Your face lights up whenever you hear the word “shopping,” so of course, you know that you have to visit Bangkok to experience its amazing shopping scene. You’ve already been looking at 5 star hotels in Bangkok near shopping areas, found the perfect flights for your trip and, of course, saved up some money for shopping in the city.
But you need to know that shopping in Bangkok is not for the weak-hearted. So here are some nifty tricks that will help you get the best deals while keeping your sanity—and budget—in check:
Don’t stuff your luggage.
Unless you’re willing to pay hundreds of dollars for excess baggage, you have to be strategic with what you pack for your trip because there’s a good chance you’ll be buying more than what you planned. With all the deals in Bangkok, it’s almost impossible not to go home with extra luggage. So if you just pack the essentials, you’ll have room in your luggage for the things that you will buy. But if you really can’t avoid going over your baggage allowance, make sure to purchase those extra kilos beforehand.
Stay near the shopping district.
Bangkok is notorious for its traffic, so it’s best to choose a hotel that’s near shopping areas to avoid getting stuck in traffic and losing precious time for shopping. This also helps you to save money on taxi rides, so you have more money to spend on shopping.
Be prepared for a hot day of walking.
You can choose to shop in air-conditioned malls in Bangkok. But if you’re really looking for great deals, you have to check out the outlets, local shopping centres and weekend markets. And yes, that involves a lot of walking around the city under the heat of the sun. Make sure to bring a water bottle to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day, wear light clothing and comfortable shoes so your feet won’t hurt, and try to plan your route strategically so you won’t be spending most of your time walking.
Try to shop on weekdays.
Unless you’re visiting the Chatuchak weekend market, try to shop in Bangkok on weekdays when there’s not as many people as on the weekends. Go bright and early when the stores have just opened to avoid the crowd and so you also have plenty of time to go around and check your options before making your purchases.
Don’t be afraid to haggle.
What’s great about shopping in Bangkok is that you have a lot of opportunities to haggle, especially in local markets. For starters, you have to bring cash because a lot of these local shops don’t accept any other form of payment. Having cash will also make it easier for you to haggle with local vendors. In fact, vendors expect you to haggle, but do it with respect and don’t make your offer too low. Remember that these vendors do business for a living. So make sure that you also haggle just enough for them to still enjoy good earnings.
Now that you have these tips, you can start shopping in Bangkok and even plan the rest of an amazing holiday in Thailand while you’re at it.
