From Super Cheap ( a Thai shopping "cultural experience") to Central Festival try Phuket Shopping.
For those who love to shop, Phuket is the place to go. The options are plentiful and the true shopping-nut could spend weeks searching around the island for one of a kind finds.
The things that make Phuket shopping unique are also the things that cannot be purchased in much of the world outside of Thailand. For example, Celadon ceramics are made with centuries old techniques using Phuket clay, and come in shades of jade green, brown and cobalt blue. Visit Ceramics of Phuket for more information about this particular art form.
Dating back to ancient times, bronze artwork is today one of Thailand’s great deals. Creations formed into the shapes of anything from elephants and Hindu deities, to bowls and spoons can be found at many boutiques and department stores.
Visit Authentic Thai Shopping for more information on Thailand’s unique, locally made goods.
For a list of shopping locations around the island, visit Where to Buy on Phuket.
Some useful tips and FAQs can be found at Shopping Information.
Looking to buy something, but not sure what that something is? Visit Unique Goods and Stores, for a list of shops (and locations) that are truly one of a kind.
If you're looking to purchase t-shirts, sarongs, imitation brand name bags and shoes, cheap handicrafts and other inexpensive items of the sort that are sold on the side streets of Patong, Kata and other tourist areas, it may be worth a trip to Phuket Town where prices are quite a bit cheaper. Make sure that you bargain with the shopkeeper. One thing in Patong is that sometimes the starting price may be quoted to you as 1000 baht and you walk away feeling like you got a deal by purchasing that item for 600 baht when in actuality, the starting price in Phuket Town for that very same item was 500 baht and you were able to purchase it for 300 baht. Price is all relative - it's in the perception of getting a "deal" but beware that inflated prices as a starting point are a norm on the streets of Patong.
Fixed price "mega stores" are Big C and Lotus/Tesco. Both are supercenters offering a wide variety of everyday goods for locals. It's fun to spend an afternoon browsing and for those folks who can wear the local sizes, bargains abound. There are food courts in both centers to partake of some of the local snacks and food and the local buses (not tuk tuks) also service those two centers.
For those looking for something a little more upscale, the Festival Shopping Centre offers a wide variety of stores.
Tailors: lots of "bargains" to be found - quality is another thing. Beware of the $99 USD deal where you get 2 pairs of pants, a suit jacket and 2 shirts or some such combination. You do get what you pay for. Look at the quality of the fabric and also the quality of the cutting, stitching in addition to the obvious things like are the sleeves the same length, do the pant legs match or are the buttons sewn on the lapels in the same place where the buttonholes are. Yes, buyer beware. Solicit input from some of the Phuket Experts on this forum for ideas of reputable tailors on the island.
