Korean Job Discussion Forums

[GoldMember]

So many times journalists describe the Korean consumer as savvy. It seems the Korean consumer is much smarter than all other consumers.
I would have thought that a savvy consumer doesn't pay ripoff prices for products, doesn't accept inferior quality, and doesn't take any bull.

How many foreigners here eat Korean beef? None, why? It's too expensive. When a product is too expensive savvy consumers substitute the more expensive product for a cheaper one.

Koreans tell me Korean beef is better when in fact it's full of antibiotics. Duh, don't they read the research.

Korean housing is extremely poor quality. Ok you've just spent $400,000 on a brand new apartment, and upon inspection you find bubbles in the wall paper, an uneven floor, paint drips on the floor, would you accept this. No way, you'd want the property to be perfect before handing over the money, yet Koreans take posession and fork out huge bucks for crap quality apartments. Apartments don't even come with an allocated parking space!

Wine, the biggest sellers here, are the wines that back home we use for cooking. These people pay a premium for sickly, sweet, kids cordial.
I've seen consumers getting wine advise, from the department store wine attendant. The attendants don't know a white from a red!

Prices are determined by supply and demand. I saw beef bones! for 42,000 won a kilogram. That's right friggin bones. How do the stores get these prices? well it's only because dumbasses buy the stuff. Don't buy, guess what the prices go down.

Then there is the downright dishonest marketing and advertising. Well being Soju, Beer, even wellbeing Boardmarkers. Imagine if Budweiser told American consumers it's product was good for your health, there would be outrage. Treating customers like complete morons is a good way to get them offside and lower sales. In Korea treat Korean consumers like Morons, and sales go up!

Paying over a million won for a bottle of whiskey. What kind of twit does that. Open a bar in a western country with $1000 bottles of ordinary whiskey and see how many takers you get.

$120 for a plate of fruit and 4 beers at a nightclub. How many western consumers would be dumb enough to fork out that much money. Koreans who on average earn less money, know it's a rip off price yet still pay. Duh

Restaurants that are visibly downright filthy, yet people go there to eat.

Paying a fortune for kids to go to Hogwan, yet the kids learn virtually nothing.

Savvy? No way, easily duped more likely.

[billybrobby]

Who says Korean consumers are savvy? Sounds like a bogus premise. If you want to knock easy ones down, play tee-ball.

[wylies99]

I agree, OP.

[Are they the lemmings]

[shaunew]

I agree most of the food is the exact same but the clever company puts "wellbeing" on the label and sales go up. But I was told everything in Korea is good for health?

[indiercj]

Wow. All these years, I never realized they've been "TELEPORTING" all the imports.

Now. I really feel like being ripped off!

Thanks.

[wylies99]

OP, someone ( ) will eventually post some BS about how it's all the US/FTA/Bush/Canada/Japan/UN/WTO/ApalloOhno/FIFA's fault, but the high prices in Korea are the fault of the consumers who fall for every trick every time.

[spliff]

ethnocentric diatribe

[flummuxt]

People aren't all that different here. In the States plenty of companies put "healthy" or "natural" or "organic" on the label just to sell stuff to gullible consumers. (While I am all for healthy food, there was nothing special about the "healthy" canned chili or cookies I've seen this on.) And I have seen plenty of instances where uneducated consumers will buy the more expensive item assuming it is better, or perhaps as a status symbol. Ever see people driving Cadillacs?

As to Scotch, the highest I've seen readily available is in the 100,000 to 200,000 range. Given that it wasn't single malt aged stuff, I would say that this is kinda silly, and so does the fellow from Scotland here I discussed it with. But it is presumably some sort of business related thing - gift, bribe, whatever - perhaps to be put down as a business expense.

I watched the chusok sales and didn't see the gift boxes for that stuff flying off the shelves. But then, even 60,000 won for a bottle of Scotch is a bit stiff in my book. However, I have found Passport 700 ml for about 23 Kw. Walker Red 700 ml about 26 Kw. So there are some savvy shoppers somewhere, and the free market is spurring some competition among the Marts.

The cheap super sweet red wine you refer to I guess is sthe stuff that sells for 1,500 won or so. Yes, I do not know how they drink it. I managed to work a little into some beef stew, but otherwise I'm hoping it turns into vinegar. They do seem to like other sweet wines, given the jugs of sangria.

The strangest part is the exorbitant prices they are willing to spend on cheap electronics, like boom boxes and desktop stereos. I think the problem there is they simply don't realize what they cost in other countries.

While there is some validity to your post, overall it is a bit exaggerated.

But it was only about 20 years ago that most Koreans began to be able to afford to own a car. My guess is this new generation is going to be more willing to think for itself when they turn into adults. And knowing English will help them to get a broader picture of things beyond Korea. This will result in a lot of changes.

[Ilsanman]

I saw a fried chicken place the other day with 'Well-Being' on the sign. My wife couldn't understand why I was laughing.

[blaseblasphemener]

I think the OP is spot on. By the way, GoldMember, I look forward to your posts. Usually very funny. There are lots of people who take the piss out of Korea, but you do it in a way that usually rings very true. Keep on keepin on.

[PGF]

yeah. the masses are smarter where you are from; and they send their dumbass0es abroad.

[SeoulFinn]

OT: Well, beer has at least one "health" benefit that we shouldn't forget. Large consumption of beer makes the opposite sex even more attractive.

[GoldMember]

Dear Flummuxt

So you think I'm exagerrating.

What is the most disgusting, cheapest, dodgiest meat on this planet that you could possibly buy? SPAM.
These people buy this in huge gift packs for their loved ones!, and if that's not bad enough, they actually pay top dollar for this stuff.

Savvy Consumers? I rest my case!

Do you see, SPAM gift packs anywhere else in the world?

MMMMmmm I just had a brilliant money making idea. Bottling goats urine (cost 10won a bottle) and selling it as a 'stamina drink', at 5,000 won a bottle.

[indiercj]