Probably no other city in Asia offers such a vast choice of goods, much enhanced by the polite sales techniques, and the good-natured haggling that accompanies most transactions. Thailand is brimming with bargains, the more so since the devaluation of the Thai baht in 1997, and a simple stroll around the shops or local market may see you return with things that you never thought you wanted, but suddenly had to buy.
Provided you have sufficient time, following the standard tourists' shopping rules will help ie. a) First invest time only observing what there is to buy in various outlets (markets, shops, department stores etc.), b) Decide what you want to buy, and check prices in several different locations, bargaining where applicable, c) Make purchases when you are reasonably sure there are no better deals available.
One good starting point for this procedure is at Pratunam textiles market (next to the Amari Watergate Hotel) followed by a short walk to Naraiphand Thai Handicraft Center opposite the Central World Plaza. This is a joint venture between the government and the private sector, where local products are sold at reasonable fixed prices. A subsequent exploration of the myriad shops inside Central World Plaza will top off the first "shopseeing" impressions. The Bangkok Skytrain (see below) brings you quickly and efficiently to the many other main shopping areas.
There is a vast choice: clothing, silks, cotton, batik, lacquerware, pewter, carvings, ceramics, silver, gold, furniture, handicrafts, hill tribe articles, jewellery and Gemstones, to mention but a few. The latter should be bought from a reputable shop (ask local expats or your Embassy for recommendations) and made for pleasure rather than investment. Unless you are a qualified gemologist, forget about making a profit on your gemstone purchase in Thailand.
Which tailor? A valid question indeed. Bangkok's ubiquitous (mainly Indian Sikh) tailors now have such a high profile that many advertise in expensive glossy magazines, frequently splashing out with double-page features, and claiming to have won a variety of otherwise unlisted and unknown "awards". The high cost of such advertising coupled with the fact that they inevitably offer a 'Package Deal" where you can buy half a wardrobe for just over US$150 will tell you that something is wrong, and indeed it is. Mostly, this is a ruse to get you into the shop, and you emerge having spent a great deal more than you wanted to - these fellows are expert salesmen, and the expertise is not always reflected in what they are selling.
Quality is a key factor - some of the window displays exhibit such hideous bad taste and stitching quality (plus usually a few long-dead insects) that it is astonishing that they get any customers at all. The convenient "Made in 24 hours " offer may also see your bargain begin to unravel almost as fast. None of us will ever forget the guest at a hotel cocktail party who proudly appeared wearing his brand new just-delivered jacket, the sleeve of which slowly began to detach itself with each vertical movement of his gin-and-tonic. To our amused horror, it finally came apart in a haemorrhage of stuffing, and lay on his arm like some strange wounded animal. Housekeeping to the rescue.
Having said that, there are excellent tailoring possibilities in Bangkok, and again, recommendations from local residents or regular visitors are invaluable. For top quality fabrics and custom made articles created by craftsmen on the premises (and not by sweat shops in the bowels of the city) expect to pay a little less than you would back home, and for suits and jackets, anticipate 2-4 fittings.
from www.amari.com/tta/desguide_bangkok.asp
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