Cheapest Charlie

[ravip]

But of course the Thais and the other natives from the undeveloped part of the world should definitely be worse isn't it?

Most bashers are this type of people - taking water to the Hilton!!!!!!!!!!

[ravip]

I had to go to immigration yesterday to sort visa stuff, dressed smart as usual for these meets. In walked a farang, about 25. Within minutes the office stank, so looked at the guy, flip flops, light coloured shorts that had never seen a washing machine, the ass of them was black , together with a T - shirt that was falling of his back. I could not believe it, and the staff took a dim view too as he was told to leave the country for some reason. This guy has my award for being a cheap (dirty, smelly) charlie.

WOW!

That's all I can say.

Thailand has an unfair amount of this type of charlies lurking around with quite high noses too!

[FritsSikkink]

I often take my own water in to bars and other high end venues. Why. I purchase 20 litre bottles for 12 baht. Why the <removed> do I want to pay 20 or 30 baht for 500ml here in Phuket.

For the service, the A/C, and other running expenses the bar has? It is a business, not some NGO. You'd do this stuff in my hotel and I'd whack you with a 5 Dollar corkage fee.

Had this coupe staying at the hotel that demanded that the Chef heat their ready-made curry and that the staff served it to them. They squealed when I charged them USD 20,00 for the pleasure.

Had another couple demand that they can bring their own ingredients and cook their food themselves in our kitchen. I am afraid they did not get a room......

If I get any sort of grief whatsoever...I go elsewhere...for good.

i think there are loads of business owners who wouldn't mind to see you go.

[copa8]

sometimes i go to restaurants and have:

1. my own COKE ZERO (they don't sell that)

2. my own BROWN RICE (they don't sell that)

3. my own RED WINE (they don't sell that)

and nobody cares. i pay my bill and tip 10% (with a minimum of 30THB)....

i don't like the chemical crap known as thai beer and never eat white rice. i'm one of the quality tourists thailand is looking for, 5555555

tipping only 10% is consider a cheap charlie.

[Jingthing]

sometimes i go to restaurants and have:

1. my own COKE ZERO (they don't sell that)

2. my own BROWN RICE (they don't sell that)

3. my own RED WINE (they don't sell that)

and nobody cares. i pay my bill and tip 10% (with a minimum of 30THB)....

i don't like the chemical crap known as thai beer and never eat white rice. i'm one of the quality tourists thailand is looking for, 5555555

tipping only 10% is consider a cheap charlie.

No it isn't. This is Thailand, not New York.

[raymp]

My mother in-law sends her daughter (not my wife) across the road to the atm to do her banking from her shop.

The daughter (36) takes 100 baht commission even though she works and gets rent from property.

That is a cheap S daughter take from her mother that way.

When I do it for free I don't get talked to by the daughter for weeks.

[mca]

The hotel I used to work at had a bakery and after 6 pm they used to sell off the goods at half price. One day this westerner and his Thai family went there after 6 and started negotiating the prices. You might think that the stuff that didn't sell was going to be thrown away so all well and good so why not but this bloke was offering 5 baht for slices of cheesecake, curry puffs etc. There's a difference betwen negotiating and taking the piss...

[puuchaibaa]

I'm a cheap SOB and proud of it. I'm also of Chinese descent and apparently some of you have fun deriding the Chinese here, so here's some more fun for you:

• Have a pair of 20 yr old boxers which I still use at home, sagging waist band and all. At least the wife gets a kick out of seeing them hang off my butt.
• Married a frugal wife. She has her limits though. I once asked if we could replace our thick comforter with a thin blanket so we could turn down the AC at night. She looked at me as though I were evil.
• Skip coffee at home whenever I go to the bank. Love the free cappuccinos there.
• Tip the girls at the restaurant I frequent with just a 20B bill (roughly 5%), and pocket any change in coins. They still like me for some reason.
• My frugal use of toilet paper is legendary, almost. However, I must regretfully cede first prize to a guy I read about who splits the layers of tissue and uses them individually. Hats off to him.

Ok, flame away. (And yes, Lole, you are so awesome and perfect -- much superior to the Chinese that you keep talking about again and again and again).

[Pundi6446]

I heard of a guy from Sweden, who tipped his golf caddy 20 baht, said to her you already made your money with me paying the caddy fee, when you pay for green fee, now that's a cheap Charlie.

Also another, same country, he got a hole in one, and gave caddy an extra 50 baht tip, Cheeeeeeep charlies both

[Spoonman]

Why give the caddy any money because of a hole in one ?

[thaibeachlovers]

I'm a cheap SOB and proud of it. I'm also of Chinese descent and apparently some of you have fun deriding the Chinese here, so here's some more fun for you:

• Have a pair of 20 yr old boxers which I still use at home, sagging waist band and all. At least the wife gets a kick out of seeing them hang off my butt.
• Married a frugal wife. She has her limits though. I once asked if we could replace our thick comforter with a thin blanket so we could turn down the AC at night. She looked at me as though I were evil.
• Skip coffee at home whenever I go to the bank. Love the free cappuccinos there.
• Tip the girls at the restaurant I frequent with just a 20B bill (roughly 5%), and pocket any change in coins. They still like me for some reason.
• My frugal use of toilet paper is legendary, almost. However, I must regretfully cede first prize to a guy I read about who splits the layers of tissue and uses them individually. Hats off to him.

Ok, flame away. (And yes, Lole, you are so awesome and perfect -- much superior to the Chinese that you keep talking about again and again and again).

Time for you to put the foot down. Tell her the AC makes your nose dry if you sleep with it on and it has to be turned off when sleeping ( mine is, but I don't have to make up stories, just turn it off ).

Or, if you give her an allowance, tell her you will deduct an amount to pay for the AC from her allowance.

I leave the coins and pocket the notes. If they're too silly to not give lots of coins for change that's their loss.

I have pants at home that were second hand from a charity shop 20 years ago, and I still wear them ( however, I rarely wear long pants, so they don't wear out ). All my shorts are from the local market and cost 100 baht or less. T shirts same.

Never use TP in Thailand if a bum gun is available. Strangely, all the malls use TP and don't have bum guns.

I'm not Chinese, but I think Chinese women are GORGEOUS.

[KarenBravo]

The all too familiar "balloon-chasers".

They find a bar that is going to have a party that evening with free food.

They arrive, purchase a bottle of water, stuff themselves with food (I've even seen some with a doggy-bag), then leave.

They will be first against the wall when the revolution comes.

[Chonburiram]

The all too familiar "balloon-chasers".

They find a bar that is going to have a party that evening with free food.

They arrive, purchase a bottle of water, stuff themselves with food (I've even seen some with a doggy-bag), then leave.

They will be first against the wall when the revolution comes.

Revolution?

Are Bar owners going to revolt?

[thaibeachlovers]

The all too familiar "balloon-chasers".

They find a bar that is going to have a party that evening with free food.

They arrive, purchase a bottle of water, stuff themselves with food (I've even seen some with a doggy-bag), then leave.

They will be first against the wall when the revolution comes.

That is something the bar owners can stop if they want to. Just give tickets the week prior to the event to their regular customers and only give food to people with tickets.

However, they are probably hoping to gain a few extra regulars from the balloon chasers. If it didn't work, they wouldn't do it anymore.

[KarenBravo]

The all too familiar "balloon-chasers".

They find a bar that is going to have a party that evening with free food.

They arrive, purchase a bottle of water, stuff themselves with food (I've even seen some with a doggy-bag), then leave.

They will be first against the wall when the revolution comes.

Revolution?

Are Bar owners going to revolt?

No, the world-wide revolution that will install me as global leader.

[marsipan]

A guy I know that was visiting Bangkok last year boasted to me how he saves money by taking all the tissue and packs of sugar when he visits coffee houses and takes the chop sticks from noodle places .

Sounds like a guy i met in BKK. He took all the toothpicks, napkins, sugar and coffecream(?) from his table. I asked him why? "Because its free".. I guess he got offended by my question, because he never talked to me again.

Sent from my GT-I9082L using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[KarenBravo]

A guy I know that was visiting Bangkok last year boasted to me how he saves money by taking all the tissue and packs of sugar when he visits coffee houses and takes the chop sticks from noodle places .

Sounds like a guy i met in BKK. He took all the toothpicks, napkins, sugar and coffecream(?) from his table. I asked him why? "Because its free".. I guess he got offended by my question, because he never talked to me again.

Sent from my GT-I9082L using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Guilty conscience.

[arunsakda]

One guy making more than $200K a year. Of course the type who stuffs pockets at Buffets, brings own instant coffee and asks for hot water, etc. Most famously this skinflint collects aluminium cans like a bum in the street, puts them in his luggage. Then flies this garbage back to Hawaii where he resides where the can be exchanged for pennies.

This is also a FRAUD because the deposit for these cans us collected at the front end.

Edited July 11, 2014 by arunsakda

[boike]

I knew someone who would refill a 2 litre water bottle everyday at the school he worked at to save himself 10 baht for a 20 litre bottle.

Local folk would too.....................

Absolutely, if you really want to know how Thai's value 1 baht..... just be observant.

Have personally seen Thai women fighting over 1 baht on many occasions

Sent from my Galaxy S4 4G LTE

[thehelmsman]

One guy making more than $200K a year. Of course the type who stuffs pockets at Buffets, brings own instant coffee and asks for hot water, etc. Most famously this skinflint collects aluminium cans like a bum in the street, puts them in his luggage. Then flies this garbage back to Hawaii where he resides where the can be exchanged for pennies.

This is also a FRAUD because the deposit for these cans us collected at the front end.

ALOHA

[ttthailand]

Sometimes people are just poor and or uneducated and are afraid they will not be able to make money in the future. For these propel I kind of understand being cheap.

For people with enough money already I just don't get it.

I would hate to die with loads of money in the bank knowing that I have been a tightas- all my life. People would think you were a fool ....

Nothing wrong with being careful with your money and not spending foolishly.

[Larry THE Lush]

Anybody know if The Escape Bar is still open in Chiang Mai, if so whos running it now ? Thanks.

[thehelmsman]

Does nationality play into the equation??

[thehelmsman]

I had to go to immigration yesterday to sort visa stuff, dressed smart as usual for these meets. In walked a farang, about 25. Within minutes the office stank, so looked at the guy, flip flops, light coloured shorts that had never seen a washing machine, the ass of them was black , together with a T - shirt that was falling of his back. I could not believe it, and the staff took a dim view too as he was told to leave the country for some reason. This guy has my award for being a cheap (dirty, smelly) charlie.

Me thinks I'm lacking in the dressed smartly department, just how smartly were you dressed.......

[laislica]

To those who are "careful" and buy their pills from the cheapest pharmacy rather than the hospital.

Remember TiT, how sure are you that the pills etc are what they say they are?

TIPS, this is an acronym meaning "To Insure Prompt Service".

In Victorian times restaurants had a box labeled TIPS and before you were seated you dropped coins into the box.

The noisier clanking of coins, the better the service!

To give a gratuity "After" service is silly, it's a Service charge!

BTW, at home we have a bowl full of those little bags of sugar that come with a cup of coffee and why not?

My first wife threw out some of my fav old clothes, like thirty plus years old - there was no argument from me - just a Divorce!

How very dare she?

Someone suggested that this thread is a troll but how can it be with so many posts from so many diverse posters, and BTW the amount of personal attacks is really quite low. A super, entertaining thread, great job and thanks for the many tips I have picked up here. LOL

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[taotoo]

TIPS, this is an acronym meaning "To Insure Prompt Service".

In Victorian times restaurants had a box labeled TIPS and before you were seated you dropped coins into the box.

American Victorian times? Queen Victoria would have said 'ensure' not 'insure'.

[mca]

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

[duanebigsby]

To those who are "careful" and buy their pills from the cheapest pharmacy rather than the hospital.

Remember TiT, how sure are you that the pills etc are what they say they are?

TIPS, this is an acronym meaning "To Insure Prompt Service".

In Victorian times restaurants had a box labeled TIPS and before you were seated you dropped coins into the box.

The noisier clanking of coins, the better the service!

To give a gratuity "After" service is silly, it's a Service charge!

BTW, at home we have a bowl full of those little bags of sugar that come with a cup of coffee and why not?

My first wife threw out some of my fav old clothes, like thirty plus years old - there was no argument from me - just a Divorce!

How very dare she?

Someone suggested that this thread is a troll but how can it be with so many posts from so many diverse posters, and BTW the amount of personal attacks is really quite low. A super, entertaining thread, great job and thanks for the many tips I have picked up here. LOL

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Urban Myth!

People like to make up stories for word etymology but acronyms are incredible rare prior to the 20th century.

Victorian speakers wouldn't have gotten the grammar wrong, it's "ensure" not "insure."

And I agree, entertaining thread.

[Bald Eagle]

Its the filthy backpackers bartering street vendors down as they've read 'how stuff works' in lonely planet. All whilst carrying around $$$$ in Apple products so they can blog every crap thing they do. Oh look another 20 something american girl in fishermans pants getting recorded eating some street food and explaining how you can live on 100 baht a day. Great.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Bald Eagle

[ATF]

Its the filthy backpackers bartering street vendors down as they've read 'how stuff works' in lonely planet. All whilst carrying around $$$$ in Apple products so they can blog every crap thing they do. Oh look another 20 something american girl in fishermans pants getting recorded eating some street food and explaining how you can live on 100 baht a day. Great.

Oh please don't be such a critic! They buy fair trade coffee and only invest their trust fund in green ventures. Just because the grilled meatball vendor has four kids to feed that's not their problem.