| The Emporium is a large building which houses the | | | | operation for new customers to the Emporium. |
| Emporium Shopping Complex and the Emporium | | | | Or plenty of easy-to-read maps showing their |
| Department Store. It is on Sukhumvit Road | | | | location within the building. However, once you |
| between Benjasiri Park and Soi 24 in Bangkok, | | | | have visited many times, as I now have, |
| Thailand. Apartments and offices are beside the | | | | everything seems to fall into place. |
| shopping areas. It is the most luxurious and | | | | The Emporium has lots of shops, but I have |
| expensive place of its kind in Bangkok and | | | | visited only a few so far. These shops may not |
| Thailand's high society are seen here. | | | | be typical. I have reviewed a few of them. The |
| It has some good shops, as you would expect, | | | | Mandarin Oriental Shop is a cafe on the 4th Floor. |
| especially in home furnishings, English language | | | | It charges premium prices. A cup of coffee is |
| books, home appliances, and sporting goods. For | | | | over 125 baht. This is about four dollars. The |
| entertainment there is a five screen cinema which | | | | coffee is poor quality. The shop often sells out of |
| operates on the 6th floor of the Shopping | | | | certain lines of food by just 3 pm; despite opening |
| Complex. It includes digital, standard, and 3D | | | | until at least 9 pm. The service is excellent if you |
| screens. | | | | are sitting in line-of-sight of the front counter. This |
| Asia Books is an English language bookshop which | | | | could be good or bad, depending on one's personal |
| offers a 10% discount for members. The cost of | | | | preferences. Some people do not like to be |
| membership a year ago, when I purchased mine, | | | | bothered while they are reading, or eating. |
| was 200 baht. It is a one-time payment. The | | | | This cafe has a good selection of English Language |
| bookshop is on the 3rd Floor of the Shopping | | | | newspapers including the International Herald |
| Complex. A second English Language bookshop on | | | | Tribune, the Bangkok Post, and The Nation. |
| the same floor is Kinokuniya which has a better | | | | Surprisingly, they do not have Wi-Fi internet. If |
| selection but does not offer a discount. From time | | | | one asks to use their power points one is refused. |
| to time, Kinokuniya holds discount sales of less | | | | Without Wi-Fi and with high prices Mandarin |
| popular books. | | | | Oriental Shop is not recommended. |
| The Wi-Fi systems in the Shopping Complex are | | | | Starbucks has an outlet on the 4th Floor of the |
| poor. Truewifi works unreliably and not at all in | | | | Shopping Complex, and another outlet in the |
| some parts of the Shopping Complex. Truewifi | | | | annex on the 2nd Floor between the Shopping |
| sells monthly Wi-Fi memberships for 500 baht | | | | Complex and the Emporium Suites. The coffee is |
| which they say can be used all over Bangkok. | | | | expensive for Thailand. They have a Wi-Fi system |
| This has not been my experience. Opinions of | | | | called KC Hotspot which costs 120 baht per hour. |
| shop assistants vary on whether you can buy the | | | | The coffee is not great and you will pay around |
| memberships in the Emporium or whether you | | | | 90 baht for a Cappuccino. The Starbucks' outlet in |
| have to travel to Siam Paragon. Truewifi is best | | | | the Shopping Complex has no power points which |
| avoided. | | | | is surprising with their very high internet charges. |
| AIS, the phone company, has AIS Hotspots which | | | | Starbucks at the Emporium is not recommended |
| do work at their hotspot locations. However, | | | | if you are using a computer. |
| there are large areas of the Shopping Complex | | | | The Whittard Coffee Shop on the ground floor of |
| where AIS does not work. People pay around | | | | the Shopping Complex is on the same bank of |
| 900 baht to have a month's access at AIS | | | | escalators as the cinema's. It has free Wi-Fi and |
| Hotspots around Bangkok. I don't think it is worth | | | | moderate prices for coffee, tea, and food. The |
| the money personally. There are not that many | | | | Wi-Fi internet comes in 30 minute blocks. One |
| AIS Hotspots and their Hotspot areas tend to be | | | | block is usually given with a purchase of food or |
| small. There are large parts of the Shopping | | | | drink. A frequent customer may get more |
| Complex where AIS Hotspots can not be used. | | | | internet time. Be careful because there is no |
| The first three or so times I came to the | | | | warning before your time runs out. The login |
| Emporium I got lost. Almost to the point of panic. | | | | process is quite lengthy. I like the tea and muffins |
| There seemed to be no end of problems finding a | | | | here. The staff are friendly. With the free Wi-Fi |
| way back to the Sukhumvit Road entrance. I was | | | | included, Whittard is recommended. |
| unable to communicate that I was lost. I also | | | | One of the extraordinary facts about the |
| could not explain where I wanted to go in Thai. | | | | Emporium is that it has no proper gold shop. I find |
| Despite the high number of foreigners, shop | | | | this completely bizarre. Of all the shops you would |
| assistants have very basic or non-existent English | | | | want in a high-end shopping mall in Asia, a gold |
| Language skills. | | | | shop would be close to the top of your list. |
| Perhaps there should be a GPS system in | | | | |