Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Restaurants, food, beverage, hawkers, and local markets and suppliers. This is the place for discussion on Hua Hin's culinary options.
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

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^ Thanks. it didn't work for me, or show any stores. I'll mess with it later. It did block my back arrow to the forum which I hate when sites do that!
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

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I expanded the map over Hua Hin until the green pin indicating shops appeared. I then dragged the map towards Bangkok (didn't go into Bangkok) and there was nothing for miles. I then checked the area of Isaan, where I've recently visited - absolutely void of Starbucks.

My conclusion is that even Starbucks know they aren't for ordinary Thais - only the rich, and pretenders.
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by sateeb »

Loads of Starbucks and so called Hi end coffee shops in Khon Kaen, Korat, Buri Ram etc...all in Isaan
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

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Yes, and all with a fair Farang population.
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by sateeb »

Big Boy...Having lived in Isaan ( Khon Kaen) for over 7 years prior to moving here, let me assure you that the Thai customers vastly outnumber the farangs in Starbucks etc. Isaan is awash with mega rich Thais making money off the poor rice farmers.
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

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Yes, but the OP is not talking megga rich - it is talking NORMAL Thais.

Maybe there is a megga rich population (in addition to Farang) in those areas, which will be why Starbucks have moved in. What % of the population of those areas would you consider as regular customers?
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

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Just my opinion. I don't believe for one minute that the likes of KFC, McD's,Burger King, Starbucks etc opened up shop in Isaan areas to pander to the Western ex pats desires. When I first moved to Khon Kaen in 2004 there was a very small close knit group of ex pats living within the city,( can't give you the figures for the village dwellers), certainly not enough to sustain the profit greedy likes of these big chains.
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by STEVE G »

Big Boy wrote:What % of the population of those areas would you consider as regular customers?
I'd have a guess at less than 1%, most people I've visited in Issan are working in the agricultural sector where you struggle to make enough to visit the village noodle stall. Sure, there are wealthy Sino-Thais with money in the cities but it's a small fraction of the population of the area.
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by Pleng »

I think it really all depends on your definition of a 'normal'Thai.

Yes your average hooker or street food vendor isn't going to be able to afford to go there (and they probably wouldn't want to either; class snobbery). And I'm starting to think that many people on this forum think there's nothing between hookers and HiSos...

Anybody who woks in between these two extremes; retail, hospitality, banking, medical and airline staff spring to mind for starters, is probably earning at least 500bt a day* so, while a Starbucks isn't going to be an every day occurance, it's certainly in reach as a once-in-a-while treat. Much as in the same way as a steak dinner at a posh restaraunt isn't within reach of the same class in western society, but can be looked forward to as a tasty treat (mind you... I suppose the middle class in western society probably don't even *like* steak, and they only ever eat it becasue of image, right.... :banghead: )


*based on an advert I saw for a cashier's position at Tesco Lotus, offering a starting wasge of 50bt an hour - assuming most staff would be working 10 hour shifts
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by caller »

Pleng wrote:I think it really all depends on your definition of a 'normal'Thai.
Amen to that!

I'm with sateeb on this. I use the starbucks in the mall in Korat on a regular basis. One day a week, I see a group of 4/5 farangs there for what is a regular meet-up. I see a smattering of other farangs. But the vast majority of users, by a Country mile, are Thais. At times, especially at lunch, I can't even get a seat and they will be moving to new, bigger premises, when the Mall extension is finished.

They are patently not all hi-so Thais, but in a city of 450,000, there are clearly going to be more than enough Thais to keep the place going.
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by STEVE G »

Big Boy wrote:This link will do that http://www.starbucks.co.th/store-locator/map
I see that the two in Hua Hin are the only ones in the 600 km from Samut Sakhon to Surat Thani so a lot of normal Thais have to be prepared to travel to get a cup of coffee!
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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by hhinner »

Big Boy wrote:I went into the one next to the clock tower soon after it opened. I was so astounded by the price for a cup of coffee in Thailand that I've never crossed their threshold again. If that's what it takes to be a hi-so, then I'm glad I'm not.

IMO the best coffee in Hua Hin is from the little coffee shop at Hua Hin Hospital.
hhinner wrote:I have several favourite coffee stalls that do iced espresso to my taste. I'm due to visit Hua Hin Hospital in the next week or so, so I'll have to try that one. Sorry - not about Starbucks.
Big Boy wrote:I don't think you'll be disappointed - let us know.
Not bad at all. 3 months until next cup.

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Re: Is Starbucks in Hua Hin for normal Thais

Post by Nereus »

I suppose that it is not only Starbucks that have this problem. But just image trying it here!
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Time is money at cafe where you’ll pay to stay

https://thewest.com.au/news/offbeat/tim ... b88345810z

Hold onto your soy lattes people — the days of lounging around your favourite cafe, taking up precious space for other customers while you pass several restful hours downing your one beverage and hogging the wi-fi could soon be over.

A new style of cafe rapidly gaining popularity in Britain is calling time on lingering coffee laggards, charging patrons for the time spent there instead of what they consume.

You won’t find price tags at Ziferblat, which has launched three outlets across Britain since late 2013, and plans to open five more this year. The coffee, cold drinks, cakes and biscuits are all free . . . but it will cost you 10¢ a minute, or $6 an hour to use the cafe.

Ziferblat, which means clock face in Russian, first started in Moscow, and has attracted a loyal following, with coffee-lovers won over by the more communal, laidback atmosphere where they serve themselves and even clear away their own dishes.
Its website says the cafes are “like an extension of your own home”, and pitch the set-up as the perfect meeting place for quick catch-ups or even business meetings.

“Our doors are open to everyone,” it says. “Each Ziferblat guest becomes a micro-tenant of the space, responsible for it and able to influence our culture.

“Everything is free inside except the time you spend there. We charge per minute with a day cap and that’s all. By paying for your time you’ll be making a donation towards growing this idea.”
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