Shopping in Bangkok
When you search for the top tourist attractions in Bangkok, several websites will point you in the direction of shopping malls. The only recommendation that is more bizarre is to “ride the BTS” which I can assure is not an attraction and is merely a convenient, yet crowded method of getting around Bangkok.
When you live here, you do find yourself venturing into malls quite frequently. One reason is there are just so many of them! I’m not actually sure how many there are, but really there is an infinite number, as new ones are constantly being built. The site of the old Dinosaur Planet on Sukhumvit Road (which strangely burnt to the ground just two days ago) is now destined to become a high end, low rise mall selling luxury yachts amongst other items that most people living in Bangkok have no need for.
Sometimes the malls act as convenient walkways to get from A to B, either the shortest route or a way of escaping the heat. Chris often cuts through Fortune Town on his way from the MRT to the office, although trying to carve a path through slow moving, oblivious, smartphone glued zombies does not always prove to be the lesser of the two evils.
The more prominent malls situated along the BTS line seem to cater for the more high-end consumer; in Siam Paragon there’s Luis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel and friends, EMQuartier and Emporium also have a similar if not the same array of big names. Fortunately, if you look hard enough in all of them you’ll find a department store or a Zara where you can buy some averagely expensive gear!
You’ve then got the other type of malls such as MBK and Platinum, catering to the masses and are more akin to a market that a mall. They don’t have shops as such, more concessions or stalls that are very close together with very narrow aisles to access them. These places are much more reasonably priced, but you will inevitably have to take a punt of whether your chosen garment will fit you as you’re unlikely to find a fitting room.
When Chris needed to find a suitable outfit in which to perform Israel’s 1978 Eurovision winning entry ‘Ah-Ban-Nee-Bee’ at his work New Year event, we skipped the mainstream malls and headed straight for Platinum Mall - I actually think we had to walk through Siam Paragon to get there but that doesn’t count! In no time we had found a plus size ladies blouse and some pink chinos which were perfect. Fortunately, Chris was permitted to try on the pink chinos before committing to the purchase, but only because he was wearing boxers and, on the condition that I held up a sheet to cover his modesty. This was the most successful shopping trip that Chris has ever had; with his “western frame” and 6ft 5 height, most shop assistants laugh out loud when he politely enquires as to whether something is likely to fit him or casually make the comment ‘that’s slim fit sir’ when he picks up a shirt.
Speaking of markets, I did make it to Chatuchak market not so long ago; which is either the largest market in Bangkok, Thailand, Asia or the World depending on which website you choose to believe. Anyway, it’s big and I had been avoiding going there as I had heard it was hot, crowded and difficult to navigate, plus I had assumed it would just be filled with a load of old tat. In fact, there was some pretty decent stuff there and at the time we went, I would say it was tolerably hot and crowded.
So, with seemingly infinite possibilities for shopping, how can they all be constantly busy, and how can one city possibly sustain this? I think the first thing to realize is that these malls aren’t really the same as malls in the UK or US; shopping is only part of the story.
The main thing these places have is food. I’m not talking about a food court which comprises a group of tables and chairs with McDonald's and Harry Ramsden’s as your best options, the food courts in Thai malls have no end of choices of freshly cooked, delicious food. There are also restaurants where you can have a real meal on a plate with real cutlery! In Terminal 21 in Asok, there is actually a spin-off restaurant from a Michelin starred street food stall in Singapore. We frequently visit a mall specifically just to have lunch.
I was in Ekkamai Gateway earlier and it occurred to me that there aren’t really that many shops in there. There’s a Boots, a HomePro and a small Max Value, it’s then pretty much just restaurants and pop-up shops/events. Shops/Expos/Bars seem to pop up effortlessly in Bangkok – there is always something going on, whether it’s a Toy Expo, a kids martial arts competition or just a random clothing sale.
One point to note is that E-commerce as we know it hasn’t really taken off in Thailand. I guess Lazada is the equivalent of Amazon, just not as easy to navigate; it’s like they’ve rushed to get it all up and running that nobody’s had a chance to check any of the listings make sense. I don’t believe many other retailers have transactional websites in Thailand and even those that show general product information, are not particularly reliable.
The slow adoption of this channel is not because people don’t have access to the internet, far from it. Thailand has one of the most engaged populations online, particularly mobile, which is evidenced every morning on the BTS where 90% of people will be staring at their smartphone screens.
There’s room for growth certainly, but will this harm the futures of the shopping malls in Bangkok as some people suggest? Personally, I think it’s unlikely. Whilst Thailand might be slow on the uptake initially, it gets there in the end and benefits from not having to try to unpick all the earlier attempts – it can go straight to the awesome, optimised version of everything. It’s already made shopping malls ‘destinations’, giving people a reason to leave the house in the first place; I now see so many UK retailers trying to catch up. Also, E-commerce is changing, pure-play retailers are now opening shops whilst traditional bricks and mortar retailers are going under. If anything, Bangkok is perfectly poised to leverage the best of both worlds.
A Shopping Mall. Really?
So, the first question is why would anyone want to visit a shopping mall when they’re on vacation? You can go shopping any time at home so why would you ever think about deliberately going to a mall when you should be doing something more cultural?When you live here, you do find yourself venturing into malls quite frequently. One reason is there are just so many of them! I’m not actually sure how many there are, but really there is an infinite number, as new ones are constantly being built. The site of the old Dinosaur Planet on Sukhumvit Road (which strangely burnt to the ground just two days ago) is now destined to become a high end, low rise mall selling luxury yachts amongst other items that most people living in Bangkok have no need for.
Sometimes the malls act as convenient walkways to get from A to B, either the shortest route or a way of escaping the heat. Chris often cuts through Fortune Town on his way from the MRT to the office, although trying to carve a path through slow moving, oblivious, smartphone glued zombies does not always prove to be the lesser of the two evils.
The more prominent malls situated along the BTS line seem to cater for the more high-end consumer; in Siam Paragon there’s Luis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel and friends, EMQuartier and Emporium also have a similar if not the same array of big names. Fortunately, if you look hard enough in all of them you’ll find a department store or a Zara where you can buy some averagely expensive gear!
You’ve then got the other type of malls such as MBK and Platinum, catering to the masses and are more akin to a market that a mall. They don’t have shops as such, more concessions or stalls that are very close together with very narrow aisles to access them. These places are much more reasonably priced, but you will inevitably have to take a punt of whether your chosen garment will fit you as you’re unlikely to find a fitting room.
From Malls to Markets
When Chris needed to find a suitable outfit in which to perform Israel’s 1978 Eurovision winning entry ‘Ah-Ban-Nee-Bee’ at his work New Year event, we skipped the mainstream malls and headed straight for Platinum Mall - I actually think we had to walk through Siam Paragon to get there but that doesn’t count! In no time we had found a plus size ladies blouse and some pink chinos which were perfect. Fortunately, Chris was permitted to try on the pink chinos before committing to the purchase, but only because he was wearing boxers and, on the condition that I held up a sheet to cover his modesty. This was the most successful shopping trip that Chris has ever had; with his “western frame” and 6ft 5 height, most shop assistants laugh out loud when he politely enquires as to whether something is likely to fit him or casually make the comment ‘that’s slim fit sir’ when he picks up a shirt.
Speaking of markets, I did make it to Chatuchak market not so long ago; which is either the largest market in Bangkok, Thailand, Asia or the World depending on which website you choose to believe. Anyway, it’s big and I had been avoiding going there as I had heard it was hot, crowded and difficult to navigate, plus I had assumed it would just be filled with a load of old tat. In fact, there was some pretty decent stuff there and at the time we went, I would say it was tolerably hot and crowded.
So, with seemingly infinite possibilities for shopping, how can they all be constantly busy, and how can one city possibly sustain this? I think the first thing to realize is that these malls aren’t really the same as malls in the UK or US; shopping is only part of the story.
Feeling Peckish?
The main thing these places have is food. I’m not talking about a food court which comprises a group of tables and chairs with McDonald's and Harry Ramsden’s as your best options, the food courts in Thai malls have no end of choices of freshly cooked, delicious food. There are also restaurants where you can have a real meal on a plate with real cutlery! In Terminal 21 in Asok, there is actually a spin-off restaurant from a Michelin starred street food stall in Singapore. We frequently visit a mall specifically just to have lunch.
I was in Ekkamai Gateway earlier and it occurred to me that there aren’t really that many shops in there. There’s a Boots, a HomePro and a small Max Value, it’s then pretty much just restaurants and pop-up shops/events. Shops/Expos/Bars seem to pop up effortlessly in Bangkok – there is always something going on, whether it’s a Toy Expo, a kids martial arts competition or just a random clothing sale.
E-commerce but not as you know it
One point to note is that E-commerce as we know it hasn’t really taken off in Thailand. I guess Lazada is the equivalent of Amazon, just not as easy to navigate; it’s like they’ve rushed to get it all up and running that nobody’s had a chance to check any of the listings make sense. I don’t believe many other retailers have transactional websites in Thailand and even those that show general product information, are not particularly reliable.
The slow adoption of this channel is not because people don’t have access to the internet, far from it. Thailand has one of the most engaged populations online, particularly mobile, which is evidenced every morning on the BTS where 90% of people will be staring at their smartphone screens.
There’s room for growth certainly, but will this harm the futures of the shopping malls in Bangkok as some people suggest? Personally, I think it’s unlikely. Whilst Thailand might be slow on the uptake initially, it gets there in the end and benefits from not having to try to unpick all the earlier attempts – it can go straight to the awesome, optimised version of everything. It’s already made shopping malls ‘destinations’, giving people a reason to leave the house in the first place; I now see so many UK retailers trying to catch up. Also, E-commerce is changing, pure-play retailers are now opening shops whilst traditional bricks and mortar retailers are going under. If anything, Bangkok is perfectly poised to leverage the best of both worlds.
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