Jasmine still was the go-to gift for Mother’s Day in Pattaya, but flower shops said that while the number of sales held steady, the average sale price dropped due to inflation.
At the Pho Thong flower shop in the Naklua Old Market, jasmine hit 1,500 baht a kilogram this year. The store was forced to raise prices.
A clerk said the shop still had the same number of customers as last year and recorded the same number of transactions, but, due to the higher prices, people bought smaller arrangements at lower prices. So, revenue fell drastically.
Pho Tong took pre-orders several days in advance and tried to stock up, but still got stung by high wholesale prices.