The Emporium in Bangkok

The Emporium is a large building which houses the Emporium Shopping Complex and the Emporium Department Store. It is on Sukhumvit Road between Benjasiri Park and Soi 24 in Bangkok, Thailand. Apartments and offices are beside the shopping areas. It is the most luxurious and expensive place of its kind in Bangkok and Thailand's high society are seen here.

It has some good shops, as you would expect, especially in home furnishings, English language books, home appliances, and sporting goods. For entertainment there is a five screen cinema which operates on the 6th floor of the Shopping Complex. It includes digital, standard, and 3D screens.

Asia Books is an English language bookshop which offers a 10% discount for members. The cost of membership a year ago, when I purchased mine, was 200 baht. It is a one-time payment. The bookshop is on the 3rd Floor of the Shopping Complex. A second English Language bookshop on the same floor is Kinokuniya which has a better selection but does not offer a discount. From time to time, Kinokuniya holds discount sales of less popular books.

The Wi-Fi systems in the Shopping Complex are poor. Truewifi works unreliably and not at all in some parts of the Shopping Complex. Truewifi sells monthly Wi-Fi memberships for 500 baht which they say can be used all over Bangkok. This has not been my experience. Opinions of shop assistants vary on whether you can buy the memberships in the Emporium or whether you have to travel to Siam Paragon. Truewifi is best avoided.

AIS, the phone company, has AIS Hotspots which do work at their hotspot locations. However, there are large areas of the Shopping Complex where AIS does not work. People pay around 900 baht to have a month's access at AIS Hotspots around Bangkok. I don't think it is worth the money personally. There are not that many AIS Hotspots and their Hotspot areas tend to be small. There are large parts of the Shopping Complex where AIS Hotspots can not be used.

The first three or so times I came to the Emporium I got lost. Almost to the point of panic. There seemed to be no end of problems finding a way back to the Sukhumvit Road entrance. I was unable to communicate that I was lost. I also could not explain where I wanted to go in Thai. Despite the high number of foreigners, shop assistants have very basic or non-existent English Language skills.

Perhaps there should be a GPS system in operation for new customers to the Emporium. Or plenty of easy-to-read maps showing their location within the building. However, once you have visited many times, as I now have, everything seems to fall into place.

The Emporium has lots of shops, but I have visited only a few so far. These shops may not be typical. I have reviewed a few of them. The Mandarin Oriental Shop is a cafe on the 4th Floor. It charges premium prices. A cup of coffee is over 125 baht. This is about four dollars. The coffee is poor quality. The shop often sells out of certain lines of food by just 3 pm; despite opening until at least 9 pm. The service is excellent if you are sitting in line-of-sight of the front counter. This could be good or bad, depending on one's personal preferences. Some people do not like to be bothered while they are reading, or eating.

This cafe has a good selection of English Language newspapers including the International Herald Tribune, the Bangkok Post, and The Nation. Surprisingly, they do not have Wi-Fi internet. If one asks to use their power points one is refused. Without Wi-Fi and with high prices Mandarin Oriental Shop is not recommended.

Starbucks has an outlet on the 4th Floor of the Shopping Complex, and another outlet in the annex on the 2nd Floor between the Shopping Complex and the Emporium Suites. The coffee is expensive for Thailand. They have a Wi-Fi system called KC Hotspot which costs 120 baht per hour. The coffee is not great and you will pay around 90 baht for a Cappuccino. The Starbucks' outlet in the Shopping Complex has no power points which is surprising with their very high internet charges. Starbucks at the Emporium is not recommended if you are using a computer.

The Whittard Coffee Shop on the ground floor of the Shopping Complex is on the same bank of escalators as the cinema's. It has free Wi-Fi and moderate prices for coffee, tea, and food. The Wi-Fi internet comes in 30 minute blocks. One block is usually given with a purchase of food or drink. A frequent customer may get more internet time. Be careful because there is no warning before your time runs out. The login process is quite lengthy. I like the tea and muffins here. The staff are friendly. With the free Wi-Fi included, Whittard is recommended.

One of the extraordinary facts about the Emporium is that it has no proper gold shop. I find this completely bizarre. Of all the shops you would want in a high-end shopping mall in Asia, a gold shop would be close to the top of your list.

The Emporium is a highly recommended shopping experience. But it does not give the best value in Bangkok. It has a Skytrain connection on the 2nd Floor of the Shopping Complex which is very convenient. The Skytrain Station is Phom Phrong. You can take Skytrain to the Siam Station, and you can walk straight into Siam Paragon. I think Siam Paragon is better value. However, visitors to the Emporium can expect good service, high prices, top-end products, and a wide selection... but not a gold shop!

Michael Edgerston lives in Thailand and writes on Thailand related subjects. He is building a Thailand Travel website at http://www.ThailandTravel.net and also has a Thailand Travel Blog at http://www.Thailand-Travel-Blogger.blogspot.com.

By Michael Edgerston