This much work done in two weeks they are really working to open it as soon as possible .
Well I knew we couldn't be country forever, and it has happened that the big time is coming to Wang Pho . Believe it or not they are building a 7-11 6 blocks from my home , in one way I'm excited and in other ways I am sad , excited , because now I can get a great Hot Dog anytime I want and they make a great ham and cheese and egg sandwich that I love and you can pay almost any bills there and they (omg) are going to put in a ATM . Now for the sad , all of our little Mom and Pop shops are going to see a big decline in business, from the college near by and from the 950 students that attend our local high school.In most cities the 7 is a little more expense, but most of our local Mom and Pops shop at Makro and Lotus and bring it back to their stores and add a few, sometimes more baht to the price which will make the 7-11 cheaper.It would be different if the Thai folks would continue to be loyal to the local shops , But as you and I know it's all about money and survival here in the Los and especially in these small village , every little baht makes a difference. One shop owner I talked with said he is going to sell or close his shop and also sell his house and land and move to another small village and open up another shop " maybe a different business all together", he said . I think they (the little shops ) can see the handwriting on the wall , It's just like it was in our town in America when Walmart came to town , it hurt all the little small shops and many of them just went under at no fault of their own , people are going to shop where they can get the most for their money , that is human nature.
We (Ciejay and Me) are still very happy here in our little village of Wang Pho located in a large fertile valley , at the foot of a small mountain range and on the bank of the famous River Kwai,and as I have said many times ,thats why we are "Retired In Thailand and Loving It."
Change is certain, and probably our grand-kids when they are adults will call Wang Pho THE BIG CITY. Malcolm
4 comments:
Testing, testing, 123.
Well, as a former resident of Wang Pho. I can say this with certinty. That the mom and pop's shop owners were profiting off the poor and uneducated people of that village and surrounding areas. The mom and pop's shop owners had beautiful homes and automobiles that are newer. Many of their customers had only motorcycles and many were old and almost dead motorcycles. I remember buying a can of "coke light" for 14 baht, the same "coke light" they bought for 11 baht at makro. That is a 30% mark up. The prepaid phone cards that almost everyone in Thailand uses are suppose to be sold at face value. I know the stores there were adding a 5 baht per a card surcharge. In the one store their 2 girls were going into the big city studying at a private school, while many of their customers couldn't afford to give their kids lunch money. It will be nice for the folks of Wang Pho to go to the 7-11 and be greeted with a smile and a pleasant "sawadee krap" and their change handed back to them with a smile and a "thank you". I would choose that any day over having the change slammed on the counter and an inaudible grunt. I think the mom and pop's store owners are gonna get exactly what they deserve. I wish 7-11 all the success in the world and hope the folks of Wang Pho and nearby villages enjoy their new store.
Richard
Anonymous Richard, where are you moving to next?
Sadly it seems commercialism is catching up all over the world. When we first moved to the Viterbo region there were very few out of town stores, now there are loads. I hope the local stores will survive they have done here so far as most people operate from their homes without expensive overheads and people still prefer the personal approach to shopping.
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