Racism, anger and why dual pricing makes sense to Thai people

[little mary sunshine]

Lots of dual pricing in The U.S.  Discounts

in stored for elderly, discounts for entry to

Disneyland for Seniors, dual pricing again,

My friends live in Hawaii, discounts into

all State Parks or free with a Hawaiian

drivers license.Tourists pay $15-$30 for

entrance.

 

If paying a little extra, or even double bothers

you don't go or shop elsewhere....We are all so

fortunate compared to the Thais, if you worked

for 35-40 years and are retired with pensions and

investmemt income what's the big deal??  Of course 

if you only worked 10or 15 years and want to sit on your

a** at 45 don't cry the blues that dual pricing is so

terrible, go home work until you can retire without looking

at every little price tag.

 

 

[TheFishman1]

To understand the dual pricing you have to understand the Thai mind good luck with that one TIT

[SymS]

14 hours ago, bokningar said:

As long as you are happy, but I can't find 1 price there that I cant fine a cheaper option on ebay or even Lazada, when they have smilar stuff.

 

Lazada is nice for larger items since you don't have to take the risk to have your items either getting "confiscated" by customs, or having to pay custom duties.

I try to get an entry-level 3D printer kit from China (GearBest), that was twice as cheap as on Lazada, but since it's a large item, the custom had a closer look, and the courier company asked me to get an import license. After about 15 phone calls to various government agencies, I found out that I had to get a paper saying that I don't need a license, and go to Bangkok for it. Since i live in the North, I just decided to abandon the package due to the wasted time and money, and no guarantees I could get the printer out of customs.

 

But for cheaper items, buying online from Chinese website is usually quite cheaper, and it does not take that longer than with Lazada.

[nodomino]

I've lived in Thailand for over 10 years.  As I am old now and have many enduring relationships I intend to stay for the duration.  I have been around a bit and am immune to opinions of people who 'love' this or that place. In my estimation there is no heaven on earth and the comfort that is derived from being anyplace is largely the result of cold-eyed assessment of YOUR OWN wants, needs, and honest appraisal. There is resentment by Thai people about the relative prosperity between farang and Thai people. Whether they express it or not and of course the intensity varies according to individual sentiment. But it is there. This should surprise no one. Westerners are not shy in their own homelands to express non-acceptance of any who are perceived to be intruding on their exclusive prerogatives. It is NOT unique to Thailand. 

[Dipterocarp]

16 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

So, is it racism that county residents pay less for some attractions and public transport than other British people despite some people in those counties having flash cars?   By the way, none of the official Thai dual pricing is based on race, it is all based on citizenship; citizen does not equal race therefor this is not a race issue despite the mistakes some ticket collectors might make.

What does it take to establish county residence in in Britain? Not so hard and "local"prices are not are based on race. This is exactly what I said in my post. My Thai student friend went to California, got an ID card after a few weeks and for all purposes it is exactly like she was born in Orange County except she can't vote. She could even get "in-state" tuition at public College after living there for some period of time, think it is 18 months.

 

The idea that all foreigners are rich is based on ignorant assumptions, and people should not have to pay more just because they have more in a free economy. Getting Citizenship in Thailand is a monumental task for most, so a straw-man. I have met a "white" Thai who was born here and speaks the language as a native. Yes, he is Thai but ntil he pulls his ID card out he is treated like he just stepped off the plane. Racism exists in all countries and dual pricing in Thailand is racist. If one supports dual pricing one must admit one supports this facet of racism. Or else keep the Aunt Sallys coming.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Dipterocarp

[Duvidl]

14 hours ago, fruitman said:

 

From ebay it won't arrive in Thailand, had that loads of times...but from Banggood it arrives very fast, 8 days or so. It's registered mail, china post directly from mainland china never arrives here...it disappears and than they refund me but i get tired of that.

 

Lazada thinks we are stupid with those 40-50% discounts all the time, i don't need that. But i never bought from them.

I've ordered dozens of items on ebay, mostly from China, and never had a problem with delivery.

[Fore Man]

Apropos to the topic...I was once told by a Thai cop that because the exchange rate was 35 to 1, this inferred that we Americans were 35 times more wealthy than Thais and therefor we could afford to pay far more than the typical Thai could for the same article or service. And that is a very commonly shared belief here. I tried to explain to him that while our incomes are certainly higher in the West, so too are our tax burdens, expenses and outlays, but It went in one ear and out the other.  He was rather shocked when I explained that a typical mortgage in a big city could easily run to $3,000 plus...over THB 100,000...and that most of my countrymen paid roughly 20 to 30 percent of their gross income as federal and state taxes, plus most states and munipalities added sales taxes on almost everything we buy.  I even surprised myself when visiting the States in November to learn how expensive everything has become there. 

Edited January 14, 2017 by Fore Man
Typo and clarification

[Shawn0000]

4 minutes ago, onemorechang said:

 

And so say all the sore losers,

as they cry  into there beer.

 

There are no losers until the wall is up and not functioning as promised, obviously. 

 

You might care to ask yourself how a wall is going to stop people any better than the current fenced sections which are all regularly breached by people with ladders, shovels and cutting equipment.  You might also ask yourself if the best way to spend your taxes is on a wall or on jobs, boots on the ground will always be a bigger deterrent than a physical barrier and taxes wasted on a wall means less taxes available for security jobs.  You should also ask yourself how a wall is going to stop the flow of drugs, 95% of which arrive by boat.  The answer is clear, the wall will not help in any other way than having helped get him elected. 

 

72% of Americans in border towns do not want to see the wall built, the people who do live far away and are ignorant of the issues and were sold this plan from an employer of illegal Mexican immigrants, I mean how gullible can you actually get!

[Spellforce]

15 hours ago, Prbkk said:

 

Mine tried that: she doesn't have dual pricing but went for the big increase ( 200 to 300) because business was so slow. Lasted 10 days as her business went from slow to glacial. Now back at 200: loss of face but she might survive.

Do you know that a thai man will never pay more than 80 bahts for an haircut ?

[ChakaKhan]

I cant keep up as the forum grows fast on this hot topic..

 

btw..u pay now!  

[ChakaKhan]

5 minutes ago, Fore Man said:

Apropos to the topic...I was once told by a Thai cop that because the exchange rate was 35 to 1, this inferred that we Americans were 35 times more wealthy than Thais and therefor we could afford to pay far more than the typical Thai could for the same article or service. And that is a very commonly shared belief here. I tried to explain to him that while our incomes are certainly higher in the West, so too are our tax burdens, expenses and outlays, but It went in one ear and out the other.  He was rather shocked when I explained that a typical mortgage in a big city could easily run to $3,000 plus...over THB 100,000...and that most of my countrymen paid roughly 20 to 30 percent of their gross income as federal and state taxes, plus most states and munipalities added sales taxes on almost everything we buy.  I even surprised myself when visiting the States in November to learn how expensive everything has become there. 

Is why im leaving here and coming back to thai next week--oh  trump too

 

[NanLaew]

16 hours ago, trogers said:

I don't care if it's dual, triple or 100-fold pricing.

 

I would evaluate the product or service with their asking price before deciding to buy it. And most of these places with dual pricing don't get my business... ??

 

Oh my... one less national park visitor. Such a huge loss.

[Shawn0000]

4 minutes ago, Dipterocarp said:

What does it take to establish county residence in in Britain? Not so hard and "local"prices are not are based on race. This is exactly what I said in my post. My Thai student friend went to California, got an ID card after a few weeks and for all purposes it is exactly like she was born in Orange County except she can't vote. She could even get "in-state" tuition at public College after living there for some period of time, think it is 18 months.

 

The idea that all foreigners are rich is based on ignorant assumptions, and people should not have to pay more just because they have more in a free economy. Getting Citizenship in Thailand is a monumental task for most, so a straw-man. I have met a "white" Thai who was born here and speaks the language as a native. Yes, he is Thai but ntil he pulls his ID card out he is treated like he just stepped off the plane. Racism exists in all countries and dual pricing in Thailand is racist. If one supports dual pricing one must admit one supports this facet of racism. Or else keep the Aunt Sallys coming.

 

You need to be a resident of the country, you need to live there.  And if it were me making the rules I would allow foreign residents the same price as Thai's.  Regardless, it is based on citizenship in Thailand not race, so actually your point is completely invalid.  Your anecdote regarding the white Thai merely confirms this, if it were a racial issue then his Thai ID would not change things for him, the fact being Thailand is not a very racially diverse country and so people are not expecting a white Thai, that is all.

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, Spellforce said:

Do you know that a thai man will never pay more than 80 bahts for an haircut ?

 

... in Bahn Nork.

[Monkeyrobot]

It starts as soon as you get out of the Airport , where you go ? I go sukhumvit Soi 11 please . That will be 800baht , welcome to Thailand. 

[Spellforce]

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

 

... in Bahn Nork.

No in cities like Maha Nakon where the Ki Nok are paying 300 bahts an haircut.

[NanLaew]

24 minutes ago, little mary sunshine said:

Lots of dual pricing in The U.S.  Discounts

in stored for elderly, discounts for entry to

Disneyland for Seniors, dual pricing again,

My friends live in Hawaii, discounts into

all State Parks or free with a Hawaiian

drivers license.Tourists pay $15-$30 for

entrance.

 

If paying a little extra, or even double bothers

you don't go or shop elsewhere....We are all so

fortunate compared to the Thais, if you worked

for 35-40 years and are retired with pensions and

investmemt income what's the big deal??  Of course 

if you only worked 10or 15 years and want to sit on your

a** at 45 don't cry the blues that dual pricing is so

terrible, go home work until you can retire without looking

at every little price tag.

 

 

 

Yes, then there's the social stigma of suddenly qualifying for all the AARP junk mail once you pass the 'magic' number. Having to hide from the mailman, etc..

[laislica]

30 minutes ago, digibum said:

 

Like I've said, I do think there should be an exception for people who live in Thailand (retirement visa, work permit, student visa, etc).  

 

That said, very, very few farangs ever become permanent residents of Thailand (which is quite different from simply renewing visas for many years).  And even fewer ever become citizens of Thailand.  

 

Given the rather homogenous nature of Thailand though, are they really basing it on the color of your skin or is it because you are not a citizen?  

 

You have made many posts where you assert that price gouging is not raciest, and I have liked them because I agree.

However in this post you point to something that might well be classified as raciest.

I have emboldened that part of your post.

 

My understanding is that it is super difficult for a farang to gain Thai Citizenship or even Permanent Residency.

It takes a lot of effort and years to qualify to apply in the first place.

I don't mention the cost because it's not necessarily cheap to become a Permanent Resident in a Western country.

To me, it looks as if the authorities don't want to allow other foreign nationals Thai Citizenship, and that may be racially biased.

 

[NanLaew]

2 minutes ago, Spellforce said:

No in cities like Maha Nakon where the Ki Nok are paying 300 bahts an haircut.

 

I had lunch there once, surprisingly cheap. I didn't know they had a barber shop though.

[mikiea]

any way you try to make it look like something that it is not just diminishes your argument . it is racism and greed .  plain and simple . 

[trogers]

10 minutes ago, Spellforce said:

Do you know that a thai man will never pay more than 80 bahts for an haircut ?

 

Would depends on who is doing the cutting...

 

I understand there is a very long queue of local men seeking the service of a particular hairdresser in Rayong...and the price would definitely be much higher that Bt80.

[digibum]

18 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

I think the issue is reflective of the attitude of a lot of the expats, who did not come to Thailand to spend but came to save.  If you go to Dubai you will see a different attitude among the expats, one of showing off about how much the things they have are worth and not much talk of bargain hunting.

 

Well, I've never been outside of the airport in Dubai so I can't comment much on the local culture there but I will say that, to me, it's more of a difference in attitude about wealth.  

 

In most western countries asking someone how much they make is considered rude.  Even asking someone how much they paid for something might be considered overstepping your bounds unless you know the person fairly well.  

 

In Thailand, they ask you how much you make all the time.  For Thai people, it's an opportunity to brag.  

 

I really don't think it's about the type of expat Thailand attracts though.  Yes, there are certainly a lot of Cheap Charlies in Thailand that don't have much money so they take great pride in how well they live on what they have but I know a lot of very wealthy people in the US who are as humble as you can get.  

 

Now, I can believe it if you tell me that in Dubai that young expats who are suddenly making more money than they ever have before are spending it like crazy and flashing it around.  You see the same thing with sports stars and rappers.  They either come from a mentality of poverty and have had life changing amounts of money fall into their lap, or they could be douchey Ivy Leaguers straight out of college who don't have the maturity to understand that the money pipeline might not last forever (this is also why generational wealth seldom lasts more than 3 generations).  

 

But show me a guy who has built wealth over 10 or 20 years of hard work, and there's an 80% chance you could know that guy for years and never guess how much money they have.  

[Spellforce]

5 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

I had lunch there once, surprisingly cheap. I didn't know they had a barber shop though.

Maha Nakon "condominium" ? LOL :)

Ask a thai man what is "Maha Nakon" or learn thai or... still pay 10x the price !

[hugh2121]

Wonder how many Thai people would think it's ok if EVERY other country charged Thais more than the "locals" price.

[trogers]

17 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

Oh my... one less national park visitor. Such a huge loss.

 

What is a national park? A gigantic car park?

[NanLaew]

2 minutes ago, Spellforce said:

Maha Nakon "condominium" ? LOL :)

Ask a thai man what is "Maha Nakon" or learn thai or... still pay 10x the price !

 

Does it have to be a Thai man I ask?

 

There's plenty of Thai men getting their hair done in salons and happily paying over the odds extra for it. It's just you don't know any personally. Now carry on being happy getting your 80 baht 'special' and patting yourself on the back regarding your prowess in all things Thai.

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, trogers said:

 

What is a national park? A gigantic car park?

 

There's usually a big car park at each one but I would hardly call it gigantic.

[digibum]

12 minutes ago, laislica said:

 

You have made many posts where you assert that price gouging is not raciest, and I have liked them because I agree.

However in this post you point to something that might well be classified as raciest.

I have emboldened that part of your post.

 

My understanding is that it is super difficult for a farang to gain Thai Citizenship or even Permanent Residency.

It takes a lot of effort and years to qualify to apply in the first place.

I don't mention the cost because it's not necessarily cheap to become a Permanent Resident in a Western country.

To me, it looks as if the authorities don't want to allow other foreign nationals Thai Citizenship, and that may be racially biased.

 

 

Could be.  Not sure where xenophobia begins and racism starts.  Blurry line.  

 

And don't get me wrong.  Thais are racist.  No doubt about it.  

 

The question is whether or not the dual pricing scheme is racist by nature.  Many people are claiming that dual pricing only exists in Thailand, thus, it's racist because it would never happen back in their country (which I can only assume must be racism free from the way many describe things "back home").  

 

All I'm doing is pointing out that dual pricing is alive and well in Farangland whether those people are even aware of it or not.  

 

There are many non-racist explanations for dual pricing which many of the deadbeats don't want to listen to because 300 baht gives them heat palpitations.  

 

Likewise there are many non-racist reasons for not allowing immigration.  For instance, if I was Thai and very wealthy, I can think of plenty of reasons why I would want to limit the number of people who might be competing with me.  If Americans could easily become permanent residents or even citizens, how long before Americans begin accessing capital sources from back in the US and buying up companies or land?  

 

 

[Grubster]

16 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I am fortunate that I am good looking so I always get quoted the best price at the gogos.

You mean you have to pay?

[SABloke]

 
 When I pay to enter a national park it goes to the national park and enables them to run the park without increasing fees for Thais, that is directly subsidising the poor.

Oh please, how many Thais go in compared to foreigners 100 to 1, 1000 to 1. Even if it was only 100 - 1. Thats 4000 Baht to your 200 Baht contribution. Some places (Ban Pa-In palace is one) display their annual revenue on a board at the entrance. The foreign revenue is hardly a drop compared to Thai income.