Korean Job Discussion Forums

Butterfly · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Location: Kuwait

I don't have difficulty not getting angry about such small, day-to-day matters. I guess I'm lucky in this regard.

Corporal · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Corporal · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

shawner88 · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

Homer · Guest

It all depends I suppose.

I like mom and pops stores because they are small family stores.

The odd ajuma gives me the "evil eye" but on the most part they are just your normal everyday convenience stores/markets.

I usually end up having a chat with the store owners, small steps.

Then again, the mom and pop store on the corner (nest to our building) is great.
They are super nice and always take the time to ask me how I am and how my wife is....
This is why I like mom and pops stores as opposed to larger stores which are less personal.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

My ma and pop store is great. Sometimes if she is busy with her kid in the morning I leave 1000won for her on the counter as I walk out the door with my sugar water drink

Toby · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: Wedded Bliss

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Supas are a good thing. Convienant and usually the owners are friendly after a visit or two.

Grim Ja · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: On the Beach

Much like English teachers in Korea some Supas are good and some are very very bad.

Yet all it takes for a supa to have good business is for the owner to be a little kind and friendly.

And all it takes for a English teacher to be good is for the teacher to actually teach.

Yet I don't expect much good service in Korea unless I pay top dollar at a department store.

Nor do I expect many koreans to learn English at a Hagwon.

Luckily Korean people don't seem to complain much about either shoddy teachers or service.

Therefore, we can all go back to our jobs and shopping.

PaperTiger · Joined: 31 May 2005 Location: Ulaanbataar

Korea doesn't exactly have a monopoly on rude or unfriendly people, try living in New York, LA, or Detroit and you'll see what I mean. In any case, there are indeed rude people in every country, so don't be soft...quit giving them the attention they obvioulsy crave. By being offended by their behavior is just encouraging them to continue...just ignore them.

Is some of this commentary derived from living a tiny Canadian hamlet of 200 then moving to Seoul? Did you really expect everything to be like Canada??? Nobody stares at foreigners there? Nobody is suspicious of outlanders where you come from??? Not what I heard about Canada or what I lived in the states. You can't always create all-encompassing generalizations about people based on direct experience...it's that kind of thinking that allow people to be prejudiced ALL OVER THE WORLD.

The Great Toad · Joined: 12 Jun 2004

Ha Ha I am packin my gear right now to fly back to Korea. One thing I miss is the this one cute little four year old Bakery kid - her Mama has two kids and She made the one cute little four-year-old hug me. Well ok I did squat down for the punk... Smile

Anyhow, I'm going to make sure NOT to buy my bread anywhere else if I have the time to walk- because this Baker Mama and her little punk kid give me the good-we-love-you-eye.

endofthewor1d · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Location: the end of the wor1d.

i like supahs because when school is in session, i have one open right across the road from my apartment. during the weekends and vacations, the nearest shop i have is about ten minutes up the road, and it's another supah. the nearest family mart to me is about 30 to 45 minutes on foot, which is tragic for me because i really like the cleanliness, convenience and uniformity of the chain stores.
some things i don't like about the supah across the street... they only carry one brand of beer in the pitcher sized bottles. they don't carry the big plastic bottles of soju. they often don't stock enough coca-cola for me. and they don't carry mango juice.
the supah ten minutes up the road is superior in every way, with the exception of being ten minutes p the road.

and why is everyone in such a huff about the department stores? i actually find them very mall-like. there's always the one floor which carries the popular korean brands of clothing (basic house, giordano, etc..) at the same prices you'd pay if you were going to the same shop on the street. i just plum don't like shopping very much, so i rarely do it. but when i do, i like the convenience of having all of those shops right there on the same floor.

maybe you just shouldn't listen to me, though. clearly i'm evil. i like walmart.

matthewwoodford · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Location: Location, location, location.

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

The mom and pop stores let themselves down on a few areas but generally they're fine for what they do.

Sometimes I think they really only sell 4 items. Cigarettes, soju, chips and ramyeon (or maybe that's just what I buy!!!).

My biggest peeve about hardcore mom and pop stores is that they don't refrigerate things that they should. I've seen eggs outside in direct sunlight!!! Once I bought eggs from one of those places and every single one of twelve was totally rotten.