The Force Is With Them
Up until recently, I had thought that Pantip Plaza was home to some of the worst kinds of people in Thailand (even though I am a regular there). They have a thriving illegal music/film/games/software/anything-that-can-be-copied industry, small stalls selling all kinds of odds and ends, hundreds of computer related stores (I mean that literally) and two larger stores catering to the ‘idiot-to-technology’ type of person.
Of all the stores I’ve dealt with (many), they were unfriendly, unhelpful, unknowledgeable and seemed shonky. Some are so bad that, even though I was sure that the product was what I needed, talking to them made me unsure.
Now, if you’ve seen any computers in Bangkok, you may have realised that they’re a little behind the times in terms of technology, with a theory of mine being that Thailand is where technology comes to die, so it came as a surprise to me when I stumbled across a store that was doing thriving business selling the latest and greatest equipment that can be found, including many of the customisation features that have become popular these days (ie lights, cooling solutions, wattage meters, etc). Not only that, but they were friendly, enthusiastic, excited, loved talking about the products and actually knew about them too!
When I was last at the store, Star Wars: Episode III was about to be released and I happened to notice that the store was called The Jedi Shop, prompting a million lines to pop into my head that were each strongly urging me to blurt them out and express my inner geek. Thankfully I managed to resist and didn’t embarrass myself.
If you’re looking for a good shop to buy hardware for your pc from or want to get the cool lights, flashing fans, cases that are transparent on the side (or all over) – this is it. The Jedi Shop can be found on the ground floor of Pantip Plaza towards the very back of the building and towards the right. Tell them Master Sifo-Dyas sent you.
Thanks for the tip
But what does ‘shonky’ mean?
i find myself going to fortune/yaohan more often.
better parking i suppose. and not so many robed people.
bkkmei:
Shonky might be Australian slang for untrustworthy. I say might, because it probably originates somewhere else (like everything else in Australia).
Teaz:
I have to admit, I really do like Fortune Town after a friend opened my eyes to it. It’s missing everything that I hate about Pantip (ie fleets of incessant porn sellers and their like), but with the underground being the best way there and no underground station near me, it’s reserved for special occaisons only :)
Obviously I vastly prefer Fortune Town – the DVD shops are so nice, you never get hassled and, perhaps more importantly, you never get ripped off because you are farang. And really, though they are smaller than Panthip, they have just the same stock – the only difference is that in panthip you get 10 stores selling the same crap. In fortune, you get 1 or 2.
Another stupid question: where is this Fortune Town that you speak of. It sounds fantastic! Do the people there know what they’re taking about?
Umm… can someone help? I don’t really know how to explain and I can’t remember the name of the underground station.
Fortune Town — Get off the Rama 9 MRT station.
Try Zero Rangsit like Fortune but cheaper but its a way out there.
bkkmei: Fortune Town / IT City is at Phra Ram 9 MTRA station (two stops up from Sukhumvit), on Rachadaphisek Rd (opposite the True Tower) it’s a big 4 floor mall, along side a huge hotel and a Tesco Lotus. Floors 3 and 4 are all IT – computers / parts / games / DVDs etc etc. Generally the staff are knowledgeable and polite and eager to help, but not pushy, like at Panthip.
On the assumption you can read Thai, this is the website!
Hope that helps.