I fell out with a retailer this morning!

[samsensam]

i regularly use a thai owned mexican restaurant, a year ago they put up their prices but offered to continue charging me the old price. i said i was happy to pay the increased price as the food and service is good.

[geronimo]

In her defence, I'd like to point out the following,

working in Pattaya, she obviously deals with farang often and judging by the kind of people I encountered when I went there last, it's hardly surprising she has the hardened attitude. Thais always generalise, so after meeting a few drunken louts, she kind of figures we're all like that, but then again, you might be one of them!! LOL

Tongue in cheek of course.

[Jingthing]

Thais do not care about return custom, what they take today, they take.

Tomorrow is another day.

Not all Thais of course but more so than in the west for sure.

[fey]

This is a problem with a lot of places that refuse to post prices (ie they are just made up for each customer). Not much you can do, can't sue for discrimination here.

I was in a place today that does custom craft type work where everything is negotiated and a fellow foreigner was in there completing a sale when I arrived. A loud discussion ensued, but a friendly one, about price negotiation and how he was a millionaire haha, back and forth banter. Kind of like you would do with buddies who were in the same boat. I just shied away from the whole thing. I was thinking to myself, 'dude that's the last thing you want to do, is announce to the store and the community this sort of thing. Not only pricing-wise but your also making yourself a target'.

Just don't get into personal discussions about money here with people you don't know that well or speak loudly about it in public, many people are poorer then you, your inviting envy and all kinds of weird s@hit talking about how much you have, what you do or make etc.

[TobyOliver]

Infration in Thailand does seem to be high, I see prices going up quite frequently so as the cost of living rises then yes shops like the one you visited will likely also rise .... however sometimes I see business just abounding a 25% increase out of the blue.

For example the condo I stay at run a a cleaning service 300 baht to clean your room (a reasonably deep clean) then out of no where it's too 400

I wonder what would happen if I want to my boss and asked for a 25% pay rise??? Humm no

[TobyOliver]

And that's if I could do math which I clearly can't lol

[TobyOliver]

33.333r ??

[Gringogazzer]

Maybe she just has an extra bill so the price goes up because "someone" needs to pay it...

But, if the price of the product has gone up at source do you think she's sat down & reasoned that to inflating oil, hence delivery prices...or inflation due to a stagnant economy.

She thinks your crazy because she's not a frigging clue what your on about.

[Thongkorn]

It really was none of your business as to why She put the price up and She wasnt obliged to give you an explanation .

I think you will find it was the posters business, it was HIS money he was spending, And he chooses to spend His money where he likes, See you have never run a business,

[luke000]

It really was none of your business as to why She put the price up and She wasnt obliged to give you an explanation .

I think you will find it was the posters business, it was HIS money he was spending, And he chooses to spend His money where he likes, See you have never run a business,

I do not think that its a acceptable thing to go into a shop and ask them to justify their prices

The price is marked, you either want it and pay the price or dont and dont buy it

[NeverSure]

Why doing business with a retarded person?

I don't know. You'll have to ask the woman.

[JHolmesJr]

I have similar experiences….but mainly chatting to vendors in the discos at 2am.

Yup…."Phaeng" is what you blurt out and just walk away with a smile, shaking your head for effect.

[Jingthing]

It really was none of your business as to why She put the price up and She wasnt obliged to give you an explanation .

I think you will find it was the posters business, it was HIS money he was spending, And he chooses to spend His money where he likes, See you have never run a business,

I do not think that its a acceptable thing to go into a shop and ask them to justify their prices

The price is marked, you either want it and pay the price or dont and dont buy it

I totally disagree if it's a small business you've been buying from for a long time and you are on speaking terms with the owner. I have definitely done that and I would do it again. I wouldn't do it at Central Department store. It would be pointless. Get the difference?

In the case of a small business and they're at risk of losing your custom, you would be doing a good business owner the chance to make his case to keep you. Also, it might be helpful for customers to explain why they're shopping elsewhere because of a change they made. If they're jerks and aren't interested in customer feedback, I think it's good to not buy from them if there is a better choice available. Many times I have had business owners sincerely thank me for constructive criticism, but frankly non-Thai owners are much more likely to be receptive. There is something about this culture that tends to see honest feedback like that as either hostile or crazy. Oh well.

Seeing it from a business owners POV I fully understand that some customers really are crazy and unreasonable. But if you aren't open to hearing honest feedback from all, including the total cranks, who feel like giving it, you'll miss the customers that DO have something potentially helpful to say.

I realize expats who aim to be Thai-ier than thou would never say a critical word about anything ... just walk away forever and never say what's wrong ... but that ain't me.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Jingthing

[BudRight]

Infration in Thailand does seem to be high, I see prices going up quite frequently so as the cost of living rises then yes shops like the one you visited will likely also rise .... however sometimes I see business just abounding a 25% increase out of the blue.

For example the condo I stay at run a a cleaning service 300 baht to clean your room (a reasonably deep clean) then out of no where it's too 400

I wonder what would happen if I want to my boss and asked for a 25% pay rise??? Humm no

It's the inevitable effect of industry protectionism. Thais just can't understand that lowering trade barriers actually helps their economy and makes them wealthier. They'll probably never figure it out.

[thaiduncankk]

When I had a business here and I increased my prices due to rising costs from my suppliers, I always made a point of explaining my decisions to regulars before they made a purchase. The majority accepted it, but more importantly, it was good public relations.

[thaibeachlovers]

Thais do not care about return custom, what they take today, they take.

Tomorrow is another day.

Expecting a Thai shopkeeper to treat one better because of the years one has been shopping there is like expecting a bargirl to give a discount because she had an orgasm, or a mama san returning the barfine because the "lady" played away.

[Jingthing]

Thais do not care about return custom, what they take today, they take.

Tomorrow is another day.

Expecting a Thai shopkeeper to treat one better because of the years one has been shopping there is like expecting a bargirl to give a discount because she had an orgasm, or a mama san returning the barfine because the "lady" played away.

I don't really agree. I've had experiences here where I feel appreciated by Thai business owners. Probably not most, but not that rare either. But I think the negative reaction to even constructive criticism (especially from a foreigner) really is a cultural hot button.

[thaibeachlovers]

It really was none of your business as to why She put the price up and She wasnt obliged to give you an explanation .

I think you will find it was the posters business, it was HIS money he was spending, And he chooses to spend His money where he likes, See you have never run a business,

I do not think that its a acceptable thing to go into a shop and ask them to justify their prices

The price is marked, you either want it and pay the price or dont and dont buy it

I totally disagree if it's a small business you've been buying from for a long time and you are on speaking terms with the owner. I have definitely done that and I would do it again. I wouldn't do it at Central Department store. It would be pointless. Get the difference?

In the case of a small business and they're at risk of losing your custom, you would be doing a good business owner the chance to make his case to keep you. Also, it might be helpful for customers to explain why they're shopping elsewhere because of a change they made. If they're jerks and aren't interested in customer feedback, I think it's good to not buy from them if there is a better choice available. Many times I have had business owners sincerely thank me for constructive criticism, but frankly non-Thai owners are much more likely to be receptive. There is something about this culture that tends to see honest feedback like that as either hostile or crazy. Oh well.

Seeing it from a business owners POV I fully understand that some customers really are crazy and unreasonable. But if you aren't open to hearing honest feedback from all, including the total cranks, who feel like giving it, you'll miss the customers that DO have something potentially helpful to say.

I realize expats who aim to be Thai-ier than thou would never say a critical word about anything ... just walk away forever and never say what's wrong ... but that ain't me.

That reminds me of the time I stayed in a really bad hut on Samet. I found a better place, and when I went to tell the owner of the first place I was leaving because his hut was very broken down he told me that if I didn't like the hut I could leave!!!!!! He understood English quite well too.

[Jingthing]

But I assume you didn't have a long term "relationship" with that business owner. That is exactly what I would usually expect to happen here.

[Blackheart]

If it's a 15% rise for you then it's a fair question, if the rise is for everyone then unless your doing the books it's not your business.

[Gringogazzer]

I have similar experiences….but mainly chatting to vendors in the discos at 2am.

Yup…."Phaeng" is what you blurt out and just walk away with a smile, shaking your head for effect.

So you don't hang about with a puzzled look exclaiming "the rubber price of late has flopped so surely your expenditure costs will have dropped!!"

[MaeJoMTB]

For example the condo I stay at run a a cleaning service 300 baht to clean your room (a reasonably deep clean) then out of no where it's too 400

I wonder what would happen if I want to my boss and asked for a 25% pay rise??? Humm no

Especially as this was a 33% price rise.

[OMGImInPattaya]

I don't think it's incumbent on a merchant or retailer to explain their pricing decisions to a customer, especially if it's in a normally fixed-price environment. The price is what it is and as a customer one is free to take it of leave it. There is no need go on flapping your gums about it...do you also quibble with retailers when prices go down and seek an explanation for it?

[1BADDAT]

@Asiantravel

I have been patronising one retailer in Pattaya for about the last 3 to 4 years but today she tried to impose a 15% price increase on me.

What kind of shop? How much do you spend per month? What is the item in question? What was the new price she tried to charge you?

I think she was a bit surprised when I said I didn’t agree to such increase and refused to proceed with the purchase. After that I asked her to justify such price increase because I said labour costs are not going up and some components of manufacturing such as oil are certainly not going up -so how could they justify such increases?

You know first hand the trend of labor costs are for the item in question? You know how the price of oil affects the price of the item?

I thought it was a perfectly reasonable question.

If I was the shop owner you would have to a pretty important customer for me to not tell you to just leave the store and not come back. Your questions are totally unreasonable in my opinion. The only thing that matters is what the cost of the item is to her and what the selling price is. NEITHER one of you is an expert as to why the the cost from the distributor has changed. You really expect her to discuss oil prices and labor costs with you? If you have been in Thailand for the 3-4 years (at least) that you stated, then you should know better.

[luke000]

The shop is no longer a shop, its now a business .

The OP now didnt buy some items from a shop, he did a "business deal?

The OP is no longer just a shopper, he is now a business partner .

Get real . Th OP is just one of many customers the shop gets and he thinks he has the right to question the shop keepers finances....just because he has been shopping there a few times .

Going into a shop and asking the shopkeeper how much he pays for the goods and how much he adds on to the price and asking him to justify the extra costs .

Imagine going into your local bar and when a big changs price goes up from 80 Baht to 90 baht, you call the bar owner over and ask him to explain why he now charges more for a beer .

Who the hell do some of you people think that you are ?

[kingstonkid]

Thais do not care about return custom, what they take today, they take.

Tomorrow is another day.

I have to say that I have found this with some retailers but find that most if they kow that you are going to be a loyal repeat customer usually treat you well.

I buy a lot of stuff and use the services at MBK so far i have not found anyone that wants to give me a hard time and if i want something different they are only too wiling to introduce me to a different shop owner as a friend.

[midas]

In one particular case, I bought fish, bird, and dog food from a feed store for many years. Despite my ability to speak Thai, the owner never inquired about my family or took any interest in conversation. She never smiled. She never said thank you. I finally stopped going. About a year later, a new pet food store opened nearby. I went. The owner was bubbly, smiling, helpful.......she was the old store's daughter. Different generation....different way of thinking.

I no longer have sympathy when people complain about the old style stores closing....and people flocking to the big name stores.

Although you do go to shops to buy things, rather then go there for social interaction .

is your schedule so demanding that you don't even have time or the interest to interact with people you are dealing with? How sad

" Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves."

Steve Jobs

[itsmylife]

Her lifestyle raise 15% . so should impose 15% on customer nothing wrong.

[TobyOliver]

Also I was in a Go Go once in walking street, I wanted to have a look over a few beers. Maybe buy one of the girls a drink.

The place had very few customers in (maybe 4 at best and this was a big go go)

Anyway one of the girls wanted to sit with me, I thanked her but said I wasn't ready to by anyone a drink yet.

She spoke very good English and said she was bored so could she sit and talk, specific my age wanted to ask about getting a visa for the UK and we're there many Thais workeing there. I was more then happy to try answer her questions.

Anyway 5 minuets later the Mumasan comes over and said in no unaertain terms of I wasn't going to buy the girls any drinks I could piss off.

I said I would when I was ready I had only been there 20 minuets! And had 2 drinks myself!

She then came back and said this a few more times while giving me the evils from across the bar.

I decided to leave and on the way out explained the basics of customer service and how her actions had just lost her any money I was about to spend.

Don't think she really cared though

[midas]

I am trying to reconcile the comments in the original post - a 15% price increase with this headline and I'm asking myself what is wrong with this picture ? Sounds very much to me like another example of Thai economics.

Deflationary pressures persist in Thailand

" Thailand's headline consumer price inflation closed 2015 at -0.9% y/y, recording the 12th consecutive month of deflation. Prices are expected to continue to decline at least until the second quarter of 2016 after which inflation will likely pick up moderately to around 1.5% y/y by the end of the year. Meanwhile, core inflation remains in positive territory, at 0.7% y/y in December. "

http://www.econotimes.com/Deflationary-pressures-persist-in-Thailand-138241