Korean Job Discussion Forums

[simone]

There's three COSTCOs, Yangjae, my fav, Yeongdongpo, which is all right, and nicely located on the subway, and the one I haven't yet been to.

We're thinking of moving to east Seoul, and Sangbong would become my nearest COSTCO. Does it suck? Can anyone compare it Yangjae?

Seriously, COSTCO convenience is a key factor in my quality of life.

Has it got avocados and all the cheeses? Will I feel deprived?

[eamo]

[Dev]

I thought all Costcos were pretty much the same.

Anyway, I go to the Sangbong one. I have few complaints except that the ladies that work there are like high pressure cops as you're leaving the store. They count everything that's in your basket with the vigor of a drug sniffing dog.

If you're like me, you pack your things in the boxes which are just past the checkout counters, you'll get chewed out by the ladies standing next to the escalator. You have to let them count your things and pack them upstairs near the exit doors. They're very picky about this. I hate them. In their eyes, every customer is a thief until proven otherwise.

The other problem is that you have to use line 7 on the subway. This line is crowded on most days at most hours. About the only times you can escape the subway crowds are weekend mornings.

[faster]

I went to the Yangpyeong one for a couple years and just visited teh Sangbong for the first time. Basically the same, but with higher ceilings and a little less crowding. Seemed to have all the same stuff and maybe more (I never saw a houseplant section at the other one).

[twg]

I use it too, and it's the same as the rest of them.

It's in an inconvenient local for me. All of the buses in my area head to central and southern Seoul, and transfer. Or I got to head up to the epically long transfer at Nowon station.

It's not too bad during the week, but on weekends I find it to be a cart crashing into cart/ ajummas stopping in the middle of the aisle and blocking traffic, nightmare.

[Adventurer]

I first went to a Costco in Korea when I visited Daejeon with a friend. It was quite nice, and it wasnt' so crowded. However, when I went the Yangpyeung one it was crowded with ajummas, so it was kind of hard to shop, because, as you know, they don't move, and I was in a hurry.

[JongnoGuru]

Though it's the by far the closest of any Costco in Seoul from Seongbuk, I've never been to the one in Sangbong. Or anywhere else in Sangbong for that matter. For reasons too numerous to mention, although we are technically neighbours, we tend to view the eastern districts of Jungrang-gu and Nowon-gu as drooling, semi-literate, distant cousins, and thus we try and pretend they don't really exist.

[simone]

Cool everyone!

Thanks - We'll probably ride the motorcycle up and I'll taxi back, (as we currently do with Yangjae), and I'm also thinking of getting a little car, so that's cool too.

The crowds at Yangjae drive me batty, so it's good to hear that it's not as bad. I guess I won't run into Andre Kim as much though...

[gsxr750r]

Also living in Seongbuk-gu, and have taken the inconvenient route to the Sanbong COSTCO a few times.

All COSTCO's in Korea are a disappointment, but still an oasis for some products.

[eamo]

[Dev]

[pdx]

I've never been to the other ones, it's only Sangbong for me. It IS relatively calm. I like to keep in mind that I don't think Koreans are morning shoppers. My roommate and I go sometimes and eat lunch and take our stuff back. Last time we did that during the week, there were about 3 other people in the snack shop area. Nice.

Costco question: none of them have optical services, right?

[JongnoGuru]

[HapKi]

Why is this in the Off-topic Forum? Anything even remotely resembling Costco should be smack dab in the middle of the General Discussion Forum. In fact, there should JUST be a Costco Forum (not a Sticky), where we can discuss new items, plot our shortest aisle route algorithms, penny-pinching ways to keep the bill under 400,000won, foreigner image damage control for those urban trekkers with bags and boxes on the bus, etc..

I shop at the Sangbong Costco. Slightly annoying that you can only turn right when you leave (I drive, thus buy EVERYTHING I want.) and go toward Guri for a couple miles before you get a chance to pull a U-turn.

I also find the Love Motels in such close proximity to be kind of funny. I imagine couples in the Food Court snacking on Bulgogi Bakes to be pre/post interlude, so to speak.

[pdx]

Sangbong is a bad area? You guys have got to be kidding me.