Who "owns" the street vendors stall tables etc and selling stock ?

[BKKdreaming]

With all the street vendors getting booted I was wondering who owns the stock and the tables . tarps, lights etc

you see them at the end of the night loading all the stuff into a wheeled storage box and pulling that away somewhere !

Are the sellers normally the owners or just the paid help ?

No matter who owns the stock the sellers are out of a job if they close off street selling

Please real experiences and not bar stool rumors

[David48]

I can only answer the flavour of your question, and not the Street Vendors.

Had a chat with one of the Bar Ladies (no, not the Bar Girls) who appear on Lower Suk around 2am.

She owns the gear, runs the Bar and pays the Police.

They (the Police) receive Bt 30,000. I would presume the Street position would dictate the amount paid.

For that she gets that dedicated spot and runs it from 2am through to 6am.

That info was from 2 months ago.

Watching the speed and dedication of the workers of the Street Stalls and the fact that they are the same players year in, year out, I would summarize that you are, on the majority, dealing with 'Owner Operators'.

[ATF]

Usually the vendors themselves own the stalls, stock and equipment but the street space is rented from "Influential People" except outside the 7-11's etc. 7-11 and other stores cut their own deal.

[Sharp]

I lease a large property and have a frontage on a Main Street which I converted to various small units as described above at footpath level which are all leased by me to Burmese or Thai selling all Manor of trinkets etc directly onto the street and they are owed (leased) by them directly whilst paying a fee to someone!!!! For being allowed to serve passing foot traffic

[krisb]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

[choochoo]

I can only answer the flavour of your question, and not the Street Vendors.

Had a chat with one of the Bar Ladies (no, not the Bar Girls) who appear on Lower Suk around 2am.

She owns the gear, runs the Bar and pays the Police.

They (the Police) receive Bt 30,000. I would presume the Street position would dictate the amount paid.

For that she gets that dedicated spot and runs it from 2am through to 6am.

That info was from 2 months ago.

Watching the speed and dedication of the workers of the Street Stalls and the fact that they are the same players year in, year out, I would summarize that you are, on the majority, dealing with 'Owner Operators'.

thats a lot. see sell alcohol?

during the evening hours hours i just dont see a whole lot of sales going on. And when i do see sales its indians and arabs paying rock bottom prices. how do they make money?

Edited November 2, 2014 by choochoo

[konying]

I can only answer the flavour of your question, and not the Street Vendors.

Had a chat with one of the Bar Ladies (no, not the Bar Girls) who appear on Lower Suk around 2am.

She owns the gear, runs the Bar and pays the Police.

They (the Police) receive Bt 30,000. I would presume the Street position would dictate the amount paid.

For that she gets that dedicated spot and runs it from 2am through to 6am.

That info was from 2 months ago.

Watching the speed and dedication of the workers of the Street Stalls and the fact that they are the same players year in, year out, I would summarize that you are, on the majority, dealing with 'Owner Operators'.

30000 is what she pays for the bar business, shop outside might have been added to the total , otherwise it's 3000-5000 per month if selling alcohol or copies.

I did not speak to bar girl, only know the bagman for Sukhumvit area for past 12 years.

And to answer OP, stalls own the stock and the equipment , many stalls are owned by shop which operate day time, so the people working at night are paid help .

You will also notice many stalls packing into the same store, ie a barber shop could own a few stalls.

Edited November 2, 2014 by konying

[VillageIdiot]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

[David48]

I can only answer the flavour of your question, and not the Street Vendors.

Had a chat with one of the Bar Ladies (no, not the Bar Girls) who appear on Lower Suk around 2am.

She owns the gear, runs the Bar and pays the Police.

They (the Police) receive Bt 30,000. I would presume the Street position would dictate the amount paid.

For that she gets that dedicated spot and runs it from 2am through to 6am.

That info was from 2 months ago.

Watching the speed and dedication of the workers of the Street Stalls and the fact that they are the same players year in, year out, I would summarize that you are, on the majority, dealing with 'Owner Operators'.

30000 is what she pays for the bar business, shop outside might have been added to the total , otherwise it's 3000-5000 per month if selling alcohol or copies.

I did not speak to bar girl, only know the bagman for Sukhumvit area for past 12 years.

And to answer OP, stalls own the stock and the equipment , many stalls are owned by shop which operate day time, so the people working at night are paid help .

You will also notice many stalls packing into the same store, ie a barber shop could own a few stalls.

Maybe it was Bt 3,000 and not Bt 30,000 ... and it was lost in translation.

If you know the trade ... sweet. I'm relying on just one conversation.

Lower Suk, near Soi7

[David48]

I can only answer the flavour of your question, and not the Street Vendors.

Had a chat with one of the Bar Ladies (no, not the Bar Girls) who appear on Lower Suk around 2am.

She owns the gear, runs the Bar and pays the Police.

They (the Police) receive Bt 30,000. I would presume the Street position would dictate the amount paid.

For that she gets that dedicated spot and runs it from 2am through to 6am.

That info was from 2 months ago.

Watching the speed and dedication of the workers of the Street Stalls and the fact that they are the same players year in, year out, I would summarize that you are, on the majority, dealing with 'Owner Operators'.

thats a lot. see sell alcohol?

during the evening hours hours i just dont see a whole lot of sales going on. And when i do see sales its indians and arabs paying rock bottom prices. how do they make money?

I sat there for hours ... never saw an Arab or Indian sit and drink.

Prices all were Bt 100 a bottle.

I ended paying Bt 80 a bottle ... curious to know what the other members are paying.

Sorry OP ... we digress a little.

[krisb]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

So important to have Thais front for you??

Christ, seriously mate, thats a joke right?

[NeverSure]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

So important to have Thais front for you??

Christ, seriously mate, thats a joke right?

Seriously Krisb, it was an important post because it was the first "don't let the door hit you..." post in this thread.

[asdecas]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

What nonsense. There are more ways to do business in Thailand than on the street at the seedier end of Sukhumvit.

[HerbalEd]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

Give us a break. As if you are an expert on all things Thai.

[bangon04]

When you look at the catalogue and agree to buy one of the millions of ripoff DVDs or fake handbags or fake watches on lower sukhumvit, the vendor usually scuttles off to a central "warehouse" somewhere nearby to retrieve your preferred item.

This suggests that all the stalls are selling from one stock and logically working for the same "Mr Big".

Luckily the warehouse is so cleverly concealed that no investigation by the Royal Thai Police farce could ever find it...

[off road pat]

When you look at the catalogue and agree to buy one of the millions of ripoff DVDs or fake handbags or fake watches on lower sukhumvit, the vendor usually scuttles off to a central "warehouse" somewhere nearby to retrieve your preferred item.

This suggests that all the stalls are selling from one stock and logically working for the same "Mr Big".

Luckily the warehouse is so cleverly concealed that no investigation by the Royal Thai Police farce could ever find it...

Com on guys, ?!?!?! ....

Don't underestimate the Thai police,.....if they want to know, who? and were? is Mr Big ? they will know in a mum of time...... because this is the guy that will pay them a lot......to continue his business.... if he's not paying them already....???.......they know exactly were the guy is getting his DVD's Copy Watches...Etc.....

They might not be good in using sophisticated crime solving method's,...?!?!?! although, this might be disputable depending the case...!!!!

As I said in a other post before.....The Thai Police can count on a very extensive network of informants......!!!!

Now, what they do with this information is up to speculation.....??!?!?!? sometimes they close there ryes for the right price...!!!!

If you want to do a test about the informant network,? just tell some Thai friend you are overstaying a few months,....or some other illegal activity....

you might have a visit by the police soon after.....!!!

[impulse]

When you look at the catalogue and agree to buy one of the millions of ripoff DVDs or fake handbags or fake watches on lower sukhumvit, the vendor usually scuttles off to a central "warehouse" somewhere nearby to retrieve your preferred item.

This suggests that all the stalls are selling from one stock and logically working for the same "Mr Big".

Luckily the warehouse is so cleverly concealed that no investigation by the Royal Thai Police farce could ever find it...

I doubt they'd find much to confiscate on the DVDs. Just a computer, a printer, a DVD burner, and some blank disks.

You place an order for DVD #128753 ("Old Yeller"- I'll give you the benefit of the doubt) , and someone in a back room immediately burns a copy of DVD #128753 and prints out an "Old Yeller" insert for the plastic pouch the DVD comes in.

For the watches and handbags, I have no doubt there are some central stocking locations, but I do doubt there's a singular "Mr Big". They're independent businessmen, buying at wholesale and selling at retail (actually retail ++). Happens all over the world as a common form of business relationship.

Edited November 2, 2014 by impulse

[dotpoom]

The vendors own it....they just have to move it out of sight into an allocated area every night.

[sangfroid]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

So important to have Thais front for you??

Christ, seriously mate, thats a joke right?

+1

[sangfroid]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

Absolute bloody nonsense.

[eldragon]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

I think it's unlikely one could ever meet a Thai they will trust 100%. And I don't say that b/c I think all Thais are liars or anything like that. Those people are easy to avoid... But in general our ways of thinking are too different.

[SGD]

I once had a proposition on the table to rent the outside space around and in front of a building going through a change in lease ownership, so I was somewhat privy to the comings and goings.

Outside space was a few thousand a month and we would (as we had other business in the area) have had to pay the police around Bt6k a year, possibly a bit more given the size, to have tables on the public area as opposed to just out designated area. Booze selling needed an official licence.

We would have been permanent, not fold away at night or day but we had to move everything extra out of the way by the main business opening times or before.

[franck1972]

No, it's probably correct with 30 000 B.
5 years ago, it was 1000 B a day for a good spot on the road in sukhumvit.
Anywhere else outside touristic or top spots, it's free rent if your shop is mobile (has wheels), but there's a small flatrate for power. It's not much, less than 3000 B a month then.

[SinCityGr8One]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

I think it's unlikely one could ever meet a Thai they will trust 100%. And I don't say that b/c I think all Thais are liars or anything like that. Those people are easy to avoid... But in general our ways of thinking are too different.

I cannot completely agree with your point of view, because a shady character in Bangkok will be a shady character in London, New York City, Paris, Sydney et.al., and it don't matter whether they are Thai or a Foreigner to me. Out of the 100's Thai's I know/knew, I've only had the misfortune of dealing with 1 bad apple Thai. Out of several dozen Foreigners, I've only had dealt with 1 bad apple also. And, this is over a period of over 10 Years here. Maybe, I'm lucky or perhaps I've pretty much have seen or heard it all, and I've been cautious on who earns 100% of my Trust. IMHO

[eldragon]

Notice how every thread based around doing business in Thailand is clouded in mystery.

It's only a mystery to farangs who don't know how things operate here.

That's why it's so important to have Thais front for you whenever and wherever possible.

If you've been here a while and still don't have any Thais - family or friends - whom you can fully trust, then it's time to seriously consider leaving.

I think it's unlikely one could ever meet a Thai they will trust 100%. And I don't say that b/c I think all Thais are liars or anything like that. Those people are easy to avoid... But in general our ways of thinking are too different.

I cannot completely agree with your point of view, because a shady character in Bangkok will be a shady character in London, New York City, Paris, Sydney et.al., and it don't matter whether they are Thai or a Foreigner to me. Out of the 100's Thai's I know/knew, I've only had the misfortune of dealing with 1 bad apple Thai. Out of several dozen Foreigners, I've only had dealt with 1 bad apple also. And, this is over a period of over 10 Years here. Maybe, I'm lucky or perhaps I've pretty much have seen or heard it all, and I've been cautious on who earns 100% of my Trust. IMHO

Read my post again. I don't think all Thais are liars, or shady. I just think they have a unique way of thinking that doesn't match up with the west very well.

[MyFriend You]

I can only answer the flavour of your question, and not the Street Vendors.

Had a chat with one of the Bar Ladies (no, not the Bar Girls) who appear on Lower Suk around 2am.

She owns the gear, runs the Bar and pays the Police.

They (the Police) receive Bt 30,000. I would presume the Street position would dictate the amount paid.

For that she gets that dedicated spot and runs it from 2am through to 6am.

That info was from 2 months ago.

Watching the speed and dedication of the workers of the Street Stalls and the fact that they are the same players year in, year out, I would summarize that you are, on the majority, dealing with 'Owner Operators'.

30000 is what she pays for the bar business, shop outside might have been added to the total , otherwise it's 3000-5000 per month if selling alcohol or copies.

I did not speak to bar girl, only know the bagman for Sukhumvit area for past 12 years.

And to answer OP, stalls own the stock and the equipment , many stalls are owned by shop which operate day time, so the people working at night are paid help .

You will also notice many stalls packing into the same store, ie a barber shop could own a few stalls.

Maybe it was Bt 3,000 and not Bt 30,000 ... and it was lost in translation.

If you know the trade ... sweet. I'm relying on just one conversation.

Lower Suk, near Soi7

Hmmmm lost in translation - Som Pun vs Som Murn - not likely, but who am I to ?? $100 vs $1000, one is too cheap, and the other is too expensive - I always wonder what part all the West African's hanging around the places that pop up at night - seems like they made the McDonalds near Robinsons their office.......I have strolled in their @ 3 A.M. and the place is full, but nary a Thai in sight.