Shopping Guide

Phuket is a shopaholic's paradise! The island has a great variety of shopping, from bustling open-air village food markets, noisy night markets, street stalls and local shops to western style department stores and upmarket specialist shops. With traditional handicrafts, beautifully designed clothing, jewellery, antiques, housewares and much more to choose from, the only thing you'll regret about shopping in Phuket is that you didn't bring a bigger suitcase!

What would a holiday be without a bit of shopping? Gifts for family, friends and colleagues, something to hang on the wall or put on the mantelpiece to remind you of warmer times, something nice and flattering to wear to show off your new body.

Patong shopping in Phuket

Shopping in Patong Beach got a big boost with the opening of Jung Ceylon, by far the biggest shopping centre on Phuket. The complex has a large underground car park, cinemas, bowling alleys and hundreds of shops and restaurants. Apart from this, shopping in Patong is a frenzied experience, as the bulk of it is done through the bewildering number of street vendors that line all the main roads.

A multitude of products can be found at Patong’s night market. By day things are quiet, but by nightfall the sidewalks are full of shoppers browsing the displays of clothes, souvenirs, accessories, paintings, luggage, leather items, and all sorts of little gadgets that dazzle the senses with flashing laser lights or bleeping noises. Fake brand name goods and pirated CDs and software are usually on offer, except when there's a periodic place crackdown.

DVD's  in Phuket

DVD’s are for sale at just about every West Coast beach: you just have to ask around and you’ll be shown a selection of DVD covers or a list to choose from. In many cases you will be shown a back room bursting with movies and games. Don’t be scared, this is the norm. Rates are between 60 to 100 baht a movie.

A hint: always try to test the movie’s quality. Most ‘shops’ will have a DVD player on hand for this purpose. If for some reason there is no player then gently explain that you will be back if the DVD is not up to par. Signs to watch out for include bad spelling on the cover sleeve. Brand-new movies are not recommendable as many have been recorded on hand-held cameras in a Hong Kong or Beijing cinema and have ridiculously inadequate subtitles.
 

Karon and Kata shopping in Phuket

These two popular beach area are full of tourist shoppers and plenty of places for them to spend their vacation dollar, including the usual souvenir vendors all over the pavements, boutiques, Thai handicrafts, locally-made home decor items (shipped home), clothing and more. Even handy travellers items like iPods and luggage are on sale at surprising prices.

Shopping in Phuket City

Phuket City and vicinity is host to a wide range of shops, from handicraft and antique stores, to the Central Festival mall, and the Big C and Tesco-Lotus on the bypass road, to department stores selling brand name clothing, to furniture and homeware stores selling everything from knick-knacks to custom-made rattan living room sets.

The downtown historical district known as ‘Old Phuket’ is worth exploring for shopping, not only for its unique boutiques and great deals, but also to see some fine examples of Sino-Portuguese architecture. Thalang, Dibuk, Phang Nga, Yaowarat and Krabi roads are particularly charming, as life here among the locals seems to go on much as it did generations ago.

Then there is the Central Festival Mall, which has a variety of brand-name shops, restaurants and cinemas, which is about the best of the few that serve locals. In town there is the Robinson department store which has everything you’d expect in a department store back home, plus a good supermarket and, like central, a couple of bank branches that stay open till 8pm.

To truly appreciate Thailand, you ought to spend time at one of the traditional markets. Try the recently rebuilt central market on Ranong Rd in Phuket City or head for the weekend market (also in Phuket City, on Phang Nga Rd), also known as Chatujak Phuket. It opens around 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Here, you’ll find Thai food, clothes, jewellery, mobile phones, toys, home wares, shoes, and other cheap knick-knacks. It’s the biggest market on the island, so anyone should be able to point you in the right direction. The later it is, the busier it gets – and the more claustrophobic you may feel.

Price Guide

Bartering

Shopping in Phuket is chaotic, but fun if you approach it with the right attitude, just remember that bartering brings the best results when done with a sense of humour and a big smile.......

Remember when shopping in Phuket, the prices in the Department Stores, such as Jungceylon, Robinsons or Central Festival or other shopping malls, Supermarkets and Shopping Centres such as the Big C or Tesco are a fixed price and you won't be able to barter for the best buys.

At the Markets, small stores, Taxi, Toot Toots, shops or street vendors around Phuket, bartering is expected. So brush up on your bartering skills. depending on the vendor expect to pay up to 50% less than the the original price they first state.