Dream of Siam
Thailand living, working and retirement
Shopping in Bangkok
Bangkok is well regarded as a place for those who love shopping, and with good reason. From giant shopping megaplexes to night-time street markets Bangkok offers a range of shopping experiences. This page provides a brief overview of Bangkok shopping, including what to buy and where to buy it.
What to buy?
Pretty much anything you want! However, there are a few caveats to this. Electronic goods such as computers, digital cameras and phones tend to more expensive in Bangkok than in the west or other locations such as Hong Kong or Dubai.
Items that are cheap in Thailand includes clothes, silk, jewelry and precious stones. Beware the numerous gem scams that abound in Bangkok, so if you intend to buy gems or jewelry for investment or trading purposes, or the more expensive pieces, make sure you know what you are looking at at then only go to the locations that have a verifiable good reputation.
DVDs, VCDs and CDs can all be purchased cheaply in Bangkok. T-shirts, souvenirs, jeans, swimming costumes and travel products can all be obtained relatively cheaply in Bangkok. Clothing in particular is cheap in Thailand and you can get a tailor-made suit in Bangkok for a fraction of the cost you would pay back home. Sun tan cream is very cheap.
Unfortunately, there are many pirated products in bangkok and any designer label products should always be treated with suspicion, even in seemingly reputable establishments. Running shoes are a good example of this. I have come across several shops selling fake Nike and brooks running shoes. These are of inferior quality and remarkably cheap. Being a runner and a Brooks running shoe fan I can tell the difference, but it is not always obvious.
There is a big market in refurbished, second-hand phones, so if you are just looking for a cheap mobile for your stay in Thailand then you can get one with a SIM in the main shopping centres.
The main shopping centres
Here's a list of the main shopping centres in Bangkok. There are many more, but these should suffice for even the most hardened shopper.
Mahboonkrong (MBK)
Mahboonkrong Centre, affectionately known as MBK is the grandaddy of shopping centres in Bangkok. If you can't find it here you probably aren't going to find it anywhere, because they have it all. MBK has the feel of an Aladdin's Cave as you are never quite sure what you are going to come across. There are many little stalls where you can buy anything from a refurbed mobile phone to a golden Buddha. There are probably 50 stalls just selling T-shirts. There are many jeans stalls. As well as the smaller stalls there are also the larger retail outlets that we are more familiar with in the west. There is the complete range from watch stores, to beauty parlours, to chemists. Food is big and as well as shops selling all kinds of food products there is a whole floor devoted to restaurants of different nationalities. You can often be surprised by what you can find.
Click here for the official website of MBK
Siam Paragon
This is the brand new mega-store in Bangkok. Styling itself "The Pride of Bangkok" no less. This caters for the higher end of the retail market with lots of expensive designer labels being present. By any stretch of the imagination it is a pretty impressive shopping centre!
Click here for the official website of Siam Paragon
Central Plaza
There are several Central shopping centres scattered around Bangkok. One of the best is the one just off Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road over in the
Sathorn side of Bangkok. To me Central feels much more like a western shopping centre compared to the mind-boggling MBK or Siam Paragon.
Having said that Central is not small and you can find some unusual sites such as Internet cafes full of kids playing online games, photo booths where you can have your picture on the cover of Cosmopolitan and mobile phone worksops with young men slaving over hot soldering irons as they fix you phone for a small fee.
This particular Central has a lovely cake shop and even a Starbucks (Starbucks is fairly common in Bangkok). The Starbucks in particular is a great place to people watch as it is on the ground floor near the main entrance. Central also has a reasonable book shop, with some quite esoteric western titles.
Robinson Department Store
Robinson's is well known by expats in Thailand, as much for the pretty girls that work there as the shopping. Robinson's provides the quintessential department store shopping experience. It has the feel of an up-market store, rather than the cheap and cheerful feel of say MBK. There are a number of stores located over Bangkok, but one of the most popular is the one located at the end of Silom Road, near Lumphini Park.
Click here for the official website of Robinson Department Store
Other shopping centres
The stores above provide just a taster of what available to keen shopper's in Bangkok. I would say at the very least anyone staying in Bangkok should make a visit to MBK, even if for only a couple of hours (it will take that to just walk around and get your bearings).
Click here for a complete list of shopping centres in Bangkok
What to buy?
Pretty much anything you want! However, there are a few caveats to this. Electronic goods such as computers, digital cameras and phones tend to more expensive in Bangkok than in the west or other locations such as Hong Kong or Dubai.
Items that are cheap in Thailand includes clothes, silk, jewelry and precious stones. Beware the numerous gem scams that abound in Bangkok, so if you intend to buy gems or jewelry for investment or trading purposes, or the more expensive pieces, make sure you know what you are looking at at then only go to the locations that have a verifiable good reputation.
DVDs, VCDs and CDs can all be purchased cheaply in Bangkok. T-shirts, souvenirs, jeans, swimming costumes and travel products can all be obtained relatively cheaply in Bangkok. Clothing in particular is cheap in Thailand and you can get a tailor-made suit in Bangkok for a fraction of the cost you would pay back home. Sun tan cream is very cheap.
Unfortunately, there are many pirated products in bangkok and any designer label products should always be treated with suspicion, even in seemingly reputable establishments. Running shoes are a good example of this. I have come across several shops selling fake Nike and brooks running shoes. These are of inferior quality and remarkably cheap. Being a runner and a Brooks running shoe fan I can tell the difference, but it is not always obvious.
There is a big market in refurbished, second-hand phones, so if you are just looking for a cheap mobile for your stay in Thailand then you can get one with a SIM in the main shopping centres.
The main shopping centres
Here's a list of the main shopping centres in Bangkok. There are many more, but these should suffice for even the most hardened shopper.
Mahboonkrong (MBK)
Mahboonkrong Centre, affectionately known as MBK is the grandaddy of shopping centres in Bangkok. If you can't find it here you probably aren't going to find it anywhere, because they have it all. MBK has the feel of an Aladdin's Cave as you are never quite sure what you are going to come across. There are many little stalls where you can buy anything from a refurbed mobile phone to a golden Buddha. There are probably 50 stalls just selling T-shirts. There are many jeans stalls. As well as the smaller stalls there are also the larger retail outlets that we are more familiar with in the west. There is the complete range from watch stores, to beauty parlours, to chemists. Food is big and as well as shops selling all kinds of food products there is a whole floor devoted to restaurants of different nationalities. You can often be surprised by what you can find.
Click here for the official website of MBK
Siam Paragon
This is the brand new mega-store in Bangkok. Styling itself "The Pride of Bangkok" no less. This caters for the higher end of the retail market with lots of expensive designer labels being present. By any stretch of the imagination it is a pretty impressive shopping centre!
Click here for the official website of Siam Paragon
Central Plaza
There are several Central shopping centres scattered around Bangkok. One of the best is the one just off Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road over in the
Sathorn side of Bangkok. To me Central feels much more like a western shopping centre compared to the mind-boggling MBK or Siam Paragon. Having said that Central is not small and you can find some unusual sites such as Internet cafes full of kids playing online games, photo booths where you can have your picture on the cover of Cosmopolitan and mobile phone worksops with young men slaving over hot soldering irons as they fix you phone for a small fee.
This particular Central has a lovely cake shop and even a Starbucks (Starbucks is fairly common in Bangkok). The Starbucks in particular is a great place to people watch as it is on the ground floor near the main entrance. Central also has a reasonable book shop, with some quite esoteric western titles.
Robinson Department Store
Robinson's is well known by expats in Thailand, as much for the pretty girls that work there as the shopping. Robinson's provides the quintessential department store shopping experience. It has the feel of an up-market store, rather than the cheap and cheerful feel of say MBK. There are a number of stores located over Bangkok, but one of the most popular is the one located at the end of Silom Road, near Lumphini Park.
Click here for the official website of Robinson Department Store
Other shopping centres
The stores above provide just a taster of what available to keen shopper's in Bangkok. I would say at the very least anyone staying in Bangkok should make a visit to MBK, even if for only a couple of hours (it will take that to just walk around and get your bearings).
Click here for a complete list of shopping centres in Bangkok