A study of problems and needs in English listening and speaking skills related to sales of Chatuchak Market vendors

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the problems of English listening and speaking skills related to Thai vendors’ sales interactions with foreign customers, and to identify the needs in English listening and speaking skills related to sales that Thai vendors want to improve. The sample of this study was 30 Thai vendors selling various types of products to foreign customers at the Chatuchak Market. The participants were selected by the purposive sampling method and were asked to complete a modified questionnaire, which included both close-ended questions with a checklist and a five-point Likert scale, as well as open-ended questions. The study revealed that vendors generally had more problems speaking English than listening when dealing with foreign customers. In terms of the skills related to sales, they had the most trouble convincing customers to buy products, and listening to customers’ comments or complaints (e.g., product, vendor, stall, etc.). Regarding vendors’ needs for improving their English related to sales, they had much higher needs for speaking than listening skills. It was found that both listening to and responding to customers’ comments or complaints (e.g., product, vendor, stall, etc.) were the aspects that sellers most needed to improve in their job.