Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ratslash]

my local supermarket has just started doing it. drives me up the wall!!! it is not so much paying the money, it is the handful of change you get back!

[kylehawkins2000]

All the prices are usually a nice round number then they're like "Bag?" and then it's 52020 won....and you get a nice handful of coins back that are totally useless.....generally I just throw them away.

And why do I always have to ask for a bag? I'll be there with like 5 bottles of beer, some bread, some vegetables, etc. and they just stare at me waiting for me to ask for a bag........do I have 10 arms? No. Do I need a bag? Yes.

I wish they'd just incorporate it into the prices of the groceries.....

[justaskdan]

My coffee shop just started charging 200 won for a cup, and although I can't bring my own cup in I think it is a good idea and don't mind pating it.
Coffeecup tax is OK. So is Gabang Tax.

[intergalactic]

They shouldn't incorporate it into the price of the groceries. It's supposed to piss you off so you will re-use an old shopping bag. That is the whole point of this extra 20 won exercise.

[shawner88]

I understand the concept...my point is it's plain annoying especially after you just forked up 100,000 won. But, it is really nice having tax included in the prices. I'll take that any day over free bags.

By the way, why then are black bags free at the little marts?

[just because]

The only thing that I hate about the 10 or 20 won bags is the change factor. i get all these 10 won coins which i hate. Just charge 100 won, I'd be happier with that.

[kiwioutofthenest]

Yes over packing definatly has it's problems....
Order a meal takeout from KFC: chicken box then bagged, fries boxed then bagged, drink in cup with tapped lid the bagged, then all of it is put in another bag....damn it's cold by the time you get through all the packaging.

[kimcheeking]

[just because]

[kimcheeking]

[shawner88]

[erlyn]

The thing that drives me nuts is when you go to a store and buy a bunch of things, and then you ask for a bag, and they're like, "Oh, no, Miss, a bag costs extra."

I know the bag costs extra. 20 won extra, for chrissakes, I don't think it's going to break me. Give me the freakin' bag, already.

As a foreigner, I find this happens a lot, though - if you do something slightly outside the realm of normal, you can see the shopclerk's face twist up as they try and think of a way to explain to you what you're trying to do is wrong. For example, when I want to rent the same movie twice at my video store (for class), you can see the look of panic come over the clerk's face - how to explain to the waygook that she's renting the same movie again?

It never occurs to them that I may actually know what I'm doing.

[hojucandy]

when i was in finland in the mid-80's supermarket bags cost about US$0.50 each. i thought it was a brilliant scheme. everyone re-used their bags.

in png, until recently people made bags out of coconut leaves - they were naturally biodegradable. now they have plastic bags - but they have not realised that they cannot just throw them away as they did the coconut bags. so there are plastic bags all over the landscape. really ugly sight.

to make it worse, port moresby is a very windy town, and there are high security fences everywhere. the bags fetch up against the fences in thick droves. a frined of mine who lived in moresby many years was surprised when he went to australia and saw that people did not live behind razor-wire fences. his comment - "where will all the plastic bags end up?"

[weened]

Lawyertood suggested:

[hojucandy]

carrefour in ansan already have the idea implimented. yu have to pay for the bags stilll - and they are more expensive than the normal plastic bags - but they are cheaper than the usual garbage bags.