Shop till you drop in Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Platinum Mall and JJ Market or otherwise known as Chatuchak needs no introduction. These are two crazy shopping places for you to well shop till you drop. The only difference is, you’ll get to do it in-doors and with the luxury of air-con in Platinum Mall.

With 6 storeys and a new wing, be prepared to spend at least half a day in Platinum Mall if you want to pick out some good bargains. There is a food court on the 6th level, where you can stop for a bite before you continue with more shopping. And for those who need your dose of caffeine to keep going, Grand Canyon is on B1 along with a few other stalls providing light bites.

International cuisine awaits you on the 6th floor

This is a wholesale mall so it’s common to find two price tags. One is the retail price and the other the wholesale price which is typically quoted only if you buy a minimum of 2 pieces or more. It’s also not surprising to see shoppers with huge trolley bags as some of them are shop owners who get their “stocks” from here.

Our trolley bag to contain all the shopping

Do bear in mind and observe these rules when shopping here

  • No Trying – none of the shops allow you to try on the clothes, which means you have to consider if you can fit in what you buy. Most thai ladies are of a slim built so stick to clothes that are stretchy or just have a relaxed mentality that you may have to ditch some items…or lose weight  to fit into them 😛
  • No Refund – shops have strictly no refund policy so don’t even bother to try.

For moms out there, a shop that I want to recommend is Jolly Jilly that sells children’s clothes.

Unlike some of the shops that sells clothes that even Sophie would be embarrassed to step out in, the line of clothes that they carry are really adorable and chic. I regretted not buying more as the exact same designs were being sold in JJ market at slightly marked up prices.

The address for the shop 222/1261/3, Zone1, Soi Orchard8 ,FL.5. Located just in front of the Bank towards the bank of the building.

Some of the clothes I bought for Sophie for about S$6 a piece! Love the orange top with the wind up mice and don’t you find them familiar? Yes that’s the mouse from Leo Lionni’s storybook.

If you’re patient enough to walk through the grid like layout of the mall, you may end up up some good bargains ranging from…

 The formal to semi-formal to …

Causal wear

Men’s wear – on level 4 of the mall

And for the weekend, one must brave the crowd and navigate through the seemingly impossible to finish JJ Market, also known as Chatuchak Weekend Market. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that the market is gianormous! It’s got everything literally under the sun, from clothes, shoes, furniture, souvenirs,  handicrafts, pets, plants, appliances, art, books, food….


Lots of yummy local snacks


fried quails eggs with salt and pepper!

fruits ready to be made into smoothies

stall selling coconut drink and coconut ice cream located near the MRT entrance

green mirinda which tasted like honey dew


our family t-shirt

Love the accessories I got. A mixture from Chinatown and Chatuchak.

To prepare yourself for shopping in Chatuchak, dress comfortably. That means footwear included. If you’re there in the middle of the afternoon, the heat may be unbearable as the crowd thickens.  If at all possible, do aim to give yourself a head start by starting early.

And my last piece of advise to you is that if you like something you see, just bargain hard and buy it if the price is acceptable to you. You’ll have a hard time coming back to the exact same shop as the shops here is like a maze.

How to Get to Chatuchak

  • Take the BTS to Mo Chit station, take exit no. 1 and keep following the crowd!
  • Another option is to take the MRT to Chatuchak Park station (exit no.1), then again follow the crowd until you arrive at the small entrance that leads into the market (clothing section).
  • The weekend market is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 – 6:00pm.

And so that concludes my trip to Bangkok. And I leave with an iconic picture of Bangkok…

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Cars stuck in the evening after-work traffic jam 😛

More shopping places in Bangkok

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Comments: 22

  1. Corsage @ A Dollop Of Me August 3, 2011 at 11:57 pm Reply

    Sounds like a really satisfying holiday in terms of shopping! Did your hubby shop with you?! If so that’s amazing as mine can only last 1 hour shopping =P

    • Susan August 4, 2011 at 7:26 pm Reply

      Yes he did! He said he was my personal “porter” carrying my stuff! But he was aware that my agenda in Bangkok was to shop so he did it without complaining.

  2. Suzy August 4, 2011 at 4:17 pm Reply

    Love the post! I’m going to Thailand again next week and I was wondering if you maybe remember where did you got those cute earrings and the leopard dress?

    • Susan August 4, 2011 at 10:29 pm Reply

      Hi Suzy, the earrings are from Chinatown but they can be found in Platinum mall level 1 too. As for the dress it’s from platinum mall, a shop called Dress Me on either level 3 or 4. It’s one of the shops that’s just opposite the escalator.
      Have fun shopping in Bangkok!

      • Suzy August 5, 2011 at 2:44 am Reply

        Thanks a lot 🙂

        Can’t wait to go to Platinum and still 6 days left 🙂
        By the way, what a nice co-accident. My name is Suzy and so is yours, I have got a baby girl so do you, I love BKK shopping and so do you 🙂 xoxo

        • Susan August 6, 2011 at 12:31 am Reply

          Such a coincidence 🙂 So are you bringing your daughter along for this trip to Thailand?

          • Suzy August 9, 2011 at 2:46 am

            No No… she is going to stay with her gradma. To reach Thailand from Cyprus we need 11 hrs in the plane so I wouldnt dare taking her with me- she is fine with granny and I can rest as well.

  3. candy October 9, 2011 at 6:34 pm Reply

    Hi! I was doing my homework for my first trip to BKK & came across your blog…
    Thanks for posting… It’s helps a lot… May I know where you had purchase your cutemickey mouse trolley bag? In Spore? Can i find it in BBK or in the east of Spore? Many thanks. Also which 5* hotel you would recommend that is the best?

    • Susan October 9, 2011 at 8:55 pm Reply

      I bought it from Bangkok. They are very commonly found in Chatuchak market, platinum mall, pratunum area, Chinatown area. Spoilt for choice!

      On my last trip, I stayed at Fusion Suites and Citypoint hotels. The good thing about these two hotels is that they are accessible by train, Asoke station. I’ve also stayed at the Amari Watergate hotel, it’s just opposite Platinum Mall. But to get around, it’s mainly by cab or the tuk tuk.

  4. Lynn April 16, 2012 at 3:44 pm Reply

    Hi! My first time planning for a trip to BKK, came across your blog … saw the 2 hotels that you posted, Fusion Suites & Citypoint. Is it near to the airport? any places of interest to recommend? heard that BKK has a Man Utd shop as well…any idea where it is? hope to hear from you soon. thanks!

    • Susan April 17, 2012 at 9:29 am Reply

      The two hotels are not near the airports. They are near to the BTS station Asoke. But I find that it’s better if you live near the BTS or the shopping area, as the journey from the airport area is quite far.

      As for attractions, are you referring to the temples or floating markets etc? I mainly go to BKK to shop, so don’t really go to the usual attractions. But you may like chatuchak weekend market. I love shopping at platinum mall and Mbk.

      You can refer to a few of my posts to see the places I went 🙂 Let me know of you need other information.

  5. Lynn April 18, 2012 at 2:38 pm Reply

    thanks for replying. When is the best season to go to BKK? how does the taxi fare charge there? from airport to hotel? by meter?

    hmmm..have you been to floating markets? is it somewhere easily accessible?

    What do we have to keep a lookout in BKK for first timers?

    thanks alot for your advice 🙂

    • Susan April 20, 2012 at 7:53 pm Reply

      Hi Lynn,

      I would say it really depends on what you’re looking for as a tourist to BKK. I don’t visit the floating markets and temples so I can’t comment on that. BKK is great for their street food, cheap shopping and massage.

      I can’t answer questions on shopping as I’m a shopping queen.

      As for the taxi fares, it depends on which hotel you’re staying. If you do take the taxi from the airport most will go by meter anyway.

      The weather is Thailand is similar to Singapore. Hot and occasional down pours.

  6. Cynthia June 5, 2012 at 8:33 am Reply

    Geat blog and pictures!!
    I love Chatuchak Market!!! I could spend a week there and not get bored 🙂

    • Susan June 6, 2012 at 1:18 pm Reply

      The heat was very unbearable that day at 40 degrees. I didn’t stay more than 4 hours and left by noon. But I do enjoy shopping there.

  7. Angie August 30, 2012 at 8:13 pm Reply

    Love the family tees! I’m a terribly bad shopper and hubs hates to shop. I hope I will be able to bring back some good buys this trip! 🙂 Thanks for sharing Susan!

  8. […] Platinum Market and Chatuchak weekend market […]

  9. Lilly May 6, 2014 at 6:38 pm Reply

    Hello Susie,

    I landed on your blog by accident trying to figure out which place is best to shop by wholesale price. I’m opening an accessory shop and would like to see where I can get the best price and quality. Seems like you are a pro-thailand shopper 😀 . I’ve never been to Bangkok but heard of its shopping paradise. I am battling between Chatuchak and Platinum mall for accessories. Which one would you recomment? In need of your advices!!

    Regards,
    Lilly

    • Susan May 6, 2014 at 8:43 pm Reply

      For accessories, it would have to be Chinatown! But do go early as the shops starts to close around 3, 4 in the afternoon. My second choice would be Platinum Mall.

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