5-11 How To Explain Thailand's Alcohol Sales Laws

 Forget it - it is not possible.  We ran into this problem the second time we went to Lotus Supermarket.  We were ready to check out about 10:30AM with some wine and after-dinner drink in our cart.  Nope you can't buy alcohol until after 11AM we were told. We wandered around the grocery for thirty minutes looking at all the snacks and other things you can buy.  We probably spent $1-$2 US more on junk food.  

This afternoon around 2:30PM we walked to the closest 7/11 to pick up a small bottle of after-dinner drink.  All the alcohol is behind the check out area.  Oh, no - you can't buy that until after 5PM we are told.  And then she moves aside and there posted right behind her are the hours you can buy alcohol.  

Alcohol sales are allowed from 11AM to 2PM and then again from 5PM until midnight.  

But that is not really true.  If you are a supermarket or a small grocery store those are the rules.  If you are a bar - your hours are whatever is in the agreement/license you got from the government.  Just recently the laws changed again - but just for four of the most tourist centered areas like Chiang Mai or Bangkok.  Now they can make alcohol sales until 4AM, but only in those four areas.

There are even more rules.  In case of an election, you can't buy alcohol from 6PM the day before until after 6PM election  day.  And don't get me started on the rules for certain Holidays!

So what is the reason given for these strange laws.  Well, just like my home state of New Mexico, the reason given is to cut down on DWI's and drunk and disorderly conduct.  So you may ask, What difference has it made?  The answer is - none what-so-ever!  If you live in Thailand you will know the laws and find a way around them.  So it is the tourists who are the most effected.  That is why they changed the laws to favor the most heavily touristed areas.

So will we go back to the 7/11 at 5PM to get our alcohol?  Absolutely!  It's the principle of the thing!!