Why do ONLY foreigners get special promotion?

[triptrip]

AFTER trying on an item and offering the asking price, we are told that is the wholesale price and only applicable if 2 of the same item are bought by us. When my wife says she only wants one, the original asking price is hiked some 30% to 50% and the sales assistant will not budge from that new price. I have no idea if there is a "husband is Farang" factor here and they think we will accept the hike, or whether it is a deceptive tactic for all customers (be they Thai, Farang or foreign) for getting the customer "sold" on the item and then change the price.

The price quoted for 2-3 pieces or more are called "raka soong" meaning wholesale price. It's normal for many clothes shop to sell this way. This is to quickly reduce one's stock and overhead costs. A single piece of clothing or jewellery will be quoted the retail price.

this is applicable to both Thai and non Thais. Not just farang. Many Thais or non Thais (mainly Asian shoppers) tend to overcome this by asking other customers to join forces to make up the requisite minimum number to get the cheaper price. For example if you only need 1 item and the next customer needs 2, so in total, 3 items and you may qualify for raka soong.

Many times, my Thai wife has in the past been approached by Singaporeans/Malaysian/Chinese/etc customers whilst shopping to join forces in order to get wholesale prices. Japanese or Koreans are rich enough not to bargain whilst Westerners are more uptight or maybe too confused with the system to get their head around.

[triptrip]

I too met the special price for foreigners a couple of weeks ago. I was informed that the electric sign I errected would incurr tax as would a sign in Thai. However, my sign would be taxed at four times the rate of a Thai sign as it is written in English!

Signage Tax is a type of tax codified in the Revenue Code. The way it's taxed is based on the size of the sign. For signage with only romanised character, the tax rate is higher, whilst a sign with only Thai characters will be taxed at a cheaper rate.

In the case where both romanised and Thai characters are included in the sign, the tax rate is half of what the full romanised only tax rate is.

Next time you look at any sign in Thailand, you will notice that on the top right hand corner, they will include a small Thai character of the product/company name. This way, they will reduce the signage tax by half.

[fast eddy]

Triptrip - I'm indebted to you. Do you have a reference for this as I would love to have it in my arsenal when the tax man calls. I will set about having the Thai character added (just in time I hope)

cheers and many thanks

Fast Eddy

[Fa_Rawng]

Before everyone gets upset about this, there is no such thing as a foreigner zone or a falang zone, or what ever. It is an advertising gimic. I would strongly suggest that some people read up on exactly what a falang can own and what they cannot. Most falang don't want to go through the hassles of purchasing and owning a house or land. Besides most falang that I know who own houses have a partner - their Thai wife. I fully respect the wish of Thailand, Thailand for the Thais. As everyone knows most falang buy condos (like me). I don't understand how an agent could sell a house to a falang for a lower price that a Thai. That flies in the face of the norm in Thailand. Falang always pay more than Thai (and again I'm not complaining about that). FRom hair-cuts to entrance fees into public areas, to the price of a noodle soup on the street.
If Thais have got the money in their pocket to purchase land or a house, there is one thing I can recommend, WAIT. By the end of the year properties will have fallen greatly in price, falang are leaving as their home-town economies go under. Anyhow go to Australia, all creads can buy land there. No restrictions (generally).

[Sean Moran]

When socialism is pushed beyond a certain point, it becomes totalitarianism. Capitalism, on the other hand, if carried to its extreme, becomes anarchy. Anyone who doubts the accuracy of this last observation has never walked the streets of Bangkok.

Villa Incognito, p.58, Tom Robbins, 2003.

[petesie]

Farangs do indeed get special promotion......the price increases! I've been looking at condo's for 9 months now and earmarked certain areas, complexes etc.........narrowed it down to a few and despite the downfall in the economy and the global economic recession and the slowdown in foreign investment in property with the prediction of the additional 1m unemployed because of these factors......not to mention the decline in tourism.....the price of property has increased...!

Why do I get the impression all you old SE Asia hands are not going to be surprised.......

[bristolgeoff]

they believe we have big money because you live in thailand or staying a few mths.or just holiday.we are a atm to some people

[capealava]

In my experience of 7 years in Thailand. Farangs never get special promotions. Is this really a serious question?? From visiting Parks to buying "Gai Yung" from a street vendor the price is always higher. I was at Chiang Mai Market with some Thai friends and i wanted to buy some silk bed coverings, the price given to me was 1200 baht a piece. I went back and told my Thai friends and they Laughed. We sent one of the Thai woman to purchase the item for me she was able to buy it a 700 baht a piece.. Their are no promotions for Foreigners in Thailand. It is a laughable question.

[Rick Bradford]

I recently visited Smoky Mountain, aka the Koh Samet National Park, the entry for Thais is 20Bt, for falang is 90Bt. Nothing new there.

To make myself feel better, I always view dual pricing as being a subsidy for Thais rather than an extra charge on falang. It's semantics, and doesn't change the arithmetic, but since it's going to happen anyway, I figure I might as make it as pleasant as possible.

Mind you, on Koh Samet, even Thais get overcharged.....

[Sean Moran]

I recently visited Smoky Mountain, aka the Koh Samet National Park, the entry for Thais is 20Bt, for falang is 90Bt. Nothing new there.

To make myself feel better, I always view dual pricing as being a subsidy for Thais rather than an extra charge on falang. It's semantics, and doesn't change the arithmetic, but since it's going to happen anyway, I figure I might as make it as pleasant as possible.

Mind you, on Koh Samet, even Thais get overcharged.....

Mr Bradford, that is such a realistic way to look at the half-full/half-empty glass. A subsidy!

It's really good to hear this - the way you put it. Ironically though, the 90thb IS perhaps something new! The time back in May 2005 when my Thai sponsor and her husband took me to Ko Samet National Park for the weekend, the 20thb Thai price was the same, but I was asked to pay a 200 thb entry fee.

Considering that the rest of the weekend, the accomodation and meals and even the ferry fares were taken care of by my hosts in full, I look back on that time at the little entry place, just up at the top of the hill where the national park entry place is (I can still picture that place in full-colour in my mind) and see that that ONE little extra cost to me was a token gesture for all the things that Thailand gave me for free.