the necessity to mark-up prices
Saturday, October 24, 2009 (3:49 PM)
it may have been the owners' greed backfiring. it may have been the tourists' paranoia at being ripped off. whatever it stemmed from, marking up prices has become necessary for the survival of the thais.
tourists now shop in thailand expecting to shave a significant amount off the quoted prices. it doesn't matter much the amount you quote in the beginning, what matters is how much you shave off the quoted prices. an item going for 1000 baht has to be quoted much higher. possibly at 1500 baht. and letting the buyers bargain till it hits a 1000 baht is a lot more gratifying for them than quoting 1000 baht to start with and refusing to cut it further.
it doesn't make sense but cutting prices and entertaining bargains have long become a form customer service.