Chiangmai is getting expensive and slowly changing ....these days

[JaseTheBass]

But for some reason I don't care, start living more in my own environment and do not expect too much service anymore in any place, if I do get it I am pleasantly surprised. And will visit the place again until they start changing to the lazy mode.

Customer service and politeness in London is exceptional.

When I moved to CM last month I was amazed how rude all the shop staff are.

In Tesco's Queensway, if ever there was a queue at the checkout, security would grab my basket and swipe me through the 'self service' tills.

Always a friendly comment and chat in EVERY shop, pub and coffee bar, and offers of help if I didn't appear entirely 'with it'.

Carry a big bag on the tube stairway, every time, someone would take it and carry it for me.

I couldn't imagine a more helpful and polite population anywhere else in the world.

I have just returned from my first trip back to the UK in 14 years and the most noticable thing was how excellent the customer service is, especially when compared to the retards you have to deal with here. It was most refreshing.

[CMKiwi]

I got a bit of a shock today while shopping in Tesco Lotus on the Super-highway.  My usual supply of Bic razor blades (Triple blade cartridge in a 4 pack)  have suddenly gone from 69 baht per 4 pack to 110 baht.  A few weeks back they were on special at 59 baht.

 

Not sure how Tesco's justify that increase...will have to watch and see if they drop it back down (Or wait till they have a special).  Thats quite an increase, but still alot cheaper than Gillette blades/cartridges.

[cmsally]

I have caught Tescos a number of times selling things for more when in an "economy pack". So you may need to check how much for a single one and buy 4 !!

 

While I am on a product focus. I did a little research - Allowrie "big butter pack" (just under 500g)

Tesco 183

Rimping 182  (might have those 2 places the wrong way round !)

Kasem store 169 Bt

 

I am pretty lazy checking prices but every now and then something gets my attention because my mental alert system goes off.

[masuk]

check out Lazada on line for prices..  I've found them heaps cheaper than the retail stores. 

[amexpat]

On 8/4/2016 at 1:42 AM, MyFrenU said:

I bet that you celebrated your victory with a Chang beer from 7/11,the fact that you were responsible for a poor student losing her paltry 300 baht a day income that she probably used to look after her Mother and maybe pay for another siblings school books and fees?
Congratulations,what a man you are!

 

Yes, congratulations on creating an opening for another student in similar circumstances who is willing to actually do the job she was hired for.  And congratulations for helping his friend protect his business interest, too.  Good man. 

Edited August 5, 2016 by amexpat
Clarity

[cardinalblue]

 I see the Thai apologists are out in numbers today...

 

As CM moves from a more personal warm town to a colder bigger city environment, it's just a reflection of uncontrolled growth and development...

 

CM has big city problems but nothing really unexpected...Urban planning is not a Thai strength..just look at Bangkok

 

And what is the 10-year visionary plan for CM?  I doubt there is one of any kind or substance. Just accept that the Thai culture lives only in the past and present - just the way it is.... 

 

CB 

 

[masuk]

City planning.  you got it!    these things take 20 or 30 years and are not an instant fix.

 

Chiang Mai is saturated with hotels, condos, guest houses, yet people are given little or no consideration in planning.   Narrow footpaths, often used as parking places for motorbikes;  the pavement on the paths is often cracked, broken, full of mud.   Often dangerous step-offs to the next level or driveway.  Where are people supposed to cross a highway safely? Zebra crossings are ignored,  almost zero traffic controlled crossing lights.

 

That's just the people part!   Traffic is reaching chaotic proportions, zero buses, overcrowded with red vans which are filthy beasts at the best of times, spouting diesel fumes;  Roads feeding into the major ring-roads are often banked up 1 or 2 km.

 

Planners need to abandon their desks and visit cities where they have modern, 21st century planning, low pollution, few traffic problems and a modern network of public transport.   

 

While they're about it, they might like to make plans for the few thousand km of cables hanging in the air at present.

[nuananddon]

On July 4, 2016 at 1:59 AM, true blue said:

On July 4, 2016 at 0:17 AM, NancyL said:

No, he's right. There's been a change just in the past five years. Everything has become much more busy. Little touches of service have disappeared. Small stuff, but it adds up. For the most part, they no longer put your bags into your cart at Tops. The cashiers at Rim Ping often don't give that pretty little wai when they hand you your change. (The cashiers at Tops always were a little lazy about this).

When you go into the TV or household goods area of Central Dept store you can wander for hours and no one hovers, pointing to the item you're looking at making "helpful" observations like "blue" or "on-off". This used to annoy me, but now I miss it. The other day we went to Power Buy (part of the Central group) to purchase a clothes washing machine, same thing where Hubby and wandered around the store looking at every clothes washer (it should have been evident we were serious shoppers) and when we finally found someone who would make eye contact they had to go find the store manager to locate someone able to understand our poor attempts at Thai. Apparently he was the only one in the store who spoke English. Used to be more staff in places like this spoke English or at least made an attempt.

It's as if everyone is busier, more adsorbed in their phones, maybe studying Chinese now instead of English. I don't know. But there's definitely a different vibe.

typical American attitude to the natives why are they not treating my like royalty after all im a bigoted white American,with more money than you,i deserve respect and first class service, TIT.its there country and its you who should be giving them respect,

I'm a typical American, I help my fellow villagers on their projects, I respect all my fellow village people whether they have money or not, I invite them to come have a drink with me for no special reason, we go fishing together, at Christmas time all the kids that show up get a gift whether they're family or not, if we are going to the city shopping I ask if anyone else needs to go free of charge, ect ect, yes I think I'm "YOUR" typical American buddy BOY!

[johnmcc6]

We have a small weekender 18 ks from town and  have a great time with the locals who are very friendly and helpful. We have a lot of fun with them and when needed pay them for various jobs they do for us. We offered 400 baht to worker who planted some trees for us, digging the holes was not easy. It took her ( a real worker) around four hours.  She refused to take the money saying it was too much and she only gets 300 for a day. We insisted she take the extra 100 as a  tip.  To me it was worth a thousand  lol. We live in the city and get along well with our Thai neighbors. I always get a smile at the ever changing staff at 7/11 by giving  a big hello and a friendly smile.But true, some places are not to courteous or caring. In my experience however most are very nice and helpful.

[dhream]

On 7/4/2016 at 4:33 PM, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Since it's a US Holiday, I am going to agree with Oscar's posts on this matter. No one needs to bow down to me, or even call me "Sir." I do expect people to do the jobs they are being paid to do, at whatever wage, to do them in a civil manner. Grunting, and ignoring customers is impolite in any language. Again, it's the "soft bigots," who tell us to expect less than we would from other humans..."they are Thai."

I agree with Lawrence and Nancy, too, although the home improvement people leaving you alone is an improvement itself. But, I agree the good, classic places, that I would crave for, when in the States are more than slowly disappearing. As far as restaurants and bars..the number has been cut in half in only a few years. Too many "brain dead" staff, when a few caring, competent ones would be fine. Places getting squeezed on rent. Owners with obvious gambling debts. And don't get me started on warm, old beer in a dirty glass...it's much more of a standard and not an exception. I know of one place in the entire province that will consistently do a beer right, and that is my LG refrigerator in my 20K USD condo.

A few Saturday evenings ago, I did about a 5 Km walk through Su Thep. I did not see one place that was worth stopping at for a casual beer. I just about decided that I would move to Bangkok and leave the Chines to enjoy Lanna slowness and underachievement. Chiang Mai will always be a special place, but I'm tired of dealing with bullcrap.

Suthep? Thats the problem! CM is a big place. So is BKK, but as much as I love BKK, I'm under no illusions, you won't be waied much there, and you'll pay many times over the odds for that beer! My local tesco food court has smiling polite young beer sellers who do a fine job of bringing happiness to the people. Clean glasses, quickly topped up. Cold draught, sweet smiles!

Oh and they're fixing the roads around here too! If Chiang Mai is changing, I just pray I never have to see Sydney again!

Life is sweet where I am. Practice gratitude daily my friends... itcould be a LOT worse.

Edited August 30, 2016 by dhream

[dhream]

On 7/5/2016 at 2:55 PM, Jdiddy said:

25-30baht/kg rambutans and mangosteens and 30 baht drinking coconuts seem to be a thing of the past this season ive noticed

Drought earlier, remember?

[dslocum]

On 7/4/2016 at 0:24 AM, Oscar2 said:

"service which used to be very personable has dropped a notch here with the younger generations seemingly unwilling to go the extra mile or perhaps just tired from the crowds we are seeing these days,"

the younger generation is totally useless and brain dead for the most part, faces glued to mobiles, reading shallow worthless garbage. you go in somewhere to do business and 80% of the time they don't want to put down the mobile and do the job they are getting paid to do.

i went to a friend's pharmacy last week. he wasn't in but had a girl there who i assume was a recent CMU graduate based upon her uniform. she was the only one in and had her earplugs in, watching something on her iPhone, laughing. there were 2 customers; me and a woman. she failed to notice either of us standing at the counter and we could not get her attention because the earplugs. the woman walked out. i rang my friend on his mobile as i stood there and told him the situation. he thanked me and said he saw the same thing when he came in the day before. she was fired a day or two later.

I wonder how he solved the "face" issue when she got fired?

[balo]

CM looks more like a real city unlike Pattaya or even BKK. so some planning must have been done to make it work .  Traffic lights is very slow , but that is understandable and will keep the traffic flowing and not too crazy like in other parts of Thailand.  

  

 

[Anythingleft?]

CM & CR still are far cheaper places to be than the likes of Pattaya and far more personable, quieter and pleasant in general IMO

Each to their own I say and be where you want to be

Edited September 3, 2016 by Anythingleft?
spelling error

[Winkburn]

Just maybe the manners of the new hoard of visitors contributes to the lack of personal service been shown. The pushing,yelling,spitting etc that is observed by staff doesn't encourage then to be over polite in return. This new wave of tourist  is also as strong reason why prices have increased considerably  I have observed all over Asia the same phenomenon. We need to accept it as it will become a much bigger issue in the future.

Chiangmai is still a wonderful place to retire and much more affordable than the countries we expats  have left behind.

We are very fortunate to be a guest living here in Thailand. The option to leave at anytime for those who are not happy to be here is available to all.

What right do Farang's have to try to change the way of life that the Thai people choose. Lay back enjoy the great food, people, lifestyle and scenery of this beautiful country.

[puukao]

CM will stay cheap for years.......

They haven't figured out how to charge Farang versus local Thai.  Local Thai gets about 250 baht a DAY for working and they need to eat, sleep, buy stuff, etc......so prices remain low for THEM.

And they do charge a little more for Farang (and other Asians), but they haven't figured out we can afford 3x the current rate, and maybe 5x...

 

If CM is expensive to you, then then next level down is pretty scary...

 

i expect burma, vietnam and Cambodia to all take notice on what happens in CM....

 

We all know CM is only going to get MORE expensive for the next 20-years.....like California, Colorado, New York, etc....

 

So what are you going to do about it????????????????????????????????

 

 

 

[masuk]

They don't sound like Asian or ASEAN places to me.   We're not comparing chalk and cheese.

 

This country imports a lot of food, canned and bottled from overseas, so of course it's going to become more expensive.

 

Many products are equally as good from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, but still the stores import.   

[chilli42]

On July 3, 2016 at 9:12 PM, kenk24 said:

Just move further out into the countryside and you will find things somewhat cheaper and people a good bit friendlier. It seems the fewer farang in the area, the friendlier the people tend to be toward the few of us here...

As to prices, yes, there has been inflation but most of that has to be worldwide - right? I do remember 15 years ago filling the entire cart to overflowing levels at Big C for under 1500 baht and now, I can walk out with a bag in each hand for the same 1500 baht if I buy some of the good stuff...

Of course, the farmers don't seem to be getting much more...

 

Central banks around the world are fighting to stimulate inflation to fight back it's much more evil twin deflation.  My view is that Thai prices are inflating to more realistic levels, as compared to other countries ... we had it too good for too long. Also, keep in mind that chain retailers set one price nationally.  Further, the price of fresh products is based on harvest yields which have been in decline for most locally sourced items for years now (aside from chicken).

[Gillyflower]

On 7/4/2016 at 8:15 AM, amykat said:

 

and on the Chinese we chat channels, they are also talking about it and saying the mags tango is not tasty, the people not as friendly and all saying tsk tusk are overpriced. They still love coming though but latex pillows have lost it flavour ;P

Is this a bunch of new slang or auto correct or what??

 

Thanks Amykat.  I didn't understand a word.  Perhaps he will explain to us.

[Gillyflower]

On 7/4/2016 at 4:24 PM, MissAndry said:

I think you were ripped off, they only charged me 150bht.

 

I agree.  They charged me 160 instead of the usual 200.

[Gillyflower]

We seem to have gone from the original topic, to "Let's attack Nancy", or is it "Let's attack Miss Andrey"?  Some of you are slobs and should be ashamed of yourselves.  You really give 'em to me.

[bodymassagemyfriend]

On 28/08/2016 at 7:37 AM, johnmcc6 said:

We have a small weekender 18 ks from town and  have a great time with the locals who are very friendly and helpful. We have a lot of fun with them and when needed pay them for various jobs they do for us. We offered 400 baht to worker who planted some trees for us, digging the holes was not easy. It took her ( a real worker) around four hours.  She refused to take the money saying it was too much and she only gets 300 for a day. We insisted she take the extra 100 as a  tip.  To me it was worth a thousand  lol. We live in the city and get along well with our Thai neighbors. I always get a smile at the ever changing staff at 7/11 by giving  a big hello and a friendly smile.But true, some places are not to courteous or caring. In my experience however most are very nice and helpful.

Its all the tips you start to give which corrupt the country. Beeing generous is kind but also naive. Just give for the work what is worth and if you like  the job , just provide more job opportunities as a reward.

[Colabamumbai]

I remember it in the early 70's, when there were very few foreigners there and you could walk the town.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

7 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

I remember it in the early 70's, when there were very few foreigners there and you could walk the town.

 

Yeah. And it sucked.  If you want a town like that then there are plenty nearby.

[jobin]

Yeah, that ColabaMUMBAI guy lives in a small, convenient town, populated only by friendly locals all wishing him well and serving his needs. 

 

Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world.  

 

Possible that Chiang Mai, even these days, offers a superior life to the agglomeration known as Mumbai.  I like it here, but wish for a much longer winter:  six months!!

[hansnl]

On 07/04/2016 at 1:35 PM, DLang said:

Outrageous.

The little people not bowing and worshiping us.

They should be accused of stealing and locked up for their disrespect.

What a bloody nonsense!

I would like to be treated as I treat them.

Courteous and with respect, that is.

Besides, I am a customer, coming in to buy something, hence paying some of his salary.

Being friendly to a friendly customer makes things so much nicer.

 

[MisterTee]

 

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 4:13 PM, Colabamumbai said:

I remember it in the early 70's, when there were very few foreigners there and you could walk the town.

 

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 11:46 PM, WinnieTheKhwai said:

 

Yeah. And it sucked.  If you want a town like that then there are plenty nearby.

No, Chiang Mai in the 1970s didn't suck in any sense of that word.

Just a lot different than it is now.

The population explosion and building boom of the early and mid-'80s changed the city out of recognition but it was a lively place even before it reinvented itself.

There is still a lot of the old town left behind the modern façade and the Kohn Muang with their instinctive civility are yet to be found here and there.

[iancnx]

I agree.  I arrived in CM 10 years ago and the change is huge IMO.  I have decided to return to UK with my wife and son primarily for his education (he is British) and looking to sell one of my studio condo's at Baan Suan Greenery Hill as a result (please PM me if interested).

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Having read all of the above posts, my only question is why does True Blue feel it necessary to be so rude to other posters in order to make his point? His rudeness merely detracts from any argument he wants to make.

[sanemax]

I have noticed that all the portions of food in restaurants are getting smaller .

Johns place no longer has any meatballs with their spaghetti , for example .

I also get less and less chips everytime I go to my steak place

And the tomatoe slice has vanished from my Japanese restaurant