Mall Trek

Since Tim and the kids were gone, I decided to go down to the Soi Cowboy, get drunk, and carouse the night away in the company of many women.  Okay, that is a complete lie.  As tempting as such a night of debauchery might be,  I opted to go to see the new Star Trek movie at the nearby mall. 

I arrived at the mall at 8:30, and the show wasn't scheduled to start until 8:50.  They have parking set aside at the mall for residents of Nichada, so I easily found a spot.  After making my way up to the seventh floor, I got in line to buy a ticket.  I was a little concerned because they didn't have the ropes to form a line up.  Let's just say that many Thais haven't mastered that kindergarten skill of waiting your turn.  If there is a momentary hesitation by the person in front of them, or a small gap, many Thais believe that is an invitation to rush forward.  It baffles me that a people so laid back and unconcerned about time are unable to wait their turn.  Fortunately, there were no such incidents tonight.  Unfortunately, the clerk told me that the 8:50 show was at the First Class theater, and that the price for one person was 600 baht (about $18).  I think its the same price for two people, as its a two person sofa, and the ticket price includes a couple of soft drinks and a bucket of popcorn.  I wasn't going to pay almost $20 to see the movie, so the representative told me the other show was at 10:30. 

There is no way I'm waiting for two hours at the mall.  Even though the shops are supposed to be open until at least 9:00 p.m., many of them start closing at 8:30.  I didn't really feel like buying a ticket, going home, and then coming back either, so I decided to come back tomorrow or another day.

As I was leaving, I decided to go against all my better instincts and stop at Auntie Annie's.  Not only do I not need the calories, but about three out of four experiences at the Auntie Annies in Thailand leave me frustrated.    Whether its serving me a "frozen" drink that is not in fact frozen, or after I wait in line for more than ten minutes informing me that the item I want will take another seven minutes, Auntie Annies puts the "cuss" in customer service.  This time, the line in short, but the woman in front of me orders the last two pretzels in the case.  I order a set item, and the girl smiles at me and says "mote laow". 

Mote laow means that there are no more left.  In this case, however, it meant that although there were twenty minutes left before they close, the people just didn't give a damn enough to make another pretzel.  Of course, part of me wants to call bullshit, but its just not worth it.  If I do, of course, I'll the the one in the wrong.  Pointing out that someone is not telling the truth or is incredibly incompetent at their job is not done here, so I saved myself the frustration.  I'll say this about Auntie Annie's, they are consistent. 

Having failed in two endeavors, I decided to stop at the grocery store in the bottom floor of the mall.  I only had about $12 in cash with me and about $20 worth of items.  The check out lines were pretty crowded, and I got into the express line.  The sign was in Thai and English, and it said 8 items or fewer.  I checked several times to make sure that it didn't say cash only.  I even saw someone in front of me holding what looked like a credit card, so I thought I was in good shape.  After a ten minute wait, its my turn.  As the clerk starts to ring up my items, I pull out my debit card.  She looks at me, smiles in that Thai way that lets you know that they are about to say something that is going to tick you off, and she tells me that the line doesn't accept credit cards.  At this point, I have a few options.  I could point out that the sign makes no mention that it is cash only.  Of course, I'll just see more of the infuriating smile.   I had enough money to buy some of the things that I wanted, but I really didn't want to give Tops any money at that moment.  So of course, I just smiled, said that I didn't want it and left.  Okay, maybe I didn't smile, I can't remember, but I did leave. 

I guess the upside was that I went to the mall and spent a grand total of about forty-five cents.