Setting the price up front?

[Ranger]

quote:

---

Originally posted by fatbastard33:

Originally posted by Ranger:

This year thought I have often returned back to my old ways. This is in part to the number of ladies who "no smoke". In the past all of the women I went with "smoked" but now I find this is not the case. Is there a worse experience in the world than lying in bed with your little cutie and hearing those awful words "I no smoke"?

My approach now is even if I do not negotiate the price I negotiate the services on offer.

Fatbastard33

---

FB,

Boy, is there anything less romantic than asking the girl in the bar whether she is going to suck your dick or not, or screw you twice, etc.?

When I first came here on holiday just over a year ago, I just assumed that all girls did as for a long time I never had one that didn't. Then, it started to happen with more and more frequency and I would start to hear those dreadful words "I no smoke".

I think most girls do, but some are very selective sometimes about who receives this little favor (I've had many girls tell me this). When I first came here, I always took a girl out for a good time first before hitting the room, like a real date (dinner, movies, disco etc.) and when I finally got them home, they would probably have done anything for me. Since I have become a bit less "romantic", the dynamic has changed a bit althouth the "give and you shall receive" method works 99% of the time for me.

Sometimes, I will ask a girl in the bar if "she smokes", but it is almost always an awkward moment for both of us unless she is a hardened pro (not usually the type I go for).

Yes, I know it's a business transaction in the end. But, it's a whole lot more fun pretending that it isn't and negotiating anything (price, services offered, or even ST/LT) sometimes spoils it for me (the pretend romance is still part of the fun for me.

Ranger

[Guest]

I live here and have always discussed the price up front. Have only paid 1500 once, never go short time and pay 1000 LT.

Never had a prob, esp if you tell the girl that you live here.

[CondomKing]

Regarding set the price/don't bother to set the price, could it be an age/looks thing as well, with a little bit of additional risky behavior thrown in for good measure?

I have always set the price, just to be sure that I know what I'm getting myself into, financially, at least. Especially when I drank a lot, it was usually a good idea. I'd hate to be in the position of feeling like a fool because the girl expected more from me than I was willing to pay and we hadn't discussed it before hand. What a pain in the you know what!

Also, I'm a reasonably good looking guy in my early fifties and started coming here 10 years ago, speak enough Thai to get by in a bar and I'm always well dressed when I go out. I have no problem going with almost any girl that I want to, but, I think, most girls would try to charge me a little more, if only for my age. I don't know how old some of the other posters are, but I guess, if I were still 20 something I wouldn't be as concerned with setting a price up front.

My last point is about adrenaline. Some would say that guys who keep coming back to hang out here, are engaging in risky behavior, not just on the STD, level, but just the whole scene of being in such a foreign and exotic environment and then going out, who knows where, half the time in the middle of the night. I just so easy to set a price before hand compared to the alternative, if things don't work out so well, that maybe there is a little bit of low level risk taking involved in not setting the price up front.

Just some thoughts on the subject. Guido.

[nkped]

If you are visiting or a newbie, I would think it would be best to negotiate the price up front. It's a lot easier to hold the price in the morning to the union rate if you really know what that us than if you just hit town. The times I have haggled over price but reached yes, I can't say there was any drop off in enthusiasm. Of course, occasionally the answer will be no.

[Guest]

If you take a tuk-tuk or any other non-metered taxi, you should always negotiate the price up front; otherwise the driver can ask any price he wants at the end of the trip.

The same principle applies with BGs. You are taking a big risk otherwise.

[Ranger]

Max,

Excellent post, I employ almost the same strategy in Pattaya execpt that I usually take go-go girls and 1000B in the morning is never a problem.

Had an interesting experience last night talking about price. Took a regular from Thermae to the ST hotel. This is the 3rd time I have taken her and it keeps getting better. Told her I was going to Pattaya in a couple of days and inquired if she might like to hop the bus and visit me for a day so we could spend the day at the beach and the night at the disco. If course, she liked that idea. I told her that I pay the same for LT (1000B) as I do for ST just to make sure that we wouudn't have a problem as I have only gone with her ST before and she replied "I no go with you for money, I like you. If I want big money I go man Japan". She does hang out with the girls in Thermae that tend to prefer the Japanese. I asked her how much she gets from them and she says 2000B ST or more. Not sure if that's true, but I would be inclined to believe it.

Don't want to turn this into a Japanese bashing thread, just relaying what I was told. Off to Pattaya tomorrow, maybe I'll give the beer bars another chance.

Ranger

[Guest]

I used to always settle price beforehand. Now, if the lady even starts talking about money it's over.

My venue of choice is Pattaya beer bars. I know the going price. I speak enough Thai that any more they don't ask me 'how many day you stay Thailand' but 'khun yuu muang Thai gii pii' [how many years you live Thailand]. (Which always startles me, as my Thai is really atrocious.)

If I sense any reservation I won't even ask the lady to come with me. In fact, I very seldom ask. I just get the check-bin and wait for the lady to ask. No discussion of money, longtime/shortime, do you have men+, do you pick your nose and eat the buggers. The unknown has become part of the excitement.

I always pay 800 Baht long-time. In recent times I only remember one girl who wanted to leave after a short-time. She is also the only girl who complained about money--the going price wasn't enough. But I think she might have had a reason because I barfined her again a few days later and there was no bullshit. With an occasional exception, the ladies always want to stay with me after the first night, so 800 Baht must not be an unreasonable amount. And no, I'm not 22 years old any more. But I treat them well. Take them to a dinner or to movies. I think the idea of paying the girl based on performance is bunk too. We think of it that way. They don't. A girl I've known for a long time jokingly asked me recently, "you still pay 1,000 Baht?" Translation: "You still don't know what's going on?"

I barfined a girl once who later in the evening told me she wasn't planning on getting barfined that night because a farang gave her 3,000 Baht the night before and she was just going to party all night. I asked her what she was doing at my hotel room then, and her answer was: "Men come bar, drink bia, look-look-look lady, say 'how much shot-time, how much long time', I no like. You come bar, joke wit me, play game yoht [Connect-4], puut Thai nit noy, no speak money, I like, I go wit you." Yeah, I know, it could all be bullshit. But perhaps not.

I don't have the same level of comfort in Bangkok though. Except on my last trip I sort of didn't realize I wasn't in Pattaya any more and forgot to ask. No problem, ended up paying 1,500 LT for a lady from Thermae and same the following night from the Apache bar. But generally speaking, in Bangkok I am more comfortable with the price settled beforehand. There I think is a lot more variety of expectations, depending on the venue, beauty, moon phase, and other assorted factors.

When you settle beforehand you can actually end up paying slightly more. I always used to settle at 1,000 Baht LT in Pattaya beer-bars; I only remember once or twice that I was able to negotiate down to 800 Baht. And the negotiation sort of puts a damper on things. Yes, it's still a business transaction, but there are much better ways to start a date than haggle over cash.

Speaking of prices, I don't think it's the newbies who push the prices up. They make a few mistakes, then they learn. And there will always be more newbies on the next TG flight. The newbie price has little or no impact on the going price.

I think it's the residents who make 100KB, 200KB, 300KB a month and don't think twice about paying 2KB or 3KB for LT, weekend after weekend. That creates a habit and an expectation. In fact, there is a rumor that the province of Surin is currently running a budget surplus thanks to several million Baht channeled through the so-called "Surin connection." Never mind, it's a private joke...

All in all, I would say it's down to two things: do you know the territory, and is she comfortable going with you. If it's yes to both questions, you'll pay the low end of the going price, no need to discuss it. If it's no to one of the questions, you'll pay up to twice the going price. If it's no to both questions, God help you.

[ July 11, 2001: Message edited by: Mad Max ]

[ July 11, 2001: Message edited by: Mad Max ]