BANGKOK, March 23 — Merge, a popular Thai designer bag brand, has suspended sales of its limited-edition ‘A Day Bag’ following a chaotic scene outside a department store in Nonthaburi, north of here where eager shoppers engaged in violent scuffles.
A video of the altercation, filmed outside Central Westgate in Bang Yai district last Friday, went viral after being posted to the Pu Boripok (Consumers) Facebook page, The Bangkok Post reported today.
The caption read, “In front of Central Westgate right now, the chaos of teens wanting Merge bags”.
The post quickly gained traction, with Thai social media users criticising the situation.
Among the comments:
“This could have been avoided if the bags were sold online.”
“When will we stop making people wait in line for goods? They are probably resellers.”
Local reports indicated that some shoppers in the queue had been paid hundreds of baht to hold spots for actual buyers.
Following the incident, Merge announced it would suspend sales of the 2,490-baht (RM325.60) handbag.
“Due to the unexpected violence at the department store, we have decided to indefinitely suspend the sale of this product from March 22, 2025, in the interest of safety. We are saddened by the incident and apologise for the inconvenience,” the brand was quoted as saying.
Merge also urged its customers to follow official updates to avoid misinformation.