Phuket's shopping splits three ways: the Sino-Portuguese shophouses of Old Town for textiles, antiques and batik; container night markets plus the sprawling Naka weekend market for bargains; and Cherng Talay factory outlets for spa goods. This route covers all three.
Phuket Town's main wet market behind Ranong Road trades from roughly 04:00 to 18:00: pyramids of mangosteen and rambutan, dried shrimp, chilli pastes and cheap woven pandan baskets. Upstairs sells fabric by the metre.
A cramped shophouse stacked floor to ceiling with handwoven hill-tribe cloth, Lao silk, indigo-dyed cotton, sarongs and antique batik panels. The owner unfolds a dozen pieces across the counter and names the weaving village behind each one.
Two restored shophouse floors of vetted Buddhist antiques, Benjarong porcelain, teak carving and contemporary Thai painting, open about 10:30–19:00. Staff handle Fine Arts Department export paperwork for genuine antique pieces.
A container village on Yaowarat Road north of Old Town, open Tuesday to Sunday from around 16:00: repainted shipping crates selling streetwear, handmade silver, plants and phone cases, with live bands and food trucks in the yard.
The Sino-Portuguese strip now holds batik studios, hand-poured soap makers, ceramic and linen boutiques and small print galleries, with Soi Romanee's pastel lane of tiny design shops running off it. Most open at 10:00.
The island's flagship mall in Vichit, opened 2018 and bridge-linked to Central Festival: Thai design labels, international chains, an Aquaria aquarium in the basement and a Tops food hall for an air-conditioned lunch stop.
The Bangtao workshop behind the spa brand stocked by Andaman resorts sells lemongrass and coconut oils, soaps, balms and shampoos at wholesale rates, blended to order into 200 ml or 1 litre bottles. Open daily about 09:00–18:00.
The strip north of Laguna lines up independent swimwear and homeware boutiques, a surf shop, Villa Market for imported groceries and a row of cafés — a calmer, more design-led alternative to Patong's beach-road stalls.
A Thalang Road herbal house trading since 1917, its teak cabinets holding dried roots, bark, the family's chrysanthemum tea and menthol inhalers. Tins of herbal ointment are light, cheap and unmistakably local gifts.
A converted shophouse that works as café downstairs and bookshop above: second-hand Thai and English paperbacks, local zines, screen prints and postcards, plus a small courtyard for sorting through the morning's purchases.
Patong's mall on Rat Uthit Road links three zones around Robinson department store and a Big C hypermarket — the cheapest place on the island for dried mango, curry paste and Thai snack souvenirs at fixed, non-negotiable prices.
Phuket's biggest market fills a lot on Chao Fa West Road opposite Wat Naka, Saturday and Sunday from about 16:00 to 23:00 — thousands of stalls of clothing, second-hand goods, plants, pets, street food and electronics.