Apr

23

Bargain Shopping in Pattaya

Filed Under Shopping | 

Pattaya is a bargain hunters paradise and probably almost as good if not better than Bangkok. You can buy almost anything you could possibly imagine in Pattaya, whether or not you will get it back into your country when you arrive home might be another story. In general however, you can pick up some super saver shopping bargains all over Pattaya from the local markets, street stalls, shopping centers or even from a local walking down the street. The clothes here are especially cheap and the quality of a lot of the garments is extremely good.

Along Beach road especially towards the Walking Street end there is a multitude of bargain basement shopping stalls, open style market shops, street vendors, Indian tailors who make very fine suits, shirts and coats for both men and women and small boutique shops.

Walking Street is another bargain shoppers dream with Thai souvenir shops selling wood carvings, decorative pewter creations for the house and kitchen, portrait painters as well as replica art shops where you can get your own life size copy of the Mona Lisa or almost any other famous painting you could imagine. You will find replica art shops scattered all over the Pattaya area.

On Second road, which runs parallel to Beach road there is shop after shop selling t-shirts, board shorts, baseball caps, custom and off the shelf leather shoes, decorative art, sun glasses, jewelry, jeans, sportswear and all types of casual wear for men, women and children. There are a number of markets but one of the biggest and most popular on Second road is the Made in Thailand shopping market which has rock bottom prices with hundreds of small shops one after the other selling mainly clothes but an assortment of bits and pieces as well.

When making a purchase never take the first price they offer you as they expect you to bargain with them so you need to use your best judgment when deciding what that item is worth to you. There is no hard and fast rule when bargaining but some vendors will ask for 2, 3 or maybe 4 times what they would be prepared to take for the item you are buying. Often it’s best to walk away even if you want an item and see if they will come down in price again, you can always go back and buy it for the last price they offered you if you can’t find it any cheaper elsewhere. However, if it seems like a great deal to you anyway and you’re happy with a price, why stress yourself out too much by bargaining, just buy it. Most of these people are quite poor so it doesn’t hurt to help them out with a few extra baht.

Whether you are on holidays in Pattaya or you live there, it’s always fun to do a little bargain shopping. Bargain opportunities are every where in Pattaya and you will notice this from the first day you arrive. I still have quite a few old t-shirts I bought from bargain stalls in Pattaya years ago that are still in great shape even if a little faded.

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