Thailand is undoubtedly one of the choicest and biggest places in Southeast Asia for individuals that love shopping. So, if you intend to travel to Thailand from the US, Canada, and other western countries, you probably would want to shop in Walmart. You should know that this Southeast Asian country doesn’t have Walmart. However, is there any alternative similar to Walmart? Where can you shop in Thailand? Let’s provide the answers to these important questions.
Without mincing words, Thailand has a few retail chains that are similar to Walmart. Lotus’s (previously called Tesco Lotus) and Big C are the two major retail chains found in Thailand. Although these brands are not as big and known internationally as Walmart, they have similar offerings to Walmart. Besides, they have numerous stores in different districts around the country. You can walk into any of their stores in any part of Thailand to buy both local and foreign products.
It should be noted that these two retail chains also have stores in a few other countries. While Lotus’s has some stores in Malaysia, Big C also operates in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. However, you should understand that the majority of the stores of Tesco Lotus and Big C in all these countries don’t offer as many products as the retail stores of Walmart.
What is Walmart? Why is it not in Thailand?
Walmart is known as a multinational retail chain that runs various hypermarkets, grocery stores, and discount department stores in more than 25 countries around the world. According to World Atlas, Walmart is the retail chain with the largest revenue and highest number of employees around the globe. Headquartered in Arkansas in the United States, the company operates in Asian countries like China, Japan, and India. In many countries, Walmart operates under other names.
Firstly, you should understand that there is no official reason for Walmart’s absence in Thailand. Factually, apart from Thailand, there are numerous other countries where the global retail chain doesn’t operate. However, the presence of Tesco Lotus and Big C may play a key role in the absence of Walmart in the country.
In general, the retail market of Thailand is already oversaturated by these two Thai retail giants as they have various stores in different parts of the country. Therefore, if Walmart should come into the country, the company will need to deal with strong competition. Considering the fact that Walmart struggled and purportedly failed in Germany, the United Kingdom, etc., the company may be wary of venture into Thailand’s highly competitive retail market.
However, you don’t have to despair if you are traveling to Thailand. All the big cities in Thailand have numerous minimarkets and supermarkets. In addition to Tesco Lotus and Big C, we have Makro and other brands offering similar products that you can find in an average Walmart store.
Local markets and pedestrian street sellers are also available
While the aforementioned retail giants are available as substitutes for Walmart in Thailand, your options are not limited to them. In other words, you can also shop for a wide range of items from the local markets and pedestrian street sellers. These local markets are found everywhere in Bangkok and other places in the country; so, you can never have any issue with shopping.
For instance, if you want to buy clothing items, watches, jewelry, and other local Thai products, you should not hesitate to visit the Night Bazaar in Chiang Mia. Also, you can visit one of the pedestrian street sellers to meet vendors and buy various goods from them. Some of the things you can buy include Thai food and snacks, Thai carvings, Thai silk, Thai lanterns, Thai spa items, and lots more.
You should, however, note that street vendors are different from Tesco Lotus, Big C, and other big retail stores. Many of them only sell local products. Also, if you can bargain well, you can get about a 20% discount on a product. So, try to compare the prices of products from different vendors before buying anything.
Additionally, when buying from local markets and pedestrian street sellers, you need to be careful of fake products. Even though the products may look similar, they may not be of the same quality. Therefore, you need to be wary of this.
Buying from Thai stores
Whether you are going to buy any products from Tesco Lotus, Big C, Makro, or local retail stores, you should bear a few things in mind. The first thing you should understand is that the Thai baht is the only acceptable currency in Thailand. So, unlike Walmart that allows you to buy with dollars, you should be ready to spend Thai baht when shopping in Thailand.
Given this, you should withdraw or exchange the amount you need for shopping before going to the stores. This is the only way to ensure that you don’t encounter any issues when shopping in Thailand. However, the big retail stores also accept credit cards. So, you should be able to buy various products with your MasterCard or Visa credit card.
If you are a tourist in Thailand, some stores will offer a VAT refund on your purchases after spending a minimum of 5000 baht at the retail store. Therefore, when buying in any retail store in the country, you can ask about their policy for VAT refund for tourists.
Another important thing to know about purchasing any good in Thailand is that most stores operate from 10 am to 10 pm daily. So, you may want to shop for anything you need within this period. Nevertheless, some shops open earlier and close later than the aforementioned time. Furthermore, there are night markets that run till midnight for late shoppers.
Conclusion
As explained above, Tesco Lotus and Big C are the closest retail chains to Walmart that you can find. These stores are situated in different locations around cities in Thailand and offer loads of foreign and local products. Therefore, you cannot struggle with shopping in Thailand despite the absence of Walmart.
