Somjit Sodkhomkhum, a
clothing saleswoman serving New Naklua Market vendors, poses with some
of her stock.
Vittaya Yoondorn
Along with the water guns, the arrival of floral shirts in stores
heralds the coming of Songkran.
From banks to restaurants to grocery stores, Thais swap out uniforms for
the colorful shirts to celebrate the coming of the hot season and the
Thai New Year. And, this year, a bit of a price war has broken out, with
even mobile phone vendors hawking flower shirts at rates forcing larger
retailers to stage sales.
Somjit Sodkhomkhum, a clothing saleswoman serving New Naklua Market
vendors, said strong demand usually means the Songkran shirts sell at
list price. This year, however, she’s cutting 5-6 baht off the normal
price.
Tourists have made up a bulk of her customers so far, but by the start
of April she expected Thais to get their salaries and dress up for the
holiday. Wholesale prices then will run between 20 and 30 baht per
shirt, with many hotels buying shirts for employees.
On retail, the shirts sell from 150 to 200 baht each, depending on size.
Price hardly seems to matter, she said, as Thais buy the shirts to
celebrate their new year tradition and tourists want to get in on the
action, she said.
