↠ Companion 

This is the first and most important thing to take note of if the main purpose of your trip to Thailand is to shop. Look for someone who loves shopping  and someone who won't whine when they walk too much. Otherwise, it'll ruin the whole mood. The next thing is to not go in large group or people with strong opinions. If you go in large groups, you need to wait for one another and it could be cumbersome. If you must go in a large group, split up into groups of two or threes. 

Moreover, do not go with people who have strong opinions and need to direct everyone. They also need everyone to listen to them as if they are the commander or something. This not only applies to when you go to Thailand but anywhere in general. Everyone has their own travel goals and wants, you need to push and pull in order to have a memorable trip. This includes those who criticize whatever you buy and do, all these people need to just stay home and not come out of their houses. Sorry but yeah I'm kind of tired of people telling me that the clothes I buy are too girly and shit. HELLLO I BUY FOR MYSELF NOT FOR YOU SO JUST SHUTUP. 

(ok la unless the piece is just so goddamned ugly.) Sorry, sidetracked a little lolol. 

↠ Do Basic Research 

Before hitching a Taxi or TukTuk, be sure to roughly have an idea of the fares. You can do this by talking to the hotel frontdesk. However, DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT ask your hotel to arrange a ride for you because it will cost a lot more. If you do not have a rough idea on the taxi fares, request the driver to go on meter because then it'll be accurate and you will most likely not get swindled. Worst comes to worse, if they don't want to go by meter or refuse to charge you appropriately, JUST WALK AWAY. There are still plenty of tuktuks and taxi. Another alternative to this is to take their public rail transports such as MRT, BTS & Airport Rail Link. You can ask your hotel's front desk for assistance.

Similar to clothing and everything else in Thailand, merchants there love to overcharge. Especially tourists who look unfamiliar or vulnerable. It is not rare that merchants would charge tourist a higher price than the locals there. Act like you know their price scheme even if you don't. However, it would be a plus point if you roughly know how much it will cost. I'm a frequent Taobao shopper so I pretty much know the price, if it costs too much in Thailand, I'll just buy from Taobao. Bargain if you think that the price of the item is too high in comparison to the value. The value refers to how much you like that particular item and how happy you will be if you buy it. (Very marketing, i know hahaha) Sometimes merchants in Thailand set their price especially high because they expect customer to bargain, so if you don't then you'll be paying (a lot) extra. I will talk more on bargaining in the next point. 

↠ Bargain 

Unleash your inner auntiness and just bargain la ok hahahah. No need scared sia suey (embarrassment) all. You pay more lagi paiseh (even more embarassing) I tell you. If the merchant is fierce, you be fiercer. Show RBF wherever you go. No seriously, it's the only time where I feel that my RBF has a purpose. Like sellers voluntarily give me cheaper deals when I don't smile one lo. I don't know if it's because I look like a local or what but yeah hahah I think I mostly got good bargain when in Bangkok. (More shopping stories in upcoming posts).

Do not settle for prices which are too high (in your standards ofcourse, if you really like it and don't mind paying a little more, just buy) and walk away if they refuse to lower the price. If you're daring enough, cut half of the price. I am not at that level yet hahaha but for illustration (real life event ok), if a bag is priced at 450 baht, offer 200baht. For desperate ones, they'll give you 200baht but more often than not they'll require to increase about 50-100 baht more. That's why offer lower price so that you have space for up and down hahaha. Or you can just ask them what better price they can offer you and from there you reduce more. Otherwise, just walk away and in places where there are lesser tourist like Hatyai they'll call you back because there is lesser crowd. Things like these does not really happen in Bangkok because it is flooded with Tourists and Locals. They know well enough that if you don't buy, the next person will; there will always be demand. 

↠ Don't Simply Touch, Try Or Bargain

You will get shouted at and possibly cursed. Yes, it's that serious and this is common in Bangkok. People in Hatyai are generally more polite i don't know why hahahha. In Bangkok, if you try on a pair of shoes and say that you don't want to buy it later they will shout at you. If you anyhow touch their clothes to feel the quality, they will glare at you. Of course, there are absolutely friendly ones too who will voluntarily make you try it on. 

This is the most basic rule of bargaining in Thailand, do not bargain before you fully inspect and confirm that you wanna buy. Otherwise you will sure get it nicely. Ask the price, inspect then bargain. Or even better inspect first, if you don't like it just immediately walk away. Don't waste your time or their time. 

↠ Check your buys 

Check for any defects and ask if they have a new piece because display pieces USUALLY have defects and has been touched by a lot of people hahaha. In Thailand there is a no return policy and they will usually not be responsible later on. But of course, you won't expect 5 star service for cheap clothes, what you pay is what you get. 

↠ Combining purchases 

Okay, especially in Bangkok you'll get cheaper prices if you buy more. They usually will offer wholesale prices if you buy 3 pieces or more and the price will be cheaper although it will only be about 20-50baht difference but combining it makes a big difference okay! (and cheap deals of course must take advantage right #aunty). 

So instead of walloping 3 pieces at a go for the cheaper deal, you can always combine purchases with your friends or other shoppers there. Like for example if you want only 1 piece and there's another shopper who coincidentally wants 2 pieces then you both can combine and get the wholesale price. Win-win. Of course, if you can get 3 pieces then by all means just do it. It's just that sometimes you really only want one piece and the rest is not so appealing to you then it'd pointless to forcefully buy 3 piece. What's the point of buying something you don't like even at a cheap deal. 

Let me illustrate what I mean, one piece for 180 baht and 3 pieces and above for 140 baht each. Buying one piece will only cost you 180 baht and buying 3 pieces will cost you about 420 baht. Okay  now, if you really want to buy 3 pieces of course it's a good deal but if you only wanted one and you forcefully make yourself buy another 2 piece then it's a very expensive deal. Considering that you now have to spend 420 baht on 3 pieces of clothing which you are not entirely satisfied with rather than just 180 baht on one which you really like. Take up extra luggage space also! You get what I mean? I'm sure you'd rather spend your budget on other pieces which are more appealing to you. 

This aunty shopping quite smart right hahaha. 

But again, if you plan on reselling then it's another story.

↠ Early Bird Catches The Worms 
Thais has a culture where their first sale is absolutely important so usually if you're their first customer then they'll give you whatever price you ask for. Of course, if you go below their cost price then obviously they won't allow. They open stall to make profit not create loss. Thus when in Thailand, give up your beauty sleep and go to the morning market. It'll be worth it, trust me.

All in all, there are a few precautions that you need to take before shopping in Thailand but other than that, shopping in Thailand is very therapeutic. I personally like to shop at markets rather than malls because there are malls in Malaysia as well. Even Platinum Mall in Bangkok reminds me of Sungei Wang plaza and Berjaya Times Square. Markets give a more shiok experience hahahah. 

Till I blog again, 

Jiawen x