Sending food back to the kitchen?

[Farang two dot zero]

Thai Watsadu Pattaya located on Sukhumvit Road 80/3 Moo 12, Nongprue still open or not ?

[KittenKong]

Is that this one (now renamed)?

http://goo.gl/maps/3V9fC

If so yes, it's open and generally a fair bit cheaper than other similar DIY stores.

[BB1950]

Yes Thai Watsadu is still open 7am-7pm. I find the prices better than most DIY stores.

[craigt3365]

Was there 2 days ago and bought some stuff. Still open! Not crowded and has a very good selection of stuff.

[mikebell]

Was there 2 days ago and bought some stuff. Still open! Not crowded and has a very good selection of stuff.

Not crowded with customers but over-crowded with useless, redundant staff.

I went there for a small tub of wall filler. My wife wrote down in Thai what I required. On arrival I was shown to the basement where I was surrounded by perhaps ten (bored?) employees who gravely studied my paper. A debate ensued. I was led about and showed a number of items ranging from a 50 kg bag of plaster to steel guttering! After ten minutes of this, I was beginning to lose my patience and keeping my smile going was hurting my face.

Eventually I was shown into an office and seated at a desk. I waited for a further five minutes whilst all the operatives pretended to be busy (FaceBooking?) rather than have to speak English. In the end, I rose abruptly and left in disgust. As I stalked indignantly towards the exit, my faithful band of inept assistants jeered my every step.

The prices are fine but could be 20% cheaper if they sacked 80% of their staff and replaced them with a plastic chair.

[KittenKong]

It's really not hard to find the tubs of filler in that shop without help. There is an aisle dedicated to those products, and another aisle nearby for mastics and glues. It's all quite logical and you can see those products from the main aisle as you walk along it. So a quick stroll up the main aisle should have got you there.

Maybe they sent you downstairs because your wife's note didnt specify that you wanted a small tub of filler and not a large sack of plaster? The former is DIY stuff and the latter is building supplies.

I have found the staff in that shop to be helpful.

[NanLaew]

Was there 2 days ago and bought some stuff. Still open! Not crowded and has a very good selection of stuff.

Not crowded with customers but over-crowded with useless, redundant staff.

I went there for a small tub of wall filler. My wife wrote down in Thai what I required. On arrival I was shown to the basement where I was surrounded by perhaps ten (bored?) employees who gravely studied my paper. A debate ensued. I was led about and showed a number of items ranging from a 50 kg bag of plaster to steel guttering! After ten minutes of this, I was beginning to lose my patience and keeping my smile going was hurting my face.

Eventually I was shown into an office and seated at a desk. I waited for a further five minutes whilst all the operatives pretended to be busy (FaceBooking?) rather than have to speak English. In the end, I rose abruptly and left in disgust. As I stalked indignantly towards the exit, my faithful band of inept assistants jeered my every step.

The prices are fine but could be 20% cheaper if they sacked 80% of their staff and replaced them with a plastic chair.

Sorry, but a real man does not go the hardware store with a note from his wife, regardless of the location and language. Hardware stores are universally man-friendly.

Maybe you should stay home and stick to doing the dishes and the ironing.

[Turkleton]

Sorry, but a real man does not go the hardware store with a note from his wife, regardless of the location and language. Hardware stores are universally man-friendly.

Maybe you should stay home and stick to doing the dishes and the ironing.

Hmm, Thai Watsadu is not a "real" hardware store, too many things are missing, especially in the tools and hardware section.

"Hardware House" is, what I call a real "hardware shop".

However, simple things like tub filler can be bought at any small hardware shop near your room, where they sell these blue PVC pipes.

A "wife's note" is usually useless, be creative and show them a picture (printed or displayed on your Smartphone), thats what I do and everybody understands what I want.

Or even better, tell your wife what you want and send her to the next shop, to get it.

Edited November 2, 2014 by Turkleton

[mikebell]

As my wife works full time she is unable to do the normal wifey things like buying DIY materials. This means the burden falls on my frail shoulders. I did not think things could go so awry armed with a note; written in Thai by a Thai office manager.

Thanks to the valuable advice offered here I now know what to do: get out my step ladders; climb them one handed whilst carrying a camera in the other hand; take a photo of the offending hole; download photo to my computer; print picture of hole; take to Thai Watsadu; display picture; mime filling hole in; stand back whilst audience of ten useless staff applaud and take me down to the basement.

Or I could ask my wife to write me a note?

Incidentally this non-real man had his own Building business doing the majority of the work myself.

[Pattaya46]

Yes Thai Watsadu is still open 7am-7pm. I find the prices better than most DIY stores.

Yes open, but I am very unsure about these opening hours ??

I think it does not open before 8am and close a 5:30pm...? (I already went there "too late" and way before 7pm)

[KittenKong]

Incidentally this non-real man had his own Building business doing the majority of the work myself.

And yet you still don't know how to find a tub of filler in a Western-style DIY store on your own and thought it better to get a letter from your wife?

Wow.

[KittenKong]

Hmm, Thai Watsadu is not a "real" hardware store, too many things are missing, especially in the tools and hardware section.

"Hardware House" is, what I call a real "hardware shop".

I went there once for a small retractable tape measure and found that they had less choice and higher prices than Thai Watsadu. Maybe I was unlucky. They did have a better selection of power tools, but other items were definitely lacking.

But full marks to Hardware House for including lat/long/GPS details in their online store locator. I cant imagine why every business doesn't do this as addresses here seem to be randomly generated and quite meaningless for anyone who doesn't live within walking distance.

[Turkleton]

I went there once for a small retractable tape measure and found that they had less choice and higher prices than Thai Watsadu. Maybe I was unlucky. They did have a better selection of power tools, but other items were definitely lacking.

Which HH branch have you visited, Pattaya?

I've never been there, I am talking about the Sriracha branch near Highway 7 or at least Rayong.

Thai Watsadu has lots of "chi chi", like small furniture and kitchen or deco utensils etc.

But on my last two visits, they had not even 14 and 16 mm nuts or a 32 mm wrench...poor for a hardware store.

And not to forget, the missing air condition.

But full marks to Hardware House for including lat/long/GPS details in their online store locator. I cant imagine why every business doesn't do this as addresses here seem to be randomly generated and quite meaningless for anyone who doesn't live within walking distance.

Every shop *should* put their GPS coordinates (or at least a link to Google maps) on their website, business cards and even plastic bags.

Or a QR code would also be helpful.

But seriously, apart from the foreigners and a very, very, very low amount of Thais, GPS details or Google maps are like "rocket science" for the majority....

Most prefer these childish designed "maps" in credit card size.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Turkleton

[BB1950]

Yes Thai Watsadu is still open 7am-7pm. I find the prices better than most DIY stores.

Yes open, but I am very unsure about these opening hours ??

I think it does not open before 8am and close a 5:30pm...? (I already went there "too late" and way before 7pm)

I'll have to correct the closing time It's 8 p.m. now. I was there on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and noticed the hours on the door as I went in.

Edited November 3, 2014 by BB1950

[steve187]

i see hardware house are now in the old homemart on the left towards Sattahip, i think its SCG now, there is a large selecton maybe not as big at the one on the 36 road,

if this is old news then i have been away

[KittenKong]

I went there once for a small retractable tape measure and found that they had less choice and higher prices than Thai Watsadu. Maybe I was unlucky. They did have a better selection of power tools, but other items were definitely lacking.

Which HH branch have you visited, Pattaya?

I've never been there, I am talking about the Sriracha branch near Highway 7 or at least Rayong.

Thai Watsadu has lots of "chi chi", like small furniture and kitchen or deco utensils etc.

But on my last two visits, they had not even 14 and 16 mm nuts or a 32 mm wrench...poor for a hardware store.

I went to the one near Mimosa/Ambassador. They call it "Pattaya" but it isnt really. It may be smaller than the Si Racha/Rayong ones.

The Thai Watsadu I go to is near Chaiyapreuk, and may be larger than their other stores in town. Living in a condo I'm more interested in things like lighting and plumbing accessories than large wrenches and power tools, I admit.

[craigt3365]

The HH down by the Ambassador is pretty good, but not nearly as large as the one on 36, nor Global House nearby or up in Chonburi. But it's OK. For an old time, funky hardware store, try Captain, just north of the Ambassador on the same side of Suk. Very nice owners and they speak English. Not a large store, and a bit dirty, but interesting for walk through.

I actually like Thai Watsadu a lot. English speaking employees is a problem.

I've gone into these stores many times with a note written by my wife. Normally it works out pretty good, but a few times, not so good! 5555

[Pattaya46]

A "wife's note" is usually useless,

be creative and show them a picture (printed or displayed on your Smartphone),

thats what I do and everybody understands what I want.

I agree. Pictures on smartphone is the way I use too. It works well even for BigC or others.

Tired to not be understood when talking, Thai or English.

Taking a clear picture of any barcode can be a good idea too, they can check it on computer.

[mikebell]

A "wife's note" is usually useless,

be creative and show them a picture (printed or displayed on your Smartphone),

thats what I do and everybody understands what I want.

I agree. Pictures on smartphone is the way I use too. It works well even for BigC or others.

Tired to not be understood when talking, Thai or English.

Taking a clear picture of any barcode can be a good idea too, they can check it on computer.

As I explained above there were some small holes (where screw fixings used to be.) Now in the absence of a smart phone camera, I could have climbed the ladder with my ordinary camera & taken 3 or 4 photos of the offending holes, naturally from different angles so the Thai staff could see the size of the problem. I chose description via words in a language the staff might be familiar with rather than the above complications.

As it was my 1st visit to the store, I trusted implicitly the greeter-at-the-door who directed me to the basement which I now realise is for builders. (Perhaps with a couple of years staff training the 1st assistant will come to differentiate between upstairs & downstairs.

Had one of the myriad of assistants below re-directed me upstairs I would have smiled & wandered back to search the shelves as mentioned above.

I've checked with my wife about the note's content. It read 'small tin of wall-filler.' It does not take a PhD to work that one out.

I do not know how smart phones take pictures of a bar-code when I did not have an empty container of the necessary material. If I had I probably would have dispensed with the photo totally & just took the empty container.

Thanks for your assistance.

[NanLaew]

As I explained above there were some small holes (where screw fixings used to be.) Now in the absence of a smart phone camera, I could have climbed the ladder with my ordinary camera & taken 3 or 4 photos of the offending holes, naturally from different angles so the Thai staff could see the size of the problem. I chose description via words in a language the staff might be familiar with rather than the above complications.

As it was my 1st visit to the store, I trusted implicitly the greeter-at-the-door who directed me to the basement which I now realise is for builders. (Perhaps with a couple of years staff training the 1st assistant will come to differentiate between upstairs & downstairs.

Had one of the myriad of assistants below re-directed me upstairs I would have smiled & wandered back to search the shelves as mentioned above.

I've checked with my wife about the note's content. It read 'small tin of wall-filler.' It does not take a PhD to work that one out.

I do not know how smart phones take pictures of a bar-code when I did not have an empty container of the necessary material. If I had I probably would have dispensed with the photo totally & just took the empty container.

Thanks for your assistance.

Well that explains it mikebell. By your own earlier admission, you are a builder and the very astute greeter-at-the-door instantly recognised this and hence directed you to the builders department downstairs (but he probably had lingering doubts about why a builder would have a note from his wife).

Now the builder-savvy team of experts downstairs very quickly realised that builders don't wander in with their wives shopping lists so you were politely sent back upstairs where shopping by regular DIY'ers is so very easy-peasy.

Now, how you managed to miss the well laid out and clearly labelled aisle where all the little pots of filler reside is apparently beyond the staff as well as most of the posters on this thread. I know, I know, men never ask for directions. But real men in hardware stores always know exactly what they want and where to find it.

I would wager that showing pictures of the holes that you sought filler for would have instantly got their attention and they would have whisked you straight to the managers office whereupon they would have delighted in showing you IDENTICAL HOLES in THEIR ceiling. Then, in deference to your awesome builders experience, they would have asked YOU what was the best way of filling 'em in.

PS. Do you 'drive' the shopping cart when you are at Makro with the missus?

Edited November 3, 2014 by NanLaew