Many foreign tourists make the mistake of paying too much for anything and everything when they go to Thailand. This especially holds true in Pattaya.
The main problem is that they tend to compare the prices of hotels, food, drink and anything else to what it costs back in their hometown. This can be costly for you and for the rest of the tourists. Just because you are on vacation and are a bit loose with your money, don’t just give away.
Let me explain.
Let's say you go out for a seafood dinner and the total for dinner and drinks is $20. You think to yourself that this would cost at least $50 back home. So, you try to compensate by leaving a $5 or $10 tip. Big mistake.
The bellhop carries your bags to your room and tells you how to operate everything in your room. You appreciate this, and compare it to hotels you have been to on business trips, and tip the kid $5. Another mistake.
You meet a girl at a bar and she agrees to go home with you. You spend the night with her and when she gets ready to go in the morning, you tip her the same price you do back home. This is going to be 3 or 4 times the going rate.
What happens now is that all these people start expecting these kinds of tips. Prices start to skyrocket, and the city that used to be the best place in the world for a vacation, will soon be ruined.
You may think to yourself, big deal. I am just one guy on vacation and I can spend whatever I want. It is my vacation. You will just wind up ruining it for everyone else.
The smart thing to do is to hang out at some of the Pattaya forums a month or two before you go and find out what the going rates are. And then, don’t overpay. Otherwise, you will be, in the words of one forum poster, a Lame Dupe Over Payer, or LDOP.
Think about it. You wouldn’t pay $50 for something you know you can get for $20 back home, would you? So, why do it in Pattaya? I am not cheap, but I can’t see paying more than I have to.
If you keep paying more and more, everyone will expect more and more. The consumers need to control the prices refuse to pay inflated prices. Eventually, they will figure it out and lower their expectations.
Keep in mind that Thailand's average wage is about $6 per day. Giving someone a tip equal to a day's pay is ridiculous. Check the prices before you go and don’t compare prices to back home. You are not back home. You are in Pattaya.
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