Consumers’ Risk Perception of Purchasing Goods at Central Business District Flea Market in Bangkok

Abstract

This research was aimed at studying emergence of cultural interaction derived from shopping and buying activities at Bangkok’s flea markets from the aspects of consumers’ risk perception including functional risk, physical risk, social risk, financial risk, psychological risk and time risk and anthropological point of views. Throughout these approaches, it will lead to further understandings on consumer behaviors within present urban context and give the useful guidelines for sustainable urban flea market development in the future.

According to the comparative study using observation and in-depth interview techniques with the key informants consisting of buyers, vendors and other stakeholders at the three selected Bangkok including Ministry of Finance flea market, Ministry of Education flea market and Thai Airways Headquarter flea market, establishment of flea markets was aimed to respond with the target customers who were middle-aged working people and owned very rush and busy daily lives. As a result, the flea markets had to respond with varieties of customers’ need within limited time. Moreover, flea markets had also demonstrated distinctive identities in terms of shopping experiences creation as the customers could take their time in searching, comparing and price bargaining and also opportunities for social interaction among the shopping peers and with the vendors at the same time.  

The main risk perception among consumers were functional risk arising from capacity of the flea market to provide standardized and equalized services to all customers and the psychological risk as consumers tended to hesitate for goods’ origins or production processes; however, they tended to accept other four risk factors. This would be summed up that individuals were active organizers of their own perceptions, who chose what to fear and how much to fear it. As well, what consumers had learnt from buying goods from urban flea markets – whether they could face with several kinds of risk including low quality goods, hot tempered vendors, time-consuming in travelling or fear of shame when they were cheated with counterfeited or fake goods, the flea markets were merged with their urban daily lives. Furthermore; as impacts of consumer culture had stimulated individuals to seek pleasure through consumption, searching and buying, then the flea market would be one of never-ending dynamic always.