Comments on: The Irony of Shoe Shopping in Thailand

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:01:49 +0000

Thanks Tim, I haven't specifically been to Esplanade yet, but I'll try it. I was at the new Terminal 21 yesterday and asked around - no dice there either. Funny that you commented this week - I may have to get some minor surgery on my feet to remove a bone spur due to running in ill-fitting shoes. My running shoes are about 4 years old, which - my running friends tell me - is about 3.5 years past the date when you're supposed to replace them. :)

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 08:49:20 +0000

I had the same problem. Also size 14. Whenever I saw shoes on sale, with the boxes all lined up outside the shop, I would give a quick glance and see if there was anything. The one good thing is shoes in that size, if they can be found, are often on sale as no one buys them. I did find one true size 14 shoe, some adidas trail running style shoes, at Esplanade. I found 13's that that I could squeeze into in athletic shoes without too much every so often.. nothing ever in a dress shoe though. The tourist traps selling knock offs are targeted at westerners, so the shoes they sell there, while low quality, are sometimes available in larger sizes.

Really interesting site - Not in BKK anymore, in Vancouver, but am enjoying reading through it.

By: thanr

thanr — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:59:45 +0000

I can put myself in your shoes a bit (all puns intended).
I'm in Seoul and I couldn't find a US 11 or 12 shoes here, most shops will carry up to size 10.5 only, even though Korean guys are taller than Thai guys in average.

By: Lach

Lach — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:08:01 +0000

Never had a major problem with shoes in Thailand, but it took me 2 months on the local diet before I was able to fit into the largest pair of shorts I could find in Big-C Phrae. It was the happiest day of my life.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:00:39 +0000

Thanks for commenting everyone. It's a weird problem to have, especially knowing all the shoes are made here. Leela, you have to come with me one time to a shoe factory - we'll picket outside demanding access to their catalog. :P

By: Leela

Leela — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:19:16 +0000

That is uncanny! I was complaining to a friend yesterday of the exact same thing. I'm quite tall for a Thai girl (5' 8") and cursed with feet that require size 9 (US) shoes. Shoe shopping in Bangkok, as you can imagine, has not been easy. It seems they don't make or sell cute shoes in sizes larger than 7. And if they do, I'm always too late to the store. Don't really know how it works, but the tourists seem to get the first dibs and there's nothing left by the time I get there. Oftentimes, I end up with the "comfortable" shoes found at various export fairs that seem to be made -- in Thailand of course -- with western women over the age of 70 in mind.

By: amy

amy — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:12:21 +0000

The irony indeed!
I've had similar experiences before. I once bought some really nice clothes at Saks in NY and then found out later that they were made in Thailand and Cambodia. I could've saved myself a trip and some money! LOL

By: Frodo Douchebaggins

Frodo Douchebaggins — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:28:36 +0000

As a friend of mine commented when I told him this story, talk about a big carbon footprint.

By: Koh Samui Travel

Koh Samui Travel — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:07:36 +0000

Haha, well, finally you have come one step closer to the perfect solution. Although in my opinion, nothing beats custom made shoes (at least for my Thai-sized feet).

By: Richard Escobar

Richard Escobar — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:52:15 +0000

Made in Thailand!? Hahaha! That's awesome. Another great post, Greg!