Riding the elevator up to my hotel room I must admit I did a double take. The sign was written in Thai but there I was in a town in Yunnan. Confused, I read on…
The Thai reads (my translation):
You are welcome up to the Tenth (10) Floor, Room 1002, to the Grade A copied merchandise store. We have clothes, bags, shoes, watches, golf clubs and many other items. Flexible prices. Thanking you in advance!
China is obviously well-known as a global hotspot for all manner of fake and “copied” gear – including fake golf clubs. So it is hardly surprising that my hotel was hosting a store with merchandise of dubious origin. Apparently in China there is even widespread production of fake electronic goods.
Unfortunately when I went to room 1002 it was unattended so I can’t provide any further insight about the more surprising part of the story: the unexpected effort to directly target Thais. I imagine that there are Thai shoppers – both ordinary consumers and serious wholesalers – who do dash up to Yunnan hoping to purchase Chinese copies of designer branded shirts, shoes, watches and all the rest.
I wonder if they get a good deal?
7 responses so far ↓
1 amateur // Mar 15, 2007 at 11:33 pm
We used to know someone who regularly to China (albeit not to Yunnan) to purchase clothing and textiles for selling it at Pratunam (in Bangkok). In her words not fakes but factory outlets. But who knows?
I even heard about stories about chinese cooks resigning from Thai Restaurants in China owned by Thai enterpreneurs just to open their own Thai restaurant…
2 Sawarin // Mar 16, 2007 at 8:50 am
‘ขอบคุณก่อน่้นะึครับ’
interesting transliteration.
3 aiontay // Mar 16, 2007 at 10:58 am
Back in 1990 I bought a short sleeve Ralph Lauren “Polo” shirt fake off of Silom Road in Bangkok. I really liked that shirt. I wonder where the fakes were being made in those days. And then there were all those cassette tapes I bought in Chiang Mai…
4 John Francis Lee // Mar 17, 2007 at 9:20 pm
I always assumed that the “fakes” came from the same factories that made the “real” items. In fact that the only difference between “fake” and “real” is a rake-off to Ralph Lauren, or whomever.
5 Preetam Rai // Mar 18, 2007 at 3:59 am
There are different grades of fakes. There are Korean fakes and Chinese fakes. Apparently Korean fakes are supposed to be better quality fakes.
6 Jon Fernquest // Mar 18, 2007 at 11:06 am
“…welcome up to … Grade A copied merchandise store. We have clothes, bags, shoes, watches, golf clubs and many other items.”
Sounds like a description of Tachileik market across the border from Maesai. Thousands of Thai tourists flood across the border to buy things on weekends and holidays.
More significant than the copies is the wide variety of extremely cheap high quality clothing made in China. I always what the impact of it would be, if suddenly the gates of free trade were swung wide open. It seems that some protection to Thai manufacturers is a good thing. I cringe when I say this, because I was trained as an economist and economists believe in free trade.
7 Johpa // Mar 19, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Speaking of fakes, I use to know a Lahu family that operated a small shop in the older version of the Chiang Mai night market, bottom level in the back. Although they were indeed Lahu, most of their hilltribe wares and Burmese tapestries were all factory made in Burma and then smuggled into Thailand by these three wild and crazy Shan women who sure were fun to go out drinking with. The Lahu family eventually relocated their stall to Chatuchak in Bangkok to sell their fakes to fellow Bangkok fakers.
Speaking of fakes, recent headlines this week here in the US show that in the pet food market, a government recall was enforced that hinted that one company was manufacturing the same pet food for both the inexpensive low end market (Walmart brand) marketed towards the trailer park denizen as well as the high end market (pet store brands) aimed at the nouveau riche. It is all in the marketing.
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