Phuket Shopping

When it comes to shopping, PhuketSpace customers and visitors to Phuket have a lot more options to choose from today than they used to. What was done at a twice-weekly local market (but still can if you want!) can now be enjoyed in several world-class malls with their associated businesses, with elegant boutiques selling antiques, brand-name clothes, artefacts, etc, plus all the essentials. 

Add to that mix numerous art galleries, large gem stores, Thai silk and textile stores, furniture shops and factory outlets and you'll start to appreciate the variety of shopping opportunities in Phuket.

Local Markets

They say that if you really want to get to know a country, you should visit its local markets. In Thailand that's certainly true; you can soak up a whole lot of local flavour just by walking around the local market.

There are two types of markets in Phuket. The first type is known as a talad sod (fresh/wet market) which is essentially permanent, and open every day and in the same place. There are many of these all over the island, but Downtown Markets is the main fresh food market in Phuket. Located on Ranong Road in Phuket Town, the market open 24 hours a day but the produce available varies depending on the time of day. The best time to shop is actually early morning from 2am to 6am, when much of the produce is at its freshest straight from local farms or the airport. Many local restaurant owners and distributors come to do their shopping at this time.

On one side of the road is the open-air market selling mostly fruit and vegetables, and on the other side is the new indoor market, where you’ll find meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables and other food inside.

The second type of market is the talad nat (meeting market), similar to the kind of weekend markets you'll find elsewhere, where farmers bring their produce into town to sell. They are everywhere; throughout Thailand almost every village, big or small, will have one. They usually open in the late afternoon and are finished by 8 or 9pm. You woun’t have to travel far in Phuket to find one of these markets open! Local shoppers flock to them because the produce on sale is usually fresher and cheaper than in the supermarkets.

The exception to the rule for Phuket is Talad Tai Rot. One of the most famous markets in Phuket, it’s a weekend market on Chao Fa West Road near Central Festival Phuket. This is a typical Thai bazaar, featuring all sorts of items similar to those sold at the other two market types above. And it’s huge!

Beachside Stalls

For the first time visitor, the initial introduction to shopping on Phuket is often the beachside stalls. You can find all kinds of trinkets, fake designer labels, copied DVDs and CDs etc, though this is probably not the ideal place to do your shopping: the quality of the goods is variable and the prices can be higher than elsewhere. The beachside stallholders are paying high rents for these prime locations and these costs have to be passed on to their customers. Their opening price may well be triple or quadruple what they are willing to accept. Even if you haggle them down to their lowest price, you will probably be able to find the same product cheaper elsewhere.

Tourist Town Shops

You can find some good deals in the tourist towns but in general, prices are higher than elsewhere on the island. Land near the beach is very expensive. Rents are therefore expensive and this is passed on to the customer. The further you go from the beach the more likely you are to find good deals. There are many shops and stalls off Rat-U-Thit Road in Patong offering prices lower than the beachfront shops. These prices may seem cheap to most western visitors although in fact they are still high by Thai standards. Ocean Plaza in Bangla Road has some good deals for genuine goods.

Supermarkets

The easiest places to find good, cheap, no-frills deals are the supermarkets. The goods have their prices clearly marked and there is of course no haggling. Don’t expect to find top-quality brands here, but prices are excellent and you can find some real bargains. Two major supermarkets dominate Phuket: Tesco Lotus and Big C.

Big C 

Almost next door to Central Festival on Chalermprakiat Road is Big C. This supermarket and shopping mall chain is French owned. The building contains a huge supermarket stocked with a wide range of products. It is hard to beat the prices at the supermarkets.

On the bottom floor is a shopping mall which includes a large number of mobile telephone and computer shops. Bus Computer has two shops here and they are one of the best computer outlets on the island. There is also a food hall and a children's play area.

On the top floor are a ten-pin bowling alley and an events hall which usually has some kind of sale or fair going on.  

Tesco Lotus

This supermarket and shopping mall is on Chalermprakiat Road north of Big C, right on a major junction. The British supermarket chain Tesco has a significant presence in Thailand. The supermarket is big and stocked with a wide range of goods. A wander around the fresh food department is entertainment in itself! Check out the range of tropical fruits, vegetables, seafood and other exotic foods. The supermarket stocks a wide range of other products and all at prices that are hard to beat.

There is also a small shopping mall which includes shops, restaurants and a Home Pro DIY store. On the second floor is a food hall, games arcade and children's play area.

Shopping Malls

The major Phuket shopping malls contain a mixture of chain shops and independent retailers. Most of the independent shops and some of the chains will adjust their prices if you ask them nicely, but not by huge amounts.

Robinsons

Robinsons is probably Phuket’s first shopping mall. Located in Phuket Town on the corner of Tilok Uthit 1 Road and Ong Sim Phai Road, this five-storey department store sells everything from designer clothes and accessories to sports goods, souvenirs, jewellery, toiletries and electrical goods. The prices may be a little higher than some other outlets but the goods are genuine and decent quality.

Ocean Shopping Mall

Also in Phuket Town, opposite Robinsons off Tilok Uthit 1 Road is Ocean Shopping Mall. This is a down-market shopping mall where you can find some good quality goods at very reasonable prices. It contains mostly clothing stores but you can also find CDs, souvenirs, toys, telephones and more.

Ocean also includes a multiplex cinema which has some English language screenings with Thai subtitles. Ask for the ‘soundtrack’ films. There is also a ten-pin bowling alley, games arcade, karaoke booths, a children's play area and a few restaurants.

Central Festival

The newest addition to Phuket Town’s growing collection of shopping malls, Central Festival is on the outskirts of Phuket Town at the junction between Wichitsongkram Road and Chalermprakiat Road (Darasamuth Junction). With over 250 shops and more than 50 restaurants, it has just about everything you could want under one roof. There is a big department store (Central), a supermarket, food hall and a fantastic variety of shops. Many of the shops are chains selling genuine designer goods. The prices are therefore higher than other shopping malls but still lower than in many western countries for the same goods.

There is a multiplex cinema screening English language movies with Thai subtitles on the third floor. Originally, there were plans for a ten-pin bowling alley on the top floor but as yet, this has not opened. The only thing Central is really missing is a children's play area.

Index Living Mall 

This furniture store and shopping mall is on Chalermprakiat Road just north of Big C. The top floor is an Index furniture store. It is mass produced furniture and not the sort of produce you would think of exporting from Thailand. Downstairs is a small shopping mall including Thai antiques and handicrafts shops. For sushi and other Japanese food, there is an Oishi restaurant that does an excellent all-you-can-eat buffet for 350 baht per person.

Jung Ceylon

Jung Ceylon is the latest major new development in Patong; a large entertainment complex containing shops, restaurants, bars, a cinema and accommodation. There is a large Carrefour supermarket on the ground floor, and a fountain and lights show every evening at 7pm and 9pm in the central courtyard.

There is plenty of parking underneath but not surprisingly they charge a parking fee to try to prevent people from using their car park as a base for their night out down Bangla Road. A shopping receipt from one of the major outlets will get you three hours of free parking and only a small charge for staying beyond the allotted time. 

Ocean Plaza (Patong)

On Bangla Road in Patong is Ocean Plaza. This small department store and shopping mall is an easy place to shop in Patong. Unlike many other shops in Patong, the prices are reasonable and the goods in the department store are genuine. There are also some restaurants and a small ten-pin bowling alley.

Premium Outlet

Out on the Bypass Road (Chalemprakiat Road) near the junction with Thepkrassatri Road., Premium Outlet is an area of clothes and accessory shops selling genuine designer goods that are either out of season or have minor flaws. The merchandise is still good quality and is sold at significant discount.

Speciality Shops

Jewellery

You can find good deals on gold, silver, gems, pearls and other jewellery. Thailand is a world centre in the jewellery trade and you can find items considerably cheaper than at home. Silver is an especially good buy. It really helps if you know a little bit about what you are buying but if not your best bet is to shop around and get an idea of the prices. If you are thinking about reselling back home you should know that it will be difficult to make a significant profit.

You should avoid the shops in Patong. There are also several tourist trap shops around Phuket that get most of their customers from tour companies and by paying commission to tuk tuk and bus drivers. If your driver takes you to a shop you did not ask to visit then it is because they will pay him commission. You will not get a good deal from such shops and should not buy anything.

There are good jewellery shops on Montri Road in Phuket Town and more around Ratsada Road and Ranong Road.

Should you be interested in pearls, you could consider a trip to the pearl farm on Naka Noi Island

Thai Silk

Thai silk is considered one of the finest fabrics in the world. Producing genuine Thai silk is a laborious, time-consuming and highly skilled work and the final product is almost a work of art. Unfortunately, most of the fabric that is offered to tourists as Thai silk is actually a replica made from polyester. It is still a nice fabric but in no way compares to the real thing.

One way to identify genuine Thai silk is the price. The cloth costs more than 500-baht a meter straight from the producers and by the time it reaches the shops it is far more expensive. Even small items of clothing selling for under 300-baht will not be genuine Thai silk. Of course, just because something is selling for more than that, it does not mean it is real silk.

Thai silk can be hand-woven or machine-woven. The hand-woven cloth is the most sought after and can be recognised by the small imperfections in the weave. Strangely, it is the imperfections that are a sign of authenticity while a perfect weave is certainly a machine produced cloth.

Another way to identify the genuine article is that any pattern will only show on one side of the cloth while on the other side you will see an outline of the pattern.

The safest way to get the genuine article is to go to reliable dealers such as Robinsons or Jim Thompson and expect to pay a significant price for the product.

Tailors

The tailors may appear to offer good deals but in reality most of them are producing cheap sub-standard clothes at inflated prices. It may sound impressive to have a made-to-measure suit but the tailors actually all farm their work out to the same local sweatshops. The cloth is often poor and the standard of work only has to be good enough for the suit to last until the customer has returned home. 

Antiques and Art

You need a permit to export Buddha images or genuine antiques from Thailand. You need to contact the Thai government's Fine Arts Department. The easiest way to do this in Phuket is to go to the Thalang National Museum who can advise you if the item may be exported and arrange the necessary paperwork.

The best area for antiques and art shops is the old town area of Phuket Town. If you wander around the old streets of Dibuk Road and Thalang Road, you will find many interesting antique and art shops. It is also a chance to admire the Sino-Portuguese architecture of the oldest buildings in Phuket Town.

Furniture

If you are a resident or interested in exporting furniture back home then you can find good deals on handcrafted furniture. Teak is an especially good deal. The best deals for teak are in northern Thailand where it grows naturally but if you are not visiting the north then you can still get good deals in Phuket. There are some good furniture shops on Thepkrasattri Road just north of the junction with Bypass Road.