Platinum Mall

The best place for buying clothes, shoes and other accessories in Bangkok right now is undoubtedly the Platinum Mall at Pratunam.

This retail cum wholesale place has something for everybody. In many of the shops, you can get stuff for (dirt) cheap if you buy three instead of one. There was this one shop with nice tops - where 1 top was costing 240 baht, but 3 were a bargain at 180 each - and what's more, you can even choose different colours and designs. All shops have their own deals - some are only wholesale and don't sell one piece at all. It has become a shopping trend for friends to go there in groups so that they may purchase for cheap in three's.

I don't quite like the design of the mall though - it is difficult to navigate, easy to miss many nooks, corners and aisles, and also very difficult to locate a shop which you want to visit again; not to mention the crowds thronging the narrow aisles all day.

The place closes quite early though - by 5 or 6 pm, most shops are packing up even though there are a lot of shoppers around and still potential to make sales, but the vendors simply shut down - seemingly uncaring and oblivious to the prostects of making more money - which could possibly mean that they are already making a lot of dough.

There is also a reasonably good food court on the top floor, where you are warned every ten minutes or so to beware of thefts and guard your belongings.