The Big Payday

It was payday and we were in need of some items from the store. Little did we know but payday is not just an event here in Thailand, in a way, it is the event. In Canada payday is commonly on a Friday. One Friday half of society gets their pay and on the other Friday the other half gets theirs. It seems like a nice egalitarian way of taking turns at wealth. Everyone gets their time in the “I have money” sun before reality once again puts them in their place until the next day of pay. Then as a person jumps up the scales of their career they may ascend to the monthly pay-scale called “salary”. Those that ascend to this level are assumed to be professionals and thus also capable of budgeting past the bleakness of the bi-weekly payday, and so, can survive on a thirty-day rotation.

But here in Thailand, it appears, everyone is paid at the end of the month (not just the salary-paid, responsible, elite). I don’t know this for a fact, but observation does agree. At the end of every month there is a day or two in which every store, local business, and the humming of the markets in the street itself are in full bloom. Everyone moves about like bees with flowers, floating from one thing to the next without a care in the world, spreading their influence and unknowingly causing the procreation of all that is around them. In this manner every local market grows at one time, gathering strength for the oncoming month until the next monthly payday for all who are Thai.

Cheryl and I ventured into the store in search of our daily items. The first stop was at the bank machine where we found incredible line-ups with no sense of personal space for all involved. Then the store itself was yet another sardine can of fun. It was crammed from shelf to shelf, aisle to aisle with bustling, grabbing, and voracious shoppers. You would have thought it was Canadian Tire the day before Y2K. People were moving in mob-like fashion, weaving through each other like fish caught in a net. Items were not removed from shelves they were claimed into possession and coveted by those left gaping.

I was in awe of the event. I felt that I was once again witness to one of the many things that make this the “amazing Thailand” that tourism claims it to be. It was truly awesome and I was amazed. Why would the economy function purely on a monthly basis? Does that not slow the public consumption for two weeks at a time, or is it a strategy at encouraging mass consumption during the initial two weeks of each month? In either event, I once again felt I was sitting on the meridian and observing the crazy drivers at work. I think I will take care of my future shopping prior to the end of the month; I might be another driver on the highway of life, but I just don’t like driving that crazy.