Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SPINOZA]

I shop regularly at Emart and Homever. They are horribly overpriced (5,000 for 4 apples?), very limited. Following is a random list of things on sale at my local Marks & Spencer for a comparison in quality and value (prices are in KRW approx in today's exchange rate of 1,000 KRW being approximately 50 pence). This is not a major branch of M&S. Take into consideration this is NOT a major urban center and I guarantee non-Brits won't have heard of it (200 miles from London):

Fair Trade coffee (7 kinds), 250g, 5,500w.
Greek peppers stuffed with feta cheese in olive oil, 5000w.
Grilled artichokes (7,000w)
Mammoth Greek green olives with numerous different stuffings (5,000w)
Lobster soup for one (3,500w)
4 kinds of fresh pasta (3,000w each)
Extra virgin olive oil, 500g (5,000w)
Huge choice of French, Italian, New World (and other) wines (average price for a bottle 10,000w)
2-pack of crusty garlic baguettes (3,000w)
Chargrilled vegetables and goat's cheese pizza, 10 inches (8,000w)
Haddock pie, 300g (3,500w)
21 day matured medium joint of beef, 1kg (22,000w)
pack of 10 plums (3,000w)
Variety of fresh sandwiches (I bought rare roast beef with horseradish) (5,000)
Organic catfood (for my spoilt cat), 100g (1,500w)

The huge choice of quality goods on offer at cheaper prices than rip-off Korea (per capita GDP in Korea is 18,000 USD, 47% of the UK) makes shopping in my local area better than shopping in Korea's capital. Also, 5 minutes walk away, is a huge Tesco (Britain's Walmart) with even more products and choice.

I also bought a helluva lot of clothes from Marks and Spencer, having been in Korea for a second year and not having seen anything I fancy.

Quick summary: 2 pairs of 100% linen trousers (semi-formal): 40,000w. Two pairs of brand-name jeans: 30,000w. Four 100% cotton polar neck shirts (40,000w). A pair of Diadora trainers (10,000w, although on sale). Two pairs of chinos for work (30,000w). Two pairs of chino shorts (20,000w). One pair of thick cotton trousers (informal, suitable for winter) - 25,000w.

You can probably find the like in Itaewon at double the price. Itaewon for shopping is like Itaewon for foreign food - bland, overpriced, lame. Dongdaemun should be spelt with a double 'd'. It's noisy, polluted, annoying and with woeful goods. As for Namdaemun...I can't believe it's a tourist attraction (inasmuch as Korea has tourist attractions of course). It's an eyesore and the quality of product poor to say the least. First time I ever visited Namdaemun was when I was still very much in the honeymoon phase (winter '06) and with my mother who was visiting. I was embarrassed, having heard it bigged-up as a shopper's and bargain hunter's paradise (including by Stephen Revere, who presumably is from an awful tip). We were greeted by the sight of ddokbokkee and huge, disgusting octopus arms. We left almost immediately. Namdaemun is a foul pit. But wait - the best is yet to come. That's right folks - Costco. let's take a look at a Costco thread and see why people pay 30,000 before they've even put anything in their cart and flock to Costco like flies around shit: Budweiser, cinnamon buns, "some different frozen and canned products", razor blades, nutrigrain bars, cranberry juice, bagels, peanut butter, "Everything the foreigner could ask for all under one roof" (sterlize thyself, Dev), cheddar, "cheese, meat, cereals and various frozen goods and snacks", hot dogs, chicken and bulgogi bakes, smoothies, churros, salads, dill pickles, cheerios, rice crispies, jello.....mouthwatering stuff.

I'm a big fan of Korea, but Korea is to shopping what Baghdad is to a romantic city break. It is, I think, the only thing about Korea which is 1000% CRAP! And all this wouldn't be so bad were it not for the fact that 9 out of 10 Koreans will respond "oh! I sink-uh Eenger-renduh iss-uh berry expenseeb-uh". You guys go back to your 2-buck kimbap, dwenjang guk-mul and banchan. Folks with taste and discernment will put a steak under the grill, pour a glass of Appleton Estate Vintage rum and light up a particularly gorgeous macanudo!

Yours in sophistication, S.

[OiGirl]

Yeah, I'm taking a shopping break in the Western world, too.

[sojukettle]

M & S has just opened in Seoul, at Yongsan Station. Haven't been in to check their range but don't expect much.

[princess]

I just shopped my butt off in Hong Kong last week. What an experience! No one joined me at th hip like a Siamese twin, the salespeople were all so friendly and kind, and not to mention, the prices were unbelieveable, thanks to HK's no sales tax scheme and the discounts due to the 2007 shopping festival. Also, HK isn't stupid enough like Korea to put import taxes on foreign goods. I was able to get good skincare products there, like Origins, for way less than Korea, not to mention a pair of $219 Betsey Johnson shoes on sale for $89. Those shoes would have probably been around 300,000 won or more in Korea. Gotta love Korea's import tax. Anything not Korean-made??? Prepare to open your wallet and pay double or triple what you'd pay elsewhere. I like shopping in Korea, but after experiencing Hong Kong, not so much anymore. The Swarovski shop in Hong Kong is also cheaper than Swarovski here in Korea. You should see Hong Kong's supermarkets, too. Simply awesome. I got cream soda by Schweppes for about 600 won a can. In Korea, you'll pay 1000 won for that Welch's grape soda crap. City Super in Hong Kong has everything, even Korean food. It has a nice selection of Mexican foods, cream soda, A&W root beer, all kinds of cheeses, turkey breast for sandwiches, ou name it, it's there. Hannnam supermaket is a joke!

[princess]

Also, some Koeans will actually brag and feel oh so great if they can tell someone...."hey, I spent 200,000 won for this "Fiorucci" blouse in Korea, when in Italy, I'm sure it would be much less. Heck, even Target in the US has started to sell some Fiorucci items. So, it's actually not a very expensive brand. Not to mention, most of these dept. stores in korea sell stuff for waaaay more than the places they originally come from. Fo example, Morgan is a British brand, and a former Brit coworker of mine said it's not so expensive back in Britain. But here, clothes made by Morgan are expensive. In Hong Kong, they were way cheaper.

[SPINOZA]

[jaganath69]

Maybe it has something to do with market demand?

[Qinella]

I don't understand what the problem is with Hannam Market. It's a good place if you need access to foreign fare and don't feel like buying 500 cans of the same product like from Costco. Plus they usually have frozen burritos. F[u]ck yeah.

You're right about foreign products being cheaper in England, of course. I still do not understand why things are so expensive and limited in Korea. Is it protectionism? Is it conspicuous consumption? Is it taking advantage of Koreans' ignorance of true product value?

But I thought this thread was going to be about the true details that make shopping in Korea a miserable experience:

- Swarms of people, packed in tight as can be, even as late as 11:30 at night. Everyone seems to think it's necessary to bring 7 people with you to go shopping, then get there and just mosey around aimlessly, perhaps get in a stream of flowing people traffic and stop suddenly to get a sample cup. Swing your cart around in the opposite direction without checking if someone's there. Block an entire aisle with your cart while you browse items on a shelf. Stand in the middle of a heavy traffic area, cart disjointed, and have a phone conversation.

- Sales people everywhere. You can't buy tuna without some lady telling you why soandso brand is the best choice, pressuring you to go for the fantastic free tupperware deal if you buy the 8-pack. Clothing store clerks breathing down your neck, asking exactly what it is you're looking for, taking a shirt out of your hand and telling you what size it is in case you don't understand the complicated nomenclature of S, M, L, XL.

- Terrible selection of clothes for any guy who a) isn't a flamer or an ajoshi and/or b) weighs more than 50kg.

- Rude as fack sales clerks who grab items from your hand, peck on the price and grunt rather than speaking, and treat you like you're a burden because you're no Korean and therefore probably unable to speak Korean, or indeed understand how trade works at all.


These are the things I find more annoying about shopping in Korea. The selection sucks, yeah, but I didn't come to Korea for Greek peppers stuffed with feta cheese. Just the stress of shopping itself gets to me somewhat. It's difficult to be my usual mellow self in a crowded ass E-Mart.

[tiger fancini]

[eamo]

[mrsquirrel]

[bosintang]

I never shop at department stores in Korea. I can't handle it. I can't handle the pushy salesladies, and the thousands of thousands of noisy Korean shoppers ramming shopping carts into you. And all to buy ridiculously overpriced goods or the same crap you can get at your local supah for a cheaper price and a fraction of the stress.

The markets? They have nothing. I think it was billybrobby who said that if you reduced Namdaemun down to actual selection there would only be 3 stalls and a pig-guts stand.

I can't buy clothes here anyways. It's amazing how much better shopping is in any other country in Asia I've been. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangkok, they put Seoul to shame.

[CentralCali]

What would be nice is for the idea of shopping malls to take off here. So far, I've encountered one: Coex Mall in Seoul. It's safe, clean, and has a variety of stores, even competing stores--but not hundreds of competing stores--so you don't have to wander around filthy neighborhoods to shop for two different things.

Places like Busanjin Market are disasters waiting to happen. The vendors are overcrowded, there's very little room to walk down the aisles, and there aren't enough emergency exits. Also, there is stall after stall after stall of vendors selling the identical items at the identical price.

Then there are the department stores. Hyundai is too expensive and not enough choice. GS Square (aka LG) is a bit cheaper but still not enough choice and not enough choice. Lotte is about the same or sometimes cheaper than GS but still not enough choice. On top of that, the department stores departments are evidently stocked by someone who hasn't a clue about the department. For example, a store will sell a game station but no games for it.

Part of the problem is deciding what area to shop. Make that decision and you've already decided the one store where you will shop as the other stores will be miles away. Places such as Busanjin Market, of course, have numerous stores, again selling the identical items at the same price as their supposed competitors. It's not like you're deciding between B. Dalton's and Waldenbooks in the same mall. You're deciding between about 100 sellers who are no different.

Essentially, shopping in Korea is like anything else in Korea: completely inefficient.

[pkang0202]

You are in Korea. 99.999999999% of the people here don't eat the foods you listed.

Why don't you just buy all the goods you listed at your Marks and Spencer and get it shipped here to you.

Oh wait, shipping is expensive. Who would've figured that?

[articulate_ink]

Amen to pretty much everything said so far.

There's a M&S in Apgujeong and I think there's another one in Myeongdong. I've never gone in to check out their food offerings, though. Maybe I should.

I do a lot of shopping outside of Korea, and I've been able to travel outside of the country three or four times a year since I've been here. Not only is it necessary to decompress, but shopping here sux real hard.

Last time I was in Hong Kong, I got kind of choked up in the City Super at Times Square. If you've been there, you'll know what I mean. Villa in Bangkok has a similar effect, and even Cold Storage in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore makes me clench my jaw... when I think back to what supermarkets here are like.

Clothes: I can get by on Muji and Uniqlo for basics. Glad to see the Gap and Banana will be opening stores here. I shop abroad and just resign myself to buying a cheap second suitcase on every trip. I've got most of what I need now, so it's not as much of an issue, but still. It's tough to find things in my size here, and more generally speaking, those pastel neckties with sequins and garish shirts are hard to look at.

Food: I can order certain things, or get my boyfriend or parents to send 'em, but that still excludes perishables. One (or in season, two) kinds of apple? Insane prices on asparagus? No broccolini? No cold cuts except for a couple of types of salty ham? Except for soy milk, no dairy substitute products for lactose intolerant people? I could go on, but I won't.

Personal care products and pharmaceuticals: Boots. It's almost worth the airfare to Thailand just to buy stuff there. Watsons in most other SE Asian countries is a big improvement over the local offerings, too. I'm thoroughly sick of the pharmacy paradigm here that requires you to get everything via the pharmacist. If I want first-aid cream, Tylenol, or whatever, I don't want to ask for it. I want to pick it up off the shelf and go. One of my Korean friends asked 'Isn't that a little dangerous?' after I told him about stocking up on my last trip to Bangkok a few weeks ago. I told him Korea is the only country I've visited where you have to get EVERYTHING from the pharmacist. Where's the harm in buying a basic analgesic for yourself? What if you don't speak Korean? It's hard to know what's even available. 'Oh. Korean people think that's a little dangerous.' Yes, well, Korean people also think fans are a little dangerous. I didn't say this, of course.

Loudspeakers: Is it necessary to have a dozen people (or more) in the meat and veg sections, all shouting (some with loudspeakers) and clapping their hands? When you need earplugs to buy groceries (and yes I do have them), there's a bit of a problem.

There are certain things I like about Korea, but shopping here is appalling.