<p>
Yesterday, I was about to go upstairs to get my eyeglasses when she said that she wanted to get them. So I let her. When she returned, the frame of my glasses looked as if it had been through a mangle. Oh, dear.
<p>
It wasn't a huge disaster. The glasses were quite old and needed replacing. The lenses were badly chipped and whenever I propped them on my head to do close work they slipped off easily when I bent forward. This morning I went to the part of town where there are several shops selling eyeglasses.
<p>
Eyeglasses are a good example of something that can be bought in Thailand a lot cheaper than in the West. However, as with anything in Thailand, there are some dos and don'ts.
<p>
The first thing I would advise is to find a small, independent shop that can offer real discounts. This is sometimes easier said than done. The Top Charoen chain dominate the eyeglass retail market in Thailand and there are branches everywhere. There is another chain called Beautiful Optical. This is also owned by Top Charoen and prices are the same.
<p>
These places 'claim' to offer a discount, but if an item is never sold at the pre-discounted price then it isn't discounted. Their prices are high and if you ask for a real discount they refuse because they say the discount has already been applied, which it hasn't.
<p>
Furthermore, claiming to offer a discount using a percentage figure that contains four decimal places is just pathetic. I guess that this ruse was dreamed up by some bright spark MBA in the marketing department.
Once you have found the right shop, never agree to the first, second or third price that they give you. Instead, look at what's on offer but then tell them that you are going to take a look around. Firstly, the initial prices they give you are massively inflated and secondly, these shops tend to get very few customers. As a customer, you actually have some buying power.
This morning I didn't want to pay a fortune. I wanted a light, comfortable, sturdy frame and I find that the lenses that tint automatically in sunlight are useful in Thailand because it is so sunny.
Designer names mean absolutely nothing to me. A designer name just increases the price without increasing the quality. My only rule in Thailand is NOT to buy any eyeglasses with the brand name 'Percy' and walking around with 'Percy' on the side of my head all day. This may be acceptable to a Thai, but not to an Englishman.
I found some titanium frames that fitted the bill and was told the price was Bt7,000. The lenses I wanted were Bt1,800 - total Bt8,800. Too expensive. The shop owner noted my expression and told me that I could have the glasses for Bt6,500.
At this point I said I was going to look around other shops. As I started to walk out of the shop she shouted Bt5,000. I smiled, but said I was still going to look around. As I walked towards the door the price fell miraculously to Bt3,500.
I could probably have played this game a little longer, but Bt3,500 didn't sound too bad and if customers run these small independent places out of business all that will be left is Top Charoen. When that happens there will be no such thing as cheap eyeglasses in Thailand.
They told me that the glasses would be ready in half an hour so I went for a coffee at Starbucks. Sure enough, I returned 40 minutes later and they were ready. Now, I just need to make sure that my daughter doesn't get hold of them.
In big department stores and supermarkets in Thailand prices are displayed and these are the actual prices. In many small shops prices aren't displayed, and even if they are they aren't the actual prices. Haggling is still very much a way of life in Thailand at many small shops and markets.
You can pay a lot less for eyeglasses in Thailand than the Bt3,500 that I paid today. I have a friend in Songkhla who goes to a small shop and pays around Bt700 for glasses that look perfectly reasonable. There is no designer label and the basic lenses have no fancy coatings, but they still do the job.
No comments:
Post a Comment