Stores in Pakse

One can tell much about a country by looking into its markets. After lunch in Pakse the other day we stopped in a large Chinese-owned impex store. The main part was all hardware. Transformers, air compressors, pumps, all manner of hardware. Bathroom fixtures, including a large display of American Standard (whose brochures were written in stilted English; based out of Thailand). Store clerks hovered over us as we looked at the dual flush toilets (this in a country that gets 100s of inches of rain per year).

We then went to the consumer side of the store, and it felt like a modern modern supermarket in Bangkok. I bought an Oral-B toothbrush. And A bought Seum a bottle of Nivea sunscreen. And I gave him a hard time for that.

This makes sense- the traditional markets sell food and basic supplies. As the country develops, its first needs are hardware. Things that construction workers need, and companies. Last comes consumer goods.