Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pest2]

Hey, has anyone had this experience: Go into one of those little, individually-owned convenience stores to buy some eggs or a drink. The owner is always between age 50 and 90 and with a disposition ranging from indifferent to you to very very very grumpy. The store smells like rotten kimchi. Upon closely observing some of the products in the store, you realize those products must have been sitting on the shelf for at least 2 years. No other customers.

First obvious question (to me, at least): How do these places stay in business???? Doesnt seem like anyone every buys stuff from them; especially since they could just go to family mart or GS mart, instead. How do these places pay thier rent/utilities?? Do they get a government subsidy?

Someone I know suggested that the building space is often already owned and the person running the place is retired anyway. So expenses are low, as is required profit... But... still...

[LiquidSunshine]

some people prefer to buy from mom and pop stores than from franchises. and they stay open probably because they own the space they are operating in.

[sojourner1]

Korea is in a state of change (dynamic Korea) where the small business is about to become extinct due to large commercialized stores like E-mart and HomePlus. The people running small stores are aging and probably not cleaning or paying attention to expiration dates as I clearly observe. These little stores are often referred to as corner stores and still serve a purpose of convenience since big stores are not everywhere so some of the little old stores hang on until the proprietor passes on.

This is similiar to how Wal-Mart put Americas small businesses out of business during the 80's and 90's.

In Korea, away from modern development areas, I noticed the older folks are trying to hang onto the old way of life which centers around small business and 5 day markets held once every 5 days on the main street of villages and neighborhoods. Often, they carry pans of kimchee on thier heads and things are like the way they were when Korea was just a very poor little 3rd world country only a few decades ago. I live in such a place where you can get a glimpse of the past and there are those crusty little stores hanging on where adjoshis have a full time occupation of soju drinking and adjummas tend shop 18 hours a day. It's a smelly dirty place to say the least. A good place to get potatoes and onions.

[in_seoul_2003]

...

[safeblad]

there is a tobacconist near where I live, it consists of just the standard selection of cigarettes, below which is a bed from which the proprietor will grumpily raise herself to an upright sitting position to serve the you. If it doesnt make me smile it makes me feel slightly bad for intruding on nap time.

[Qinella]

Strange you all mention the attitudes, as the moms and pops are almost always nice to me. In fact, I usually avoid those types of stores because I really hate standing around making small chat. At EMart, they do the ol' in-out, in-out with very few questions about my personal life.

[pest2]

[pest2]

[Roch]

[mt01ap]

[Homer]

I'm with Quin here...I prefer the mom and pop stores...people are much friendlier there.

[billybrobby]

The mom and pops look crummier than the GS25s, but the prices are the same and there seems to be an insatiable appetite for convenience stores in dense Seoul. So they probably make a decent amount of scratch. I dunno about the expiration dates. Can you really tell if convenience store food has expired?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

My hick town's full of them. It's just a case of someone using their home to make a little extra money on the side. Most of their income comes from selling booze or ciggies to people who can't be arsed to walk the extra 75 metres to Family Mart. Quite a few people in my town have small businesses that are part of their home. The other day I was eating in a restaurant where the family bathroom is also the public toilet. Even if such businesses hardly make anything it's not really costing them anything to be there.

[twg]

[Qinella]