Are We Being Ripped Off

[gharknes]

Just wanting some views and opinions

I have noticed recently more and more bars serving small measures of spirits (vodka etc) either from an optic 25ml or from a measuring dispenser which has a large or small offering, always from the small one, the glass is filled with ice and cola first then the spirit is added, at least with a beer you know what you are getting.

consider this

bar pays roughly 30baht for a tiger beer and sells for 60-80 baht 100% profit customer reasonably happy

bar pays 550baht for 70cl bottle of branded vodka (300baht for the cheap stuff) and sells for 80-110baht, customer unhappy if they are aware.

so that means 70cl bottle will serve 28 25ml measures taking the average price at 90baht that totals 2520baht almost 500% profit

Anybody see anything wrong with this, oh and don't say free mixer, a large family size coke is less than 30baht, so insignificant i didn't even include it

consider also that most people will drink a short in half the time of a beer, no wonder bar owners are feeling the pinch - complaining about people not spending money, do u guys think that we are all stupid, I am outspoken and will complain when i see this, most people just won't come back or drink beer instead,.

To the bar owners out the, come on guys give a fair measure or drop the price.................or both actually

http://www.axos.co.uk/pandl/convert.htm

Edited December 26, 2006 by gharknes

[rcm]

Just wanting some views and opinions

I have noticed recently more and more bars serving small measures of spirits (vodka etc) either from an optic 25ml or from a measuring dispenser which has a large or small offering, always from the small one, the glass is filled with ice and cola first then the spirit is added, at least with a beer you know what you are getting.

consider this

bar pays roughly 30baht for a tiger beer and sells for 60-80 baht 100% profit customer reasonably happy

bar pays 550baht for 70cl bottle of branded vodka (300baht for the cheap stuff) and sells for 80-110baht, customer unhappy if they are aware.

so that means 70cl bottle will serve 28 25ml measures taking the average price at 90baht that totals 2520baht almost 500% profit

Anybody see anything wrong with this, oh and don't say free mixer, a large family size coke is less than 30baht, so insignificant i didn't even include it

consider also that most people will drink a short in half the time of a beer, no wonder bar owners are feeling the pinch - complaining about people not spending money, do u guys think that we are all stupid, I am outspoken and will complain when i see this, most people just won't come back or drink beer instead,.

To the bar owners out the, come on guys give a fair measure or drop the price.................or both actually

http://www.axos.co.uk/pandl/convert.htm

If i drink spirits...i usually buy the whole bottle....ok, have to pay a small amount on the mixers, but reasonable enough...perhaps you'll be better of by doing the same?

[Mighty Mouse]

I usually start off drinking beer until I get too bloated and then switch to Scotch/splits.

I suppose the measure given depends on how honest bar management is. A full nip being 30 ml.

My drinks are usually mixed right under my nose and I'm satisfied that I'm getting a full nip.

All bars seem to put the ice and splits into the glass followed by the spirits. I always give it a stir before drinking it so no harm done.

I'm happy with the prices charged too.

My only concern drinking beer is when the service girl brings me a warm bottle or the staff haven't cleaned out the beer line for their draught beer and it comes out flat.

For the Poms this might be OK, but not for we Aussies.

[wilko]

Back in the sixties I lived in UK and it appeared that the breweries employed several billion gnats in their plants....one day they all disappeared, when I moved to Oz I found out where they'd all gone!

[naka]

If you're paying 60-80 Baht for a tiger it's time to change your local.

Naka.

[chuchok]

Ever considered that a Bar Owner has to pay for...

Power

Staff

BIB

Rent

etc etc

If they only made say the profit on beer,they would probably go out of business.Just a thought.

[Buckwheat]

If you're paying 60-80 Baht for a tiger it's time to change your local.

Naka.

[Tolley]

If you drink spirits in beer bars in Thailand you will almost always be ripped off.

Either you drink beer or buy your own bottle of spirits otherwise they will get you every time.

Sometimes they give you what appears a full nip but in fact they have watered down the spirits.

Other times they give you sub standard alcohol and other times they just put in half a nip.

The good news is you don't get too drunk the bad news is they are taking the 'piss'

[Lite Beer]

You don`t think the vodka in the Smirnoff bottle is really Smirnoff do you?

Usually it is the cheapest Thai vodka they can get.

[PattayaXpat]

Don't forget about the knock off jaggermiester that you can buy locally, I'm sure there are many jager bottles being refilled as we speak!

[Mobi]

Due to my diabetes, I try to avoid beer most of the time, due to sugar content. So I usually drink shorts (whisky or Sang Som) and sometimes a glass of wine.

I have felt for years that as a Sang Som drinker in particular that I am discriminated against. I am often charged up to double what a beer drinker pays, and there is much higher profit in my drinks, regardless of the size of the shot. Often, wine also carries an exhorbitant price, but I know for a fact that most places just get those 3 litre bottles of cheap Spanish wine, and they make an enormous profit.

I suppose it a bit like most Western resaturants who make all their profit on deserts and coffee.

I'm not sure it's a rip off - I guess it's just the way things are. Most of the punters drink beer, and they have to keep the prices low to get them in, and then they rub their hands in glee when a "shorts" drinker like me turns up.

In my old, bad, impecunious days - like 30 plus years ago- when bars used to charge about 6 Baht for a coke and around 20 Baht for beer, I used to buy Cokes, and top them up from a band of Mekhong I kept in my pocket.

What goes around comes around I guess.

[terryp]

It never ends…Moaning about Visas…..Bar Prices…Bar Girls… Airports…Local Corruption…Politics….Price of Som tam

If it is so bad why are there so many foreigners in Thailand… the bars I frequent are mostly busy???? Average Heineken price 90-140 baht

Draught beer pipes are cleaned weekly by the beer company…not by bar staff

Watering down spirits Please??? I suppose they water down draught also.

Beer costs….Fridges, staff, rent, electric, tax’s, licenses, glass, water & toilet costs etc etc…Oh and not forgetting the owner is doing this to make a living.

The biggest problem would be fake Black/Jack etc from Lao/Cambodia or staff ripping off the owner with their own bottles of spirits being sold shot by shot.

25ml are the optics brought in from the UK, Thais normally use the US measure of 30 ml (ounce shot)

[Tolley]

It never ends…Moaning about Visas…..Bar Prices…Bar Girls… Airports…Local Corruption…Politics….Price of Som tam

If it is so bad why are there so many foreigners in Thailand… the bars I frequent are mostly busy???? Average Heineken price 90-140 baht

Draught beer pipes are cleaned weekly by the beer company…not by bar staff

Watering down spirits Please??? I suppose they water down draught also.

Beer costs….Fridges, staff, rent, electric, tax’s, licenses, glass, water & toilet costs etc etc…Oh and not forgetting the owner is doing this to make a living.

The biggest problem would be fake Black/Jack etc from Lao/Cambodia or staff ripping off the owner with their own bottles of spirits being sold shot by shot.

25ml are the optics brought in from the UK, Thais normally use the US measure of 30 ml (ounce shot)

Of course you are right the bars would never bother watering down spirits.

Rule of thumb with any purchase where you can't see what you are getting is that you will get ripped off.

[OneeyedJohn]

In Spain where spirit drinking is more prevalent, the skill of the barman is to pour 11 shot free flow from a 1 Litre bottle. This I can also do ( false modesty aside ) . It is very impressive to see someone do this as you think you are getting a good deal, especially if you load up the glass with ice first.

Unfortunately bar skills in Thailand are practically non existent, e.g. one goes to ones regular bar in town and you find yourself saying the same old <deleted> again and again.....i.e. a big glass with ice, and they 've known you for years. Does my fookin head in

Unless you know the bar then drink beer or as previously stated buy the spirit bottle. If the bar is trying to rip you off in selling dodgy measures or quality of spirit then they for sure ain't gonna last long.

Keep your spirits up

[dgoz]

You don`t think the vodka in the Smirnoff bottle is really Smirnoff do you?

Usually it is the cheapest Thai vodka they can get.

Smirnoff has the non-tampering nozzle in the bottle now. It's impossible to fill it with inferior vodka.

That goes for most name brand spirits now.

I wish I could get away with "half nips,watered down spirits,inferior brands". My customers are too cluey for that.

Not every bar is ripping you off. Paranoia is a serious mental illness; see a shrink.

BTW, if you want to be really ripped off go back home and pay 3 pounds or $6 for your drinks, and spare us the whining.

[libya 115]

You don`t think the vodka in the Smirnoff bottle is really Smirnoff do you?

Usually it is the cheapest Thai vodka they can get.

Smirnoff has the non-tampering nozzle in the bottle now. It's impossible to fill it with inferior vodka.

That goes for most name brand spirits now.

Unfortunately, many bars are able to get their hands on spirit bottles without the non-tamper bottle nozzle, and keep topping it up.

However; I recommend purchasing half a bottle of spirits, an ice-box full of ice and two bottles of soda water for 150-350 baht depending on which bar you prefer.

In more expensive bars, purchase a full bottle of Johnnie Black, booze confidently and take it home (if there is any left). I rarely drink spirits in bars, but when I do, it is worth investing in bona fide liquor.

[davethailand]

Just wanting some views and opinions

I have noticed recently more and more bars serving small measures of spirits (vodka etc) either from an optic 25ml or from a measuring dispenser which has a large or small offering, always from the small one, the glass is filled with ice and cola first then the spirit is added, at least with a beer you know what you are getting.

consider this

bar pays roughly 30baht for a tiger beer and sells for 60-80 baht 100% profit customer reasonably happy

bar pays 550baht for 70cl bottle of branded vodka (300baht for the cheap stuff) and sells for 80-110baht, customer unhappy if they are aware.

so that means 70cl bottle will serve 28 25ml measures taking the average price at 90baht that totals 2520baht almost 500% profit

Anybody see anything wrong with this, oh and don't say free mixer, a large family size coke is less than 30baht, so insignificant i didn't even include it

consider also that most people will drink a short in half the time of a beer, no wonder bar owners are feeling the pinch - complaining about people not spending money, do u guys think that we are all stupid, I am outspoken and will complain when i see this, most people just won't come back or drink beer instead,.

To the bar owners out the, come on guys give a fair measure or drop the price.................or both actually

http://www.axos.co.uk/pandl/convert.htm

My heart bleeds for you

We use the bigger measure in the bar and ALL spirits are original brand name.

[Sunny Valentine]

At my bar we're using only Original spirits. We wouldn't get away with anything inferior, as we offer a lot of rare higher priced Single Malts, Cognacs, or Blue Agave Tequilas, which attracts connoisseurs that would immediately call the bluff.

About the glasses and the Ice: Seems like everyone wants it differently, we encourage our customers to tell the bartender how thy like their mix.

But no, we can't compete with the 7/11 prices, too.

Sunny

[gharknes]

You don`t think the vodka in the Smirnoff bottle is really Smirnoff do you?

Usually it is the cheapest Thai vodka they can get.

Smirnoff has the non-tampering nozzle in the bottle now. It's impossible to fill it with inferior vodka.

That goes for most name brand spirits now.

I wish I could get away with "half nips,watered down spirits,inferior brands". My customers are too cluey for that.

Not every bar is ripping you off. Paranoia is a serious mental illness; see a shrink.

BTW, if you want to be really ripped off go back home and pay 3 pounds or $6 for your drinks, and spare us the whining.

well actually, in London I can get a double smirnoff 50ml plus mixer for 220 sterling that is actually cheaper than here

would you like to edit your post, nobody is whining

if people got a bottle of tiger beer half the size of normal I think the bar would be out of business very quickly, not so obvious with spirits but be assured, a lot of people are aware. I have several bars that i will go to because they serve proper measures, I have many many that I won't go, the bar owner thinks he's smart ripping people off, I would rather sell 10 double vodkas at 100baht than none at all

[libya 115]

TOP TIP: Drink Ricard, that cannot be cut with water!

[Little Black Duck]

A wise man once said.."Something is only worth as much as someone is prepared to pay"!!!!!

[wallacern]

Due to my diabetes, I try to avoid beer most of the time, due to sugar content. So I usually drink shorts (whisky or Sang Som) and sometimes a glass of wine.

I have felt for years that as a Sang Som drinker in particular that I am discriminated against. I am often charged up to double what a beer drinker pays, and there is much higher profit in my drinks, regardless of the size of the shot. Often, wine also carries an exhorbitant price, but I know for a fact that most places just get those 3 litre bottles of cheap Spanish wine, and they make an enormous profit.

I suppose it a bit like most Western resaturants who make all their profit on deserts and coffee.

I'm not sure it's a rip off - I guess it's just the way things are. Most of the punters drink beer, and they have to keep the prices low to get them in, and then they rub their hands in glee when a "shorts" drinker like me turns up.

In my old, bad, impecunious days - like 30 plus years ago- when bars used to charge about 6 Baht for a coke and around 20 Baht for beer, I used to buy Cokes, and top them up from a band of Mekhong I kept in my pocket.

What goes around comes around I guess.

[dgoz]

Due to my diabetes, I try to avoid beer most of the time, due to sugar content. So I usually drink shorts (whisky or Sang Som) and sometimes a glass of wine.

I have felt for years that as a Sang Som drinker in particular that I am discriminated against. I am often charged up to double what a beer drinker pays, and there is much higher profit in my drinks, regardless of the size of the shot. Often, wine also carries an exhorbitant price, but I know for a fact that most places just get those 3 litre bottles of cheap Spanish wine, and they make an enormous profit.

I suppose it a bit like most Western resaturants who make all their profit on deserts and coffee.

I'm not sure it's a rip off - I guess it's just the way things are. Most of the punters drink beer, and they have to keep the prices low to get them in, and then they rub their hands in glee when a "shorts" drinker like me turns up.

In my old, bad, impecunious days - like 30 plus years ago- when bars used to charge about 6 Baht for a coke and around 20 Baht for beer, I used to buy Cokes, and top them up from a band of Mekhong I kept in my pocket.

What goes around comes around I guess.

Yeah, what goes around comes around.

After paying the rent, salaries, electricity, water, BIB, licence fees, stock(which of some never gets drunk and stays on the shelf as a total write-off) I made a grand total of about 2000bt this month. Maybe I had a few cheap skates like yourself smuggling in their own grog from 7/11 but wishing to drink it whilst using my premises, listening to my music, being entertained by my staff, pissing in my toilet using my water and electricity etc.etc.

And here you are in previous threads asking for handouts to help your charity! Where are we supposed to get the money from Mr Brainiac? Certainly not from me.

So yeah, what doesn't go around doesn't come around either.

[dgoz]

Most people who complain about businesses making money have never and will never have their own business. These people are usually cowards, too chicken shit to have a go themselves yet want to bag out everyone and everything around them. Usually some brain dead govt worker.

Edited December 28, 2006 by dgoz

[gharknes]

Most people who complain about businesses making money have never and will never have their own business. These people are usually cowards, too chicken shit to have a go themselves yet want to bag out everyone and everything around them. Usually some brain dead govt worker.

I don't think anyone here is complaining about business making money, as the topic suggests - some bars are serving small measures of spirits and charging ellevated prices i.e. being ripped off, I will gladly sit in you bar and drink whatever you have on offer provided I am getting quality quantity and at the right price, as a propreitor these are simple fundaments that you should be providing, any switched on customer will know what they are getting and from that will decide if they want to return to your establishment OR NOT, there is a balance and a lot of bar owners are way on the wrong side of it, this thread should perhaps give you some feedback from customers, if haven't got customers you have no business

as i said above, it is simply rediculous that we are paying more for spirits in thailand than we would in London

[zanzibar]

At the risk of being non-PC, may I suggest you drink at a non-thai managed/owned bar if you want the real thing.

Personally, I'd also stay away from those places offering very cheap drinks, as the economics just don't add up, they can't possibly be giving you branded names or full nips.

[Mobi]

Due to my diabetes, I try to avoid beer most of the time, due to sugar content. So I usually drink shorts (whisky or Sang Som) and sometimes a glass of wine.

I have felt for years that as a Sang Som drinker in particular that I am discriminated against. I am often charged up to double what a beer drinker pays, and there is much higher profit in my drinks, regardless of the size of the shot. Often, wine also carries an exhorbitant price, but I know for a fact that most places just get those 3 litre bottles of cheap Spanish wine, and they make an enormous profit.

I suppose it a bit like most Western resaturants who make all their profit on deserts and coffee.

I'm not sure it's a rip off - I guess it's just the way things are. Most of the punters drink beer, and they have to keep the prices low to get them in, and then they rub their hands in glee when a "shorts" drinker like me turns up.

In my old, bad, impecunious days - like 30 plus years ago- when bars used to charge about 6 Baht for a coke and around 20 Baht for beer, I used to buy Cokes, and top them up from a band of Mekhong I kept in my pocket.

What goes around comes around I guess.

Yeah, what goes around comes around.

After paying the rent, salaries, electricity, water, BIB, licence fees, stock(which of some never gets drunk and stays on the shelf as a total write-off) I made a grand total of about 2000bt this month. Maybe I had a few cheap skates like yourself smuggling in their own grog from 7/11 but wishing to drink it whilst using my premises, listening to my music, being entertained by my staff, pissing in my toilet using my water and electricity etc.etc.

And here you are in previous threads asking for handouts to help your charity! Where are we supposed to get the money from Mr Brainiac? Certainly not from me.

So yeah, what doesn't go around doesn't come around either.

Hey Man!!

It was a joke OK ?

I said 30 PLUS YEARS AGO!!!!!

WHERE WERE YOU 30 YEARS AGO???

Not in Thailand, I'm bloody sure.

30 Years ago there weren't any cheap skate farangs trying to run bars on a shoe string. If you can't run a profitable business don't blame me for what I did in my misspent youth before you even heard of Thailand - it's bloody ridiculous.

I even said I wasn't ripped off.

So go blame your fianancial mis management on some other punter - believe me I pay my way - but I hope I give give your bar a miss and help you into oblivion - you and your uncharitable crap.

Mobi

[wilko]

I tend to buy a bottle and leave it behind the bar. I have in Pattaya also been sold fake whisky. Johnny Red that was in no way Johnny Red, from a sealed bottle, but definitely not JR.

[gharknes]

At the risk of being non-PC, may I suggest you drink at a non-thai managed/owned bar if you want the real thing.

Personally, I'd also stay away from those places offering very cheap drinks, as the economics just don't add up, they can't possibly be giving you branded names or full nips.

the economics ? go to the top of this thread and read my original post, do you really think smirnoff vodka should be more expensive here than in many bars in London, I don't think so, 500% markup on a drink is simply rediculous, is it any wonder these people don't last long in the bar business, get greedy and you'll loose your ass, nobody will drink there, like i said before - I'd rather sell 1000 drinks in my busy bar with a 200% markup than sell 20 and they never come back. Keep the feet for dancing

I drink in a busy bar with resonable measures and prices, I still have a bottle behind the bar that I pay 200 baht to open.

Edited December 29, 2006 by gharknes

[Pdaz]

Firstly.. Price is not my major concern.. My frustration is not being able to get the drink I'd like.

I'm more than happy to pay 120+ baht for a vodka and tonic but what I want is a tall glass, good quality vodka (stoli or the suchlike) and most essential FRESHlY OPENED FIZZY tonic water!! Not flat re-capped tonic from a half empty bottle ... This to me is the problem;

I don't mind bar owners making a profit ..they are in business.. but I wish more of them would realise that some customers are more intersted in quality than price alone.. I don't drink beer thta often and signs saying 45 baht draught won't bring me in.. But a decent measure in the correct glass with a seperate bottle of tonic would..and I'd be happy to pay whatever the owner thought was a fair price and I'd be back often.. At the moment TQ's, Superbaby and Club Bosche are the only three GoGo's that seem to provide a decent short.. As for beer bars forget it.. A thimble for a glass, one ice cube, no lime, cheap spirit, flat tonic and 80baht thank you..

The only places I have seen different are a few of the German beer bars in Naklua that actually give you a seperate ''split' bottle of tonic with every order.. 90 baht for the privalige..but at least you get a decent drink..