I have been meaning to put these thoughts to keyboard for quite some time and had planned to go take my own photos to carefully outline the story. The pics have not happened but at least I have found time to put my thoughts together and hammer it out on my weary laptop. Something has happened in Thailand. It started slowly but had certainly gained momentum in recent years.
The Mama Papa shop is fading away!
It started with the kind of general store/minimart. When I moved to Thailand 20 plus years ago - this was where you bought ur beers, cigarettes, chocolate bars, mobile phone credit, a blue pen, a bar of soap, a birthday card, the list goes on and on. I know all my readers in ASEAN know what I'm talking about. And we all know that these dark, charismatic stores that smell mildly of damp and cooking from the back room with quiet nonplussed owners that never seemed to care about any kind of customer service have slowly been pushed out of business by 711, Familymart and Supercheap!
Here is a classic example of how a local store was when I first arrived in Thailand......
These gentle "Momma Papa Stores" as I like to call them have rapidly been pushed out of business by the corporate machine that is the mighty "Convenience Store"
source: https://www.samuitimes.com
Now don't get me wrong - of course progress is inevitable as economies thrive and the middle class grows. Why shouldn't Thailand's wonderful people enjoy the same convenient 24hour shopping that we take for granted in the west. But as an outsider looking in I can help but feel sad that we are so quickly embracing this fast food, convenience store garbage that really is very superficial and without character.
Next to fall and this is actually something very recent - the "Momma Papa Laundry".....
I have not always owned a washing machine in Thailand as I have moved around between different residences. Often I'm on extended travels in Thailand on motorcycle trips and otherwise. In every neighbourhood, be it downtown Bangkok, beachside tourist towns or rural villages in the dark heart of the rice bowl, there will always be a laundry. The owner is always sweaty and pissed off and unhelpful (not always but you know what I mean). They begrudgingly weigh your dirty clothes and give you a ticket and tell you to come back next year. Then you quietly ask if it would be possible that your laundry could be ready by tomorrow morning and they tell you IMPOSSIBLE! After much pleading and negotiations it is agreed that your laundry can be ready by 11am!
But look now.......
I hate these soulless laundromats. I really do. Where is the grumpy owner with the lying scales? Here I need to have a collection of coins, I need to buy powder and softener from a dispenser. I need to put everything in the machine and then it tells me I need to come back in 27minutes because my laundry will be done! But then what? What about drying and folding? I hate these places!
These are 2 example in Thailand of small businesses changing and corporate giants pushing the little guy out of the picture. I always make an effort to give my business to momma and papa but it is becoming increasingly difficult and dare I say it - inconvenient....:(
Well said! And sad to see these microbusinesses being pushed out. I'm sailing my way to Indonesia and beyond and am looking forward to using and supporting those 'momma poppa' stores as we travel through Sth East Asia.
In the more remote parts of Indonesia the Momma Papa shop reigns supreme! Sounds like an amazing trip you are embarking on!
That's fantastic to hear. And maybe I'll know enough bahasa to ask for what I want 🤞. The excitement is building as we get closer to our departure date from Australia.
Sadly this change is inevitable. These mom and pop shops need to change their business model in order to keep up with the changes and to carter to the needs of their customers. This is slowly happening in Borneo as well.
Yes the business model is changing I believe but still sad to see the corporate machine taking over! You're from Borneo?! I would love to visit there!
Yes I am from Borneo. Do let me know if you are heading this way.
It is the same in Indonesia, some giants minimarket chains doing expansion in all areas of housing. The biggest chains are indomart and alfamart. However, there is a group enterprenours from Kuningan. Kuningan is a distrik in West Java. They become urbanites to open small stores in all areas in Jakarta and cities in West Java. They targeted travellers and they open 24 hours. They sleep in the small shop. They also serve hot coffee and hot instant noodles.
Pic : https://www.maxmanroe.com/cara-menata-warung-kecil.html
The small store is occupied by two people. You can find these kinds of stores in Jakarta. They make good profit.
That sounds like a great example of adaption by smart entrepreneurs! Very hard work and long hours I imagine. But at least the profit is straight to their pocket and not a faceless coorporation.
I can say that they work 24 hours. They usually have shift after 3 monts. They will go back to kuningan and bring a lot of money. Their partners are from Kuningan too. The partners will replace them for three months
Very interesting! I think there is no equivalent operation in Thailand.
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I must admit this is one of the reasons that I headed to Cambodia in 2010 after only a few days in Thailand. I had fully planned to live and work in Thailand, but when I got there this Indiana farm boy felt like I'd moved to the future. This is the moment I realized that Indiana is a third-world country, the chain stores, the fast cars, the multiple land highways, all of these things had been slowly destroying the economy of my little farm town since I was a boy, so I cancelled my three-month long Thailand plans and headed for the Cambodian border without a plan or any prior research other than that I knew it would be more laid back.
Indiana is a third-world country...:) That sounds like where I come from hehe. Yeah its only a matter of time before the retail giants push out all the small businesses in Thailand. We have more and more "mega stores" like Home pro and Watsadu and many massive supermarket chains. Inevitable as the economy grows and people have more spending power. I really must make it to Cambodia now that the covid restrictions are all but done.
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