Shopping in Patong and Phuket means basically buying souvenirs, bags, cheap shoes, jewelry, tailor-made clothes and antiques/woodcarvings.

Along Beach Road, Bangla Road, Soi Post Office and Soi Permpong one finds hundreds of small shops offering souvenirs, T-shirts (copies), watches (copies), lighters (copies), laser pens, knives, perfumes (copies), toys, "leather" bags (copies) and jewelry. Besides these many makeshift shops and stalls there are boisterous jewelry shops and tailor shops.

You shouldn't really expect huge bargains nor anything out of sight. The supply is mostly the same everywhere you go. But it is fun to stop, shop and haggle while the mild climate and the exotic faces give you an air of exintrisity

Jewelry and tailor shops operate with quite big profits compared to European shops. Don't hesitate to haggle! 10% off the "special price for you" is a minimum, 30% is possible even in high season, and 40% is not unheard of.

Be aware that Thai gold is not much of a hit in Europe as well as the other way around. Thai people love high carat golds. 22 to 24 karats are the norm, whereas craftsmanship is rather poor.

Once in a while there are big markets at the northern end of Patong beach where prices are far more moderate (eg for clothes).