Korean Job Discussion Forums

[laogaiguk]

[JeJuJitsu]

As far as crowded supermarkets, I don't mind their numbers, I just don't like that they don't have the inclination to get out of the shoppers' way.

[Ya-ta Boy]

The fruit and veggie seller's voice is pitched at exactly the right tone to drive me straight up the wall. I have been known to leave my half-filled cart in the middle of the aisle and go outside for a majorly long break before I can go back inside and deal with the stress.

[charlieDD]

Yeah, I've gotten pretty good at just ignoring them, saying "kaen chan aeyo" . . or "hal soo issalyo" to them if they persist. A stone face helps a lot too. Really, I started trying the stone face a few months ago, and it repels them pretty well. Showing you know what you are doing and just doing it and forgetting them works well enough.

There was a woman at one supermarket who was dedicated sales clerk for the chicken (Samsung Plaza has one for just about every product!). She knows what I buy: boneless chicken thighs. She would always in the beginning pick one up and start bagging it for me. I just told her to hold off and that I would do it. I want to see the date on the package. Nowadays, I go even further and open one edge of the package and sniff ! Too often I've gotten home to find the chicken is already starting to smell and feel sticky. Nowadays . . . she just leaves me alone and lets me do what I want!

Same with the banana girl: I'm going to split off three or four bananas and that's just the way it's going to be! She's gonna have to weigh and tag them for me. And she knows I don't want the environment-killing plastic bag for my bananas!

Same with the kiwi girl: I'm going to open those plastic packages and squeeze each fruit; if any one of them is mushy, I'm opening another pack; if still mushy, I just wait to the next visit.

The yogurt lady knows I'm going to reach to the back and get freshest ones; sometimes the date is four days difference from the front ones to the buried back ones.

You just got to be assertive in the supermarket. It's the Korean way, people yield to the stronger one. See how they drive? Same game when I drive.

Oh, by the way: I counted 43 service clerks in Samsung Plaza - the ones out there touting their products (not including cashiers) - - one early afternoon when it wasn't so crowded and I could count them. One per meter almost in that small store (in Seohyun station).

[xoxohelen]

yea that's one of the things i hate about korea... it sucks shopping for clothes/food, etc and having all those sales ppl stare at your every move.. i just want to shop in peace!!