Korean Job Discussion Forums

[willardmusa]

Sunday morning and I'm passing by the Jongno SUBWAY shop (near the YMCA) and pop my head in just to see if they had raised prices since I was last in there about maybe three weeks ago. And, yep . . . and even more than they had raised them in Bundang a couple of months ago.

For comparison, the Turkey Breast, 30 cm was KW6,100 just three weeks ago. Now it is KW7,200. (Last I checked in SeoHyeon - - the one at the 9401, 9000, 90001, 9403 bus stop - - it was still KW6,900, up from the original KW6,100 - - about a 15% raise.)

6,100 to 7,200 - - just doing a quick mind calculation . . and that's a raise of about 1/6th, or 16.25%.

For me, they've priced themselve out of my demand level. I never thought much of their sandwiches anyway - - bread tastes like paper and they hardly put enough meat, and that meat is wanting in flavor. For KW7,200 you can get some pretty good Korean dishes; you can get several pieces of KFC chicken; can some nice burger sandwiches at BK or McD, along with fries and a drink; etc.

I'll just "cash in" the 'subway cards" I've been collecting up over the years - - got enough for maybe three free deals - - and then I'll let them be.

You know, it would seem like SUBWAY should be benefitting from the exchange rate. The stronger Korean Won ought to be making the meats, which I assume they are importing, cheaper.

Another thought: Is inflation in Korea really this bad? 16% ? I've been seeing a lot of things going up in price by significant amounts. Could this be a sign of some bad news coming down the road for the economy here?

MV = PQ, as I recall from my economics classes: If price is up by 16%, then is quantity down relative the money supply, or is money supply up by 16% , quantity the same, and prices must go up to balance things out? Or is it velocity, the speed at which money is moving through the system?

If prices are up 16%, then when your uni or company offers you a 3% raise in the next contract year, they've just given you a 13% pay cut !

[jinju]

I like that place. My favorite place to eat when Im out there taking photos or whetever. But if they hiked their prices like that, then theres now ay Im paying 7 bucks for a sub.

How much is the tuna sub now?

[JongnoGuru]

[jinju]

I like Subway, its fastfood but its pretty low on all the crap that makes me avoid other fastfood places most of the time. But no way is it worth over 7000 won for whats pretty much only a sandwich and a small drink..or os that 7200 JUST for the sandwich?

[Roch]

When I lived in I'taewon, the Subway store there had a quite good tuna sub that did the trick. The meatball subs were alright, too.

How much do these two subs cost now?

Both of them were good value in 2005 when I asked for them with everything on them. They seemed to be enough for two adults.

[HapKi]

If I remember correctly, the one near the YMCA isn't even a real Subway.

[jajdude]

[quote="JongnoGuru"] Subway�

I'm just curious: How did you get that R in that circle? Neat trick. Can you do it with TM too? My keyboard doesn't show any function for that.

[JongnoGuru]

[djsmnc]

Does the short haired stubby girl with a permanent grimace still work there? Man, she was there every time I went!

She wouldn't let me refill Sprite/cider/whatever in my cup one day after I had ordered orange juice, which was more expensive. I tried to sneak up and do it later and she came up and said loudly "Anio!" with the hand "X" thing. A Korean guy I was with gave her a hard time in Korean over that, but she wouldn't budge. Damn automatron. 50,000 won says she still works there, and a 10,000 won bonus says she'll be wiping trays when you walk in.

[JongnoGuru]

[djsmnc]

Yeah, I saw that chick(?) there through the different phases. However, to try and resolve this mystery of yours, I DO remember that in Bundang in 2002/3 there was a Sub Sandwich (Still there anyone?) tucked into the first floor of one of the buildings surrounding Samsung Plaza. My friend clued me in because there weren't any Subways in the area at the time, and I sawr it with me own eyes.

Anyhow, I heard from one anonymous-not-so-credible-at-all source that the Jongno Subway changed to Subsandwich because the manager there wanted to run his own franchise under his own name. As you'll remember, though, the change in Jongno occured in 2004. I am 100% certain, though, that the Bundang one was Subsandwich (in '02-'03), because we always called it "Substandard"

There's something going on with that, and I don't know what it is/was, but I know that the meat they use/d sure as hell is/wasn't anywhere near being Halal meat. As I am currently in the US, I am able to experience the luxury of different breads and cheeses at Subway to make up for the nightmare that is the Jongno Subway/Subsandwich. I'll be back, though, and I bet munchkin will be there to stop me from refilling my orange juice cup

[djsmnc]

...as I eat a half steak and egg breakfast sub smothered in pepper to mask the old/cheap meat flavor that you burp up later anyway.

[jajdude]

[Milwaukiedave]

[mindmetoo]