Clothing store owners in Hat Yai are selling flood-damaged clothes at prices below cost, in the tens of baht, just to survive. With heavy hearts, they have nothing to say to "Mayor Pan" except that they will not vote for him again.
On 2 Dec 2025 GMT+7, after the floodwaters in Hat Yai began to recede and some areas entered cleaning phases, vendors at Plaza Fresh Market, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, brought various goods like fashion clothes, bags, and watches to sell below cost. The goods had all been damaged by floodwaters, so owners sold them to recover some funds. Many local people flocked to buy the discounted items.
At the scene, reporters found Ms. Laksika Ratbunthong, 36, a wholesale fashion clothing store owner, sitting alone in distress and crying.
Ms. Laksika said she runs a wholesale clothing shop behind Bangkok Bank, but floodwaters reached the second floor. After the flood, she started selling clothes below cost from 6 a.m. Normally, items sold for 120 baht or more, but now she sells them for only 20 to 30 baht each.
This is the third day she has sold clothes below cost. When asked about her total investment, she said it was very large, in the hundreds of thousands to millions of baht. But the floodwaters swept everything away, leaving only the clothes seen now, which she sells to survive.
Mr. Somsak Duangphakdi, 47, owner of KungKeng, a wholesale Muslim clothing store, said his stock was flooded and he is selling below cost. For example, wool sweaters costing 200 baht each are sold for 50 baht. When asked if all his stock was flooded, he confirmed everything was soaked. Yet, he must help himself and is trying to salvage and sell all the merchandise below cost.
Previously, floodwaters reached the second floor during the first wave. He had moved about 80% of his stock upstairs but left some on the lower floor. When the second flood arrived, waters reached the second floor, soaking all the goods. He estimated his total investment at 2-3 million baht. He sells wholesale Muslim clothing and exports to Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand’s three southern border provinces.
Finally, when asked if he had a message for "Mayor Pan," he said he did not know what to say, feeling choked with emotion, and could only say he will never vote for this person again.
