On my previous visit to Patong Beach I stayed with a friend of mine, master photographer Ben Heys. Upon arriving he warned me about the pushy tailors who would try to shake the hands of tourists as they walked past. Trick is, they wouldn’t let go! For reasons unknown I, the suit-wearing businessman, was able to resist the automatic reaction to shake a pro-offered hand while Ben, the reclusive artist, controlled the impulse only after a week.
In the wrong mood the pushy salespeople who line the streets of Patong Beach can be extremely irritating. Here are some tactics to deal with them when you’re not in a shopping mood:
- if they call out to you (and they will) acknowledge them with a smile and keep walking;
- avoid shaking out-stretched hands unless you’re in the mood for a lengthy hard-sell;
- glance over their goods as you walk by (most times they will leave you alone if you simply, without breaking stride, check out what they have to offer); and,
- walk behind other tourists and let them be targetted rather than you.
Most of all, don’t forget common courtesy in the land of smiles. More irritating to me than pushy sales people are rude tourists, like those who completely ignore a waitress whose job it is to welcome customers to a restaurant. A quick smile and a shake of the head is sufficient to tell her that you’re either not yet hungry or not interested in that restaurant.
About James Quinn-Hawtin