Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gemfinder]

Hi all, I'm in the States right now and I should be in Korea by April. I see that there are a few Costcos in Korea (which one is closest to Seoul?) and I was wondering if anybody who has been there can tell me how they compare to the Costcos we have here. Do they stock most of the same items? I've read that many people are having trouble finding deodorant and I would think that Costco would stock that. I also saw that some could not find m&ms and all that stuff is available at the Costcos here.

Do they stock:
-women's deodorant?
-tampons? (can I get o.b. tampons anywhere near Seoul? I am a brand loyalist when it comes to o.b.)
-Starbucks Frappuccino/Diet Coke/Red Bull/Diet drinks?
-razors/shampoo/conditioner/shaving gel/lotion/makeup?
-tech toys?
-laundry detergent/bleach/household cleaning supplies?
-brita filter and pitcher?
-vitamins and aspirin?

Also, I checked their website and saw that they have a Special Order Kiosk at all of their stores over there. Has anybody used these before? If I needed to get a digital cam or a laptop with an English operating system preinstalled could I order it from one of those Kiosks?

Can anyone point me to other posts about the general stores in Korea, I'd like to try a few other places and lots of local stores while I'm there. I'm trying to find out if it's already at Costco so I won't have to ship an extra box of stuff over.

Thnx,
Danielle

[tacon101]

do you have to worry about

-women's deodorant?

-Starbucks Frappuccino/Diet Coke/Red Bull/Diet drinks?
-razors/shampoo/conditioner/shaving gel/lotion/makeup?
-tech toys?
-laundry detergent/bleach/household cleaning supplies?

-vitamins and aspirin?

do you think the rest of us live over here headache ridden, smelly, and caffeine deprived ?

it's a costco...they stock lots of crap. seoul is a big city, so you'll find all or most of what you need or a great new replacement.

cheers

[regicide]

[Milwaukiedave]

Costco is pretty good in terms of finding most things. The membership fee was $30 for a year. If you look on their website, you can find out where all the locations are. I use the one near Yeongdeongpo-gu (not sure of the spelling) Office on line 2. It's a very short walk (about 10min) from the station.

I haven't looked for deodorant there, but have had some shipped over for either Christmas or my birthday the last few years with other items I couldn't find. I know the black market shops carry it, but it's expensive there (like 3 times what you pay in the US at least).

Almost all the things on your list are available. I'd bring aspirin and vitmins with you though. Starbucks Frappuccinos are deathly expensive here (like $3-3.50 for one), but you can find those cheaper at Costco I'm sure.

I hope that helps.

[Lonewolph]

-women's deodorant: deoderant in general is difficult to find in Korea. Once you find the stores that do carry, it usually is quite expensive, and finding your favorite brand is very unlikely. I always stock up when i go home or have people bring some over for me.

-tampons? (can I get o.b. tampons anywhere near Seoul? I am a brand loyalist when it comes to o.b.): Tampons are all over Korea, but as I am not female I pay little attention to the brands. Best to stock up if you absolutely cannot use any other brand.

-Starbucks Frappuccino/Diet Coke/Red Bull/Diet drinks: Starbucks is everywhere in Korea, and Costco and convenience stores sell Starbucks coffee drinks, though I am not sure exactly what kind. Diet coke of course. Red Bull not a chance. Availability of other diet drinks varies.

-tech toys: not sure about the availability of "specialty" tech toys but Yongsan electronics market and Technomart at Gangbyun station are the best areas for tons of electronics.

-laundry detergent/bleach/household cleaning supplies: this is a no-brainer...

-brita filter and pitcher: i have not seen a brita filter, even at costco, but bottled water is cheap everywhere in Korea, and you can even get a 4-gallon just delivered to you abode on a regular basis for about W5,000 a pop.

-vitamins and aspirin: pretty abundant at costco for items like Vitamin C, calsium, etc, but special vitamin supliments are costlier but can be obtained usually at Hanam Supermarket. Their website is http://www.hannammarket.co.kr/. They carry a large selection of wines and limited selection of foreign foods and have a very decent deli, though availability of items fluctuates and prices are very inflated. If you are looking for a specific item that is not there, you can ask them and they will try to obtain it. There is a map on the site. There are also quite a few supermarkets in Itaewon that carry foreign foods and such, the largest of which is Koa Mart located behind Geckos, which is across the street from Burger King.

Another option for getting foreign foods and other items is to make friend with someone who can get on one of the American bases. The PX just like shopping back home and even the smaller general store carries quit a lot of stuff you can't get anywhere in Korea.

[Gemfinder]

[KumaraKitty]

-women's deodorant?
-tampons? (can I get o.b. tampons anywhere near Seoul? I am a brand loyalist when it comes to o.b.)
-Starbucks Frappuccino/Diet Coke/Red Bull/Diet drinks?
-razors/shampoo/conditioner/shaving gel/lotion/makeup?
-tech toys?
-laundry detergent/bleach/household cleaning supplies?
-brita filter and pitcher?
-vitamins and aspirin?

Women's deodorant is available, but very limited in Brand choice. I stock up on Degree at my Costco at home whenever I go back.

Tampons are available, but NOT o.b. Again, stock up at Costco before you come, I always do. I only use o.b. as well.

All the drinks are available except Red Bull, but there are several drinks similar to Red Bull you can buy here. Diet flavors are usually limited to Diet coke and pepsi though.

All the toiletries(razors, shampoo, etc) are available.

All your cleaning supplies are available, however the bleach is very strong here, and you have to be careful using it. I and others have gassed ourselves accidentally when cleaning with it, despite having fans on and doors open.

Brita Filter and pitchers are available, but sometimes hard to find. It may be easier to get a water cooler and water delivered. Cost my co-worker $4.00 a month and the school arranged the service for him. I just buy bottled water.

Vitamins are all over, but maybe cheaper at home. Tylenol is very common, but Aspirin is not as common, Ibuprofen/Advil I've never seen.

Cheers!

[HapKi]

-Costco's Kirkland brand is represented in Korea.

-Your American membership will work in Korea, if it's current.

-There are 3 or 4 Costcos in Seoul, a couple more in other big Korean cities.

-Of all the depts. here, I'd say candy/snacks is most stocked like America's. M&M's, snickers, KitKat, Rocher, rice crispy treats, chips, tortilla chips. Of course, if you have some favorite little known goody, you may not find it here.

-Meat, and bakery depts. also well represented.

-Frozen foods, and canned foods depts. are very hit and miss. Things they do have are Mozz. cheese sticks, lassagne, cheese cake, Ben & Jerry's, canned green beans, canned tomatoes, etc.

-Costco in Korea is stocked for Koreans, not foreigners. That being said, it's the best option for western foods here.

[kotakji]

Yeah my wife always buys tampons in the US when we go to visit the parents (and shes Korean) apparently the quality of the ones available here is not that high.

[the eye]

[ella]

Another vote for bringing tampons from home. They're not heavy and don't take up room in a suitcase. Also, since they're light they're inexpensive to have shipped from home.

[jlb]

Seriously people...it is just me or there is a multitude of people on here worrying about the littlest things before coming to Korea? Of course you won't find everything you can back home. It just adds to the adventure. If you're stressing out before you're even here about everything, you'll likely be on the first plane home.

Relax.

Take a deep breath.

Let all the stress and worry go.

Come to Korea with an open mind.

Life will be okay.

[Sister Ray]

[cbclark4]

There are three Costco's in Seoul one in Daejeon and one in Daegu.
That's it.

Korea
Daegu
Daejeon
Sangbong
Yangjae
Yangpyung

cbc

[kotakji]