handled the last obnoxious farang -- now it's your turn.

There's nothing obnoxious in the OP's remarks, he observed said nothing and left, what the real problem is the girl's lack of taking control of the situation. It's the same when you give your car to change a belt or your motorcycle to change a light bulb, 50 % of the time they will break something, or loosen a screw and not but it back. As a long time resident 34 years I have observed things getting worse. The people in the service industry have little understanding about what the customer wants, little to no training and laissez faire attitude. I have walked away from a 7 11 when I was ignored, no one enlys poor service. I have learned never to say anything and so don't but business is business and they have lost mine, I speak Thai Fluently with a Chiang Mai accent and also Laos, Arabic, italian, Spanish French and English.

[islandguy]

Many of Boots products are sold with a buy two get one free promotion. She probably was surprised you didn't want this discount and was suggesting you get two - and one free.

Thanks. A story like the OP is why some girls when they see a farang approaching their counter may say to the other girl: I handled the last obnoxious farang -- now it's your turn.

Yesterday at a Big C I took a single bottle of shampoo to the Pharmacist / Boots cashier as you must pay separate for Boots merchandise. I did not have anything else. Giving her the bottle she asked me "one"? holding up a single finger. I ask her "how many do you see?" she still looks a bit unclear. then I ask her if she graduated pharmacy university. Yes I did. I say "logic says there is 1 bottle" (I can read/write Thai and pronounce near native)

[partial quote]

[stickylies]

yeah, that ONLY ONE is a classic... so is the trying-to-educate-farang.

when they ask me the only one thingy i simply EUH (thai equivalent for yes)...

only one means nothing, just like "have you eaten yet", "where you go", 'what you buy", etc means NOTHING...

On occasion I answer "no, thirty" just to get them thinking

i understand, once a year when i'm in a very bad mood i do it too and say "No a MILLION"

however EUH'ing is much easier, faster, natural, effective.....................

most thais don't get sarcasm.

and the ones who get it only get it if u add DTALOK DTALOK yourself....

[Bluetongue]

OP sometimes you are right sometimes wrong. I watched my house being built every day (virtually) for 5 months and without my

interfering everything was done, bits were completed before going on to the next bit. But the builder was on their case.

However I have watched the 4 laning of Highway 317 from Chantaburi to Sa Kaeo over the last 2 years and it is exactly as you

describe some bridges were done some were not, some drainage was done some was not some bits were finished after a few months some still are not, this is a 25 km segment we are talking about. It still looks like a pakapoo ticket and you have people

driving in both directions on both sides at times, makes for a wild trip. I think the bosses stay away its a big fat

government contract they are getting paid no matter what

And I have no complaints about junior lowly paid service staff anywhere in my home province that I come across

[NoshowJones]

Used sparingly it worked like a charm. I wanted the room and I didn't give a sh-t what they think of me.

In a Thai office, shop etc, always stand your ground, as long as you know you are in the right, don't be rude and don't raise your voice. most times you will win.

[Eloelo]

Had a ladyboy try to serve me at H&M Siam Paragon, after barking at me to move one meter to the left so she could process my order she yelled that I had to move because customer might come to the line. What line I said, I am the only customer here. she barked at me again to move now closer so she not have to move to price my items'I asked if she were for real.. she started yelling at me again ,I thought this a little bit much!.I threw the items at her and said, not want no more! laughed at her and walked off saying what a fxxxx idiot she was. She followed me out the shop and asked me what idiot mean.. .the moral of the story..there isn't one! there are idiots everywhere!, when I meet one ..I walk away!

[fatdrunkandstupid]

Used sparingly it worked like a charm. I wanted the room and I didn't give a sh-t what they think of me.

In a Thai office, shop etc, always stand your ground, as long as you know you are in the right, don't be rude and don't raise your voice. most times you will win.

Or...

You can walk away

and save your time, energy and sanity

[Thaiready]

I walked away from the US after Bush was elected. Never looked back.

good... don't ever go back

[art vandelay]

bought a stamp at the post office the other day. price 13 baht, handed over a 20 baht note. the teller needed a calculator to work out how much change to give me.

you'd think a post office teller would be required to to be able to do basic mental arithmetic calculations...

love the way 7/11 stores have of reducing the number of tills open relative to the greater number of customers queuing...

just sigh and smile and sometimes sure, to preserve my sanity, just walk away

[NanLaew]

The OP is an expert in retailing?

The OP is an expert in construction?

I agree. The OP should keep walking away... all the way to the airport, through check-in, down the ramp, onto the plane and OFF*. Off to anywhere but far, far away from here.

* one-way ticket.

[maximillian]

 

I walked away from the US after Bush was elected. Never looked back.

 

Thumbs up, Somtam !

Walked away from Germany when Merkel was elected.

No, joking only. But it would be a good reason.

[maximillian]

 

Had a ladyboy try to serve me at H&M Siam Paragon, after barking at me to move one meter to the left so she could process my order she yelled that I had to move because customer might come to the line. What line I said, I am the only customer here. she barked at me again to move now closer so she not have to move to price my items'I asked if she were for real.. she started yelling at me again ,I thought this a little bit much!.I threw the items at her and said, not want no more! laughed at her and walked off saying what a fxxxx idiot she was. She followed me out the shop and asked me what idiot mean.. .the moral of the story..there isn't one! there are idiots everywhere!, when I meet one ..I walk away!

 

Idiot among idiots.

[freedom4life]

Thailand isn't for you. This is how most of asia works, not just Thailand.

Perhaps go to Jamaica for a few months, then come back to Thailand.

No thanks...I am not a fat, ugly middle aged western lady looking for the black mamba

No, but they take lazyness and disorganised to another level. Thailand is then a repreave.

Typical response..use a comparative. That takes away from the point and doesn't resolve the issue...must be a fellow from one of the commonwealth countries.

Edited April 3, 2014 by freedom4life

[NoshowJones]

Used sparingly it worked like a charm. I wanted the room and I didn't give a sh-t what they think of me.

In a Thai office, shop etc, always stand your ground, as long as you know you are in the right, don't be rude and don't raise your voice. most times you will win.

Or...

You can walk away

and save your time, energy and sanity

Yes I can, but no one either here or back in Scotland, will jump in front of me in a queue. As I said, stand your ground, and do not get angry or raise your voice.

[Bpuumike]

Thanks. A story like the OP is why some girls when they see a farang approaching their counter may say to the other girl: I handled the last obnoxious farang -- now it's your turn.

Yesterday at a Big C I took a single bottle of shampoo to the Pharmacist / Boots cashier as you must pay separate for Boots merchandise. I did not have anything else. Giving her the bottle she asked me "one"? holding up a single finger. I ask her "how many do you see?" she still looks a bit unclear. then I ask her if she graduated pharmacy university. Yes I did. I say "logic says there is 1 bottle" (I can read/write Thai and pronounce near native)

Moments like this repeat themselves almost on a daily basis. Basically unimaginable stuff that defies all logic and reason. More than walk away moments. Pinch yourself inflict pain to try to awaken from a dream cause stuff life this can only happen in dreams.

I have tried to politely explain and educate but there exists a lot of resistance and inflexibility. You could by design not create a society more destined to stagnate if you tried.

I am not bashing, just stating facts.

PS; employment "job descriptions" are a breeze for the companies, 2 words;; "consuming oxygen"

Possibly there was a "2-for-1" offer which you hadn't seen. It happens.

[thailiketoo]

Used sparingly it worked like a charm. I wanted the room and I didn't give a sh-t what they think of me.

In a Thai office, shop etc, always stand your ground, as long as you know you are in the right, don't be rude and don't raise your voice. most times you will win.

Or...

You can walk away

and save your time, energy and sanity

Yes I can, but no one either here or back in Scotland, will jump in front of me in a queue. As I said, stand your ground, and do not get angry or raise your voice.

Thai Taxi Driver Chidchai Utmacha Arrested In Machete Killing Of Troy Lee Pilkington

Edited April 3, 2014 by thailiketoo

[joshstiles]

I walked away from the US after Bush was elected. Never looked back.

hear, hear.....i like your spirit!!!!!!!!

[sirchai]

Thailand isn't for you. This is how most of asia works, not just Thailand.

Perhaps go to Jamaica for a few months, then come back to Thailand.

No thanks...I am not a fat, ugly middle aged western lady looking for the black mamba

But a lot of men here are fat, ugly, middle to overage western men who're looking for the tiny but mean Isaan mambas.

Edited April 3, 2014 by sirchai

[Donnie Brasco]

Thailand isn't for you. This is how most of asia works, not just Thailand.

Perhaps go to Jamaica for a few months, then come back to Thailand.

No thanks...I am not a fat, ugly middle aged western lady looking for the black mamba

But a lot of men here are fat, ugly, middle to overage western men who're looking for the tiny but mean Isaan mambas.

You sure got THAT one right sirchai.

The "dog-mouthed snake" of Isaan is a killer.

"Sometimes, 'fuggedabowdit' just means fuggedabowdit. . . . "

[Pops]

Thailand isn't for you. This is how most of asia works, not just Thailand.

Perhaps go to Jamaica for a few months, then come back to Thailand.

No thanks...I am not a fat, ugly middle aged western lady looking for the black mamba

No you're Fat Drunk and Stupid, right ?

[orpheus454]

To be fair to the dessert girl, she may have been over-worked, understaffed, and thus extremely flustered...even to the point where calculating change is a mental blank. I can empathise.

To be fair to the developer, a construction site is not like a shop with many customers who have to be served in an orderly and speedy manner. There would be many scenarios where one job gets started and then left for another, there would be many teams doing different tasks giving the appearance of many unfinished jobs, etc.

Methinks you doth protest too much. But you might be right. Just keep walking away.

It's not just Thailand, so don't make out that it is.....last month I walked in to a bed shop. The sales guy was on his mobile, speaking in Hindi. I am familiar with Hindi so could tell he was talking to a mate about a girl. He looked at us and looked away, carrying on his conversation. I waited patiently for 5 minutes. He kept on glancing at me, but refused to put down the phone. I am fairly sure he is the kind of salesman who is on a measly retainer but a good commission. Next time he looked at me, I waved my Platinum card at him, smiled, and walked out. He was an idiot as I was fully intent on buying a big bed.

A Platinum card, eh?

Impressive...!

[orpheus454]

Thanks. A story like the OP is why some girls when they see a farang approaching their counter may say to the other girl: I handled the last obnoxious farang -- now it's your turn.

There's nothing obnoxious in the OP's remarks, he observed said nothing and left, what the real problem is the girl's lack of taking control of the situation. It's the same when you give your car to change a belt or your motorcycle to change a light bulb, 50 % of the time they will break something, or loosen a screw and not but it back. As a long time resident 34 years I have observed things getting worse. The people in the service industry have little understanding about what the customer wants, little to no training and laissez faire attitude. I have walked away from a 7 11 when I was ignored, no one enlys poor service. I have learned never to say anything and so don't but business is business and they have lost mine, I speak Thai Fluently with a Chiang Mai accent and also Laos, Arabic, italian, Spanish French and English.

A Chiang Mai accent, eh?

Impressive...!

[Eloelo]

 

Had a ladyboy try to serve me at H&M Siam Paragon, after barking at me to move one meter to the left so she could process my order she yelled that I had to move because customer might come to the line. What line I said, I am the only customer here. she barked at me again to move now closer so she not have to move to price my items'I asked if she were for real.. she started yelling at me again ,I thought this a little bit much!.I threw the items at her and said, not want no more! laughed at her and walked off saying what a fxxxx idiot she was. She followed me out the shop and asked me what idiot mean.. .the moral of the story..there isn't one! there are idiots everywhere!, when I meet one ..I walk awa

[Seastallion]

To be fair to the dessert girl, she may have been over-worked, understaffed, and thus extremely flustered...even to the point where calculating change is a mental blank. I can empathise.

To be fair to the developer, a construction site is not like a shop with many customers who have to be served in an orderly and speedy manner. There would be many scenarios where one job gets started and then left for another, there would be many teams doing different tasks giving the appearance of many unfinished jobs, etc.

Methinks you doth protest too much. But you might be right. Just keep walking away.

It's not just Thailand, so don't make out that it is.....last month I walked in to a bed shop. The sales guy was on his mobile, speaking in Hindi. I am familiar with Hindi so could tell he was talking to a mate about a girl. He looked at us and looked away, carrying on his conversation. I waited patiently for 5 minutes. He kept on glancing at me, but refused to put down the phone. I am fairly sure he is the kind of salesman who is on a measly retainer but a good commission. Next time he looked at me, I waved my Platinum card at him, smiled, and walked out. He was an idiot as I was fully intent on buying a big bed.

Waived my Platinum Card ???? says it all folks eh....

LOL. Fair call. "Wad of cash" would have sounded more ostentatious to my ears. Platinum is not a big deal where I live (NZ) because the banks practically throw them at you...it means nothing. I am not rich lol, I just make sure I live within my means and always pay my credit card bill. I should have just written "credit card".

[Nobbie49]

Had a walkaway moment yesterday. Went to Standard Chartered to invest in 1 of their tax deductible retirement funds. They wanted a copy of my passport (ok), copy of my work permit (duh? but ok), and, wait for it, six months of personal bank statements (not OK). When I pointed out to them that I was not here for a loan but was actually going to five them cash to invest on my behalf, the answer was: "so solly, policy". I walked.

[smew]

welcome to LOS and smiles !

[bbbbooboo]

Yep I have walkaway moments all the time,just to preserve my sanity in Thailand

[techboy]

The construction folly is strictly your uninformed and biased interpretation.

However your recount of the dessert girl dynamic is something impressive. With that sort of memory for detail you may be able to count cards.

[CapeCobra]

To be fair to the dessert girl, she may have been over-worked, understaffed, and thus extremely flustered...even to the point where calculating change is a mental blank. I can empathise.

To be fair to the developer, a construction site is not like a shop with many customers who have to be served in an orderly and speedy manner. There would be many scenarios where one job gets started and then left for another, there would be many teams doing different tasks giving the appearance of many unfinished jobs, etc.

Methinks you doth protest too much. But you might be right. Just keep walking away.

It's not just Thailand, so don't make out that it is.....last month I walked in to a bed shop. The sales guy was on his mobile, speaking in Hindi. I am familiar with Hindi so could tell he was talking to a mate about a girl. He looked at us and looked away, carrying on his conversation. I waited patiently for 5 minutes. He kept on glancing at me, but refused to put down the phone. I am fairly sure he is the kind of salesman who is on a measly retainer but a good commission. Next time he looked at me, I waved my Platinum card at him, smiled, and walked out. He was an idiot as I was fully intent on buying a big bed.

Waived my Platinum Card ???? says it all folks eh....

But waiving with Mr. Bean's triumphal grin. Gotcha! Hit my eye but missed my nose.

[kennypowers]

one of the first things you learn living here is that most thais are not capable of multi tasking, they will start something then start something else and totally forget what they were doing in the first place. All you have done is describe this to a tee. With building sites there is a set method to doing things, I am yet to see it in Thailand as they start doing one thing then get lost and start doing something else, this is why the buildings/bridges etc collapse so often, they are never done correctly in the first place(crappy materials are also part of it). If you expect quick service anywhere you are deluding yourself as that just does not happen here very often, if you cannot accept this then Thailand definitely going to cause you problems. Like you I employ the walk away method every so often, I have a lot of patience but not for stupidity, when staff prefer to talk to someone on the phone or simply ignore you its their loss of a sale, strangely they have enough staff to just about take care of each individual customer but when you need assistance they disapear in case they might have to answer questions or heaven forbid, actually do something.

You do realise that you just cast aspersion on 67 or so million people. In one foul swoop, you have decided that the majority of Thai people cannot multi-task. Do you realise how stupid you sound?

Do you realise that there are millions of people here running successful businesses; many on an international scale. Do you realise how many people are working in high profile positions that require serious multi-tasking. Doctors, nurses, CEOs, scientists, engineers - the list is endless.

How many Thai people have you individually tested for multi-tasking skills. Where is your research data? Can I see the requirements on which you picked your study group?

This bigoted "lesser species" attitude is racist and deeply offensive. Go back home to your superior race, Adolf! Thailand will be a better place for your departure.