Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [94]
TANGO
Map Clothing
0 2656 1047; www.tango.co.th; 2nd fl, Gaysorn Plaza, cnr Th Ploenchit & Th Ratchadamri, Ploenchit; Chit Lom exit 9
This homegrown brand specialises in funky leather goods, but you may not even recognise the medium under the layers of bright embroidery and chunky jewels. Also available at Siam Center.
UTHAI’S GEMS
Map Gems & Jewellery
0 2253 8582; 28/7 Soi Ruam Rudi, Th Ploenchit, Ploenchit; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat; Phloen Chit exit 4
With 40 years in the business, Uthai’s fixed prices and good service, including a money-back guarantee, make him a popular choice among expats. The showroom boasts a huge stock, and gems can be custom-cut to order.
PRATUNAM MARKET
Map Market
cnr Th Phetchaburi & Th Ratchaprarop, Pratunam; 9am-midnight; klorng boat to Tha Pratunam; Chit Lom exit 9
The emphasis here is on clothes, in particular T-shirts, and the Baiyoke Garment Center, the immense open-air market that comprises much of the area, is the best place in town to buy that black Iron Maiden T-shirt you’ve had your eye on.
The greater market area occupies the neighbourhood behind the shopfronts on the corner of Th Phetchaburi and Th Ratchaprarop, and also includes several like-minded malls: Indra Square, which carries mostly women’s clothing; Pratunam Centre, featuring a decent selection of Thai handicrafts and silver; City Complex and Krung Thong Plaza, two nearly identical wholesale clothing malls; and, across the street, the five-storey Platinum Fashion Mall sports the latest in no-brand couture, including a basement-level Jeans Zone, featuring 100 shops.
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BARGAINING 101
Many of your purchases in Bangkok will involve an ancient skill that has long been abandoned in the West: bargaining. Contrary to what you’ll see on a daily basis on Th Khao San, bargaining (in Thai, gahn đòr rah·kah) is not a terse exchange of numbers and animosity. Rather, bargaining Thai style is a generally friendly transaction where two people try to agree on a price that is fair to both of them.
The first rule to bargaining is to have a general idea of the price. Ask around at a few vendors to get a rough notion. When you’re ready to buy, it’s generally a good strategy to start at 50% of the asking price and work up from there. If you’re buying several of an item, you have much more leverage to request and receive a lower price. If the seller immediately agrees to your first price you’re probably paying too much, but it’s bad form to bargain further at this point. In general, keeping a friendly, flexible demeanour throughout the transaction will almost always work in your favour. And remember: only begin bargaining if you’re really planning on buying the item. Most importantly, there’s simply no point in getting angry or upset over a few baht. The locals, who inevitably have less money than you, never do this.
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CENTRAL CHIDLOM
Map Shopping Centre
0 2793 7777; www.central.co.th; 1027 Th Ploenchit, Ploenchit; 10am-10pm; Chit Lom exit 5
Central is a modern Western-style department store with locations throughout the city. This flagship store, Thailand’s largest, is the snazziest of all the branches.
The ground floor carries all the big names in cosmetics, with eager perfume spritzers and the token ladyboy sales agent who pulls off blush better than those born with XX chromosomes.
Foreigner-sized clothing is one of the shop’s strengths. The helpful sales staff will bluntly steer you to slimming colours and relatively huge sizes to fit your sturdy frame.
A decent selection of English-language books and magazines, not to mention stationery and music, is available at B2S on the 7th floor.
CENTRAL WORLD
Map Shopping Centre
0 2635 1111; www.centralworld.co.th; cnr Th Ploenchit & Th Ratchadamri, Ploenchit; 10am-10pm; Chit Lom exits 9 or 6 to Sky Walk
Spanning eight stories of more than 500 shops and 100 restaurants, Central World is one of Southeast Asia’s largest shopping centres. But it suffered