Thailand - Platinum Mall, Bangkok

Bangkok ladies are fortunate to have this mall while I am fortunate as a Dad not to have this kind of mall in Manila, LOL.

I am a guy but I know when "lady things" are really discounted. I can't believe that such kind of mall exists, perhaps because I am not very particular about shopping. For me, if I need something and I can afford it then I buy it. Plain and simple. But when you shop at Platinum, it is very easy to procrastinate due to overwhelming merchandises at very affordable prices. There is always a tendency that maybe it is better to check the other shops and so on until you end up confuse and don't know which item to buy.

When my wife and I visited this mall, I saw the pupil of her eyes enlarged. I have observed it whenever she see me returning back for vacation. This time, it was totally different as if we have entered the seventh heaven, just kidding. Women are like that. They loved to shop and always wanted to look good. Trust me, I have observed my wife losing energy after spending around 3 hours in Grand Palace but when I brought her back to Platinum mall, her battery went fully charged immediately then it was another endless search of "pasalubongs" for our daughter. Actually, we have visited Platinum mall the day before. I understand her for I find extra energy also whenever we visit Ace Hardware or home depot.

Platinum mall is quite huge but not as huge as our SM Malls in Philippines. It has 3 zones. Zone 1 & 2 are inside the main building while zone 3 is located at the other small building where McDonald's is also located.

a giant Christmas tree outside the mall

It has six floors that cater mainly on women apparel and accessories.

                            

Platinum mall is located at the opposite side of Pratunam market and easily accessible by an overpass. However, if you are staying in other parts of Bangkok, then better take taxi when going to Platinum mall instead of tuk-tuk. We have used Taxi several times while in Bangkok and they always use their meters. Unless you are good in haggling, don't try taking tuk-tuk. Further, if you are near any airport rail link, Platinum mall is within walking distance from Ratchaprarop station.

My tip for any would-be shopper at Platinum mall, especially for the first timers, if you have found the item you've been searching for then haggle by all means. Don't think of leaving that shop and compare the price with another shop or check another model and return back once you have decided to purchase that item. Chances are, you will get lost. You might not be able to remember where you initially found that item. It happened to us while searching for floral skirt for our daughter. It will take several trips before you get accustomed to the location of different shops inside Platinum mall because all of them looks the same.

Because of this, when I found a stall selling limited edition vintage Superman t-shirts, I haggled hard. I didn't leave that shop until I got what I wanted. The Superman t-shirt was being sold at 250 Baht per piece; the price would go down to 200 Baht if you buy 3 pieces, at least. They called it wholesale price. I bought two for 200 Baht each and after 30 minutes of haggling. In peso, around 280 per piece. I love these shirts, very comfy and easy to wash and dry. I believe I have seen the same t-shirts in Manila for 450 pesos.

By the way, fitting is not allowed here and they don't accept return merchandise. So take your time in checking or analyzing the item you want to buy.

SOME SHOTS INSIDE

according to my daughter those bags can easily fetch at least 1k pesos in an online shop, we got it for around 600 pesos 

 Wholesale shoppers / Shop owners shopping at Platinum

Sawasdee McDonald's will welcome you at Platinum mall. zone 3 building

The food court is located at the sixth floor. Be aware that you need to change your money into coupon first before you can buy food or drink. This coupon is like swipe debit card. You deposit certain amount to the card at coupon counters then for each transaction or food/drink purchase the amount will be deducted on your card after swiping it on the machine. You may return the card after dining to coupon counters to refund the remaining amount. I don't know what is the reason behind this cash for coupon and I have observed that it is also being practiced in other food centers. However, if you will eat at KFC, then there is no need to change your money for KFC cashier accepts cash. In addition, you are not supposed to take photograph inside any restaurant or dining area. After taking the picture below, I was politely reminded by the police inside the food court. I have noticed that there are several police officers or security staff at any given time within the food court.

In addition to the above, picture taking inside this mall is prohibited and you can be fined 2000 Baht. However, I couldn't stop myself from taking some shots but I did that discreetly and whenever we have purchased something from that shop I would ask politely if I can take photo, they usually agree. I believe, they prohibit photography inside the mall so as to prevent their design from being copied. You can see the no photography sign on some shops and entrance doors of the malls, not only in Platinum.

My wife has compared prices with MBK mall, though it was more comfortable to shop at MBK mall due to its facilities and less crowd the price was not as competitive with Platinum. The only drawback was the quality. You should inspect thoroughly the merchandise for some of them are good quality while some are not. Anyway, unlike men who are used in wearing the same shirts for some time, the ladies normally use their dress sparingly hence even a low quality dress can last.

EARLY BIRDS

Bought from here my Christmas gift to my eldest son who was broken hearted. He loves this shirt.

PLATINUM MALL Part 2

Few days back, I brought my wife and two kids to Platinum mall. My daughter who is in her second year college taking up Business Administration has decided to put up an online shop in Philippines. I readily agreed and supported her. I have provided a few hundred USD as seed capital. However, upon reaching Platinum mall, she begged to have extra funds for personal consumption.

That was the most dreaded part of our Bangkok trip. Knowing her, she would use all her charm on me so as to be able to achieve her goal. Another unexpected expenses down the drain. Not to mention my wife's shopping budget as well.

Anyway, my daughter was delighted and even commented that given a choice, she would prefer to stay in Bangkok for few more days. Surprisingly, I became deaf at that moment.

Shopping galore shots

Mossimo pants - the only item I bought, unfortunately it was small for  my size 

While we were shopping, my daughter noticed that some of the clothes and bag she bought in some online shops were actually the same items displayed in several stalls inside this mall. Because of this, during our 4 days stay in Bangkok, we visited Platinum mall daily. Regardless whether we have been visiting other touristy places the whole day, my wife and daughter would find extra energy to come back to this mall during night time. It was very fortunate for me that this mall started closing at 7 PM. Otherwise, I might become crazy seeing those women's apparels wherever I look for hours.

Nevertheless, if my daughter's online shop become successful then I would definitely bring her back to this mall. As of today, she has received at least 10 reservations.

Revised on 09 May 2012

January 2014

Anti-government protesters in front of Platinum Mall during the Chinese New Year celebration

Presently, there is a night market along the sidewalk of Platinum Mall. Likewise, bags can be as cheap as 199 THB while men and ladies shoes can be bought as low as 200 THB to 300 THB. The night market extends up to Palladium Mall.