Pattaya Shopping

Royal Garden Plaza is a large upscale mall adjacent to the Pattaya Marriott Hotel on Beach Road between Soi Post Office (Soi 13/2) and Soi Pattayaland 1 (Soi 13/3), with another entrance on Second Road (just look for Ripley's aeroplane).
Tuk.Com (Com City) onSouth Pattaya Road is a new and predominantly IT mall. In the basement is a Tops supermarket, a food court, and various other (mostly clothes) shops as well as a spare parts department that sells a variety of electronic (e.g. transistors) and other parts (e.g. clothes washing machine lint filters), and the ground floor hosts an assortment of regular shops. However the upper floors are almost exclusively mobile phones (1st floor), computer software and MP3/video CDs (4th floor), and computers and handheld electronics (2nd/3rd/5th floors). Prices are significantly higher than in Bangkok.

Markets
There are many bazaar-style markets in Pattaya where you can haggle till you drop, including...
Thepprasit Market on Thepprasit Road near the junction with Sukhumvit Road - Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Soi Buakhao Market on the corner of South Pattaya Road

and Soi Buakhao,across from the Friendship supermarket - daytime, Tuesday and Friday; plus an evening market further along the same road. Made In Thailand Night Plazar on Second Road near Soi 10 - daily 08:00-23:00 (despite the name).
The Market Pattaya on Second Road near Soi 5 is a little lonely but some evenings has students giving music or dance performances on a small stage.
..any many more, including one onSecond Road near Soi 2, next to Tiffany's Show.

Pattaya certainly does not have the huge number of shopping opertunities that Bangkok has to offer but it does have a good variety with shopping malls, markets, hypermarkets, stores, boutiques, gift shops, night markets and street vendors. Everything you may need is available even if you have to hunt around a little. All the usual tourist gifts are here but also many upmarket items including jewelry , hand made to measure suits and ladies outfits, genuine name brand items at a fraction of the western cost.

Foreign currency can easily be exchanged for Thai baht at the many exchange booths which can be found in all areas popular with tourists - there are even mobile exchanges/ATMs in specially adapted minivans that are set up as and when and where the need arises. Note that the majority of exchange booths will buy foreign currency but will not sell it - if you need to obtain USD (for example if you're going to Cambodia) use one of the larger branches of a major bank, such as the Bangkok Bank branch on Second Road (almost opposite Soi

Malls
Central Festival Centre is a large mall on Second Road across from Soi 2. It includes the Big-C department store, and an IT Corner with mobile phones and accessories but no computers.
Mike Shopping Mall is on Beach Road between Soi 11 and Soi 12, with another entrance on Second Road, and opens 11:00-23:00. The ground floor has many small stalls selling clothing, tourist souvenirs and many other inexpensive items; above that there's a department store; on the 5th floor there's a food court; and up on the roof (10th floor) there's a public swimming pool.
P.S. Plaza is at the junction of Second Road and Central Pattaya Road - Tops supermarket occupies most of the ground floor; billiards, books, massage, and a handful of other shops on the first floor; and P.S. Bowling on the second floor.

Supermarkets
Pattaya has a veritable trolley-load of supermarkets, including:
Carrefour, Central Pattaya Road (between Third Road and
Sukhumvit Road), 9am-midnight.
Big-C, South Pattaya Road (at the junction with Sukhumvit Road),. 9am-midnight. Another branch at Central Festival Center (opposite Soi 2).
Foodland, Central Pattaya Road (near the junction with Sukhumvit Road). 24 hours.
Foodmart, Thaphraya Road (near the junction with Theprasit Road). 24 hours.
Friendship, South Pattaya Road. 7am-2am. The most westerner-oriented and has large selections of cheese, bread, wine etc.
Tesco-Lotus, Branch of the UK chain North Pattaya Road (just east of the Dolphin Roundabout), 9am-11pm. Has another branch on Sukhumvit Road.
Tops, at the junction of Second Road and Central Pattaya Road
24 hours.

Claiming back V.A.T. for tourists.
You need to have been in Thailand for less than 180 days and be leaving via an international airport.
The goods must be purchased from stores one of the many stores displaying the "VAT REFUND FOR TOURISTS" logo.
Refund only applies to goods taken out ofThailand within 60 days from the date on receipt.
You need to spend at least 2000 in any one store and the total you claim back must be more than 5000.

When paying present your passport and ask the store to complete the VAT Refund Application for Tourist form (P.P. 10) and attach the original receipt to the form. On departure show these forms to customs officers for inspection before check-in.
You can claim a cash refund there and then, a refund can be made to your card (later), or a draft sent to your home. Claiming under 10,000 any method, over 10,000 can not be issued in cash. There is 100 fee for the refund. About the only thing you can�t claim a refund for are gemstones.