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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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 Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| marsavalanche wrote: |
| nickwils wrote: |
| jrock wrote: |
I like the selection there, but I feel like they tried to rip me off twice.
It was the same trick both times. The cashier asked some pointless question and kept saying different possible answers after I said I didn't know. This was while he was adding up the total. He then told me a total that was 10 000 won too high on a bill that was under 30 000 won.
Could have been an honest mistake but it sure didn't feel like one. |
Agreed. It's not an honest mistake.
No prices on 75% of the items and the dude makes up the total as he goes along. It's just like being in India all over again... |
But.... but.... if you become a regular and let them rip you off extensively, they'll give you a discount or maybe through in a free can of soup! I guess it's their way of feeling sorry for you for being so easy to take advantage of.
LOL Gotta love the foreigners here who have sucker written all over their forehead  |
Ah, but I've never been ripped off there. You know, those stickers with numbers on them are prices. Look for them. If there isn't one, ask before you get to the cashier. Informed decisions, yes? It's called being a smart customer.  |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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| nickwils wrote: |
Agreed. It's not an honest mistake.
No prices on 75% of the items and the dude makes up the total as he goes along. It's just like being in India all over again... |
I won't buy anything that doesn't have a price tag on it.
They have the real mac and cheese again, and that has a tag. 3500. Uggggh. I was going to buy it anyway, but the line was pretty long and I had things to do other than wait around to buy 400% marked up mac and cheese. |
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sulperman
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| I personally think that the guy who owns it should sell everything at the exact same price he buys it for, and not take into account the shipping, other overhead, and the need to make a living off the business. What a slimy jerk for not doing that! |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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| I personally think that the guy who owns it should sell everything at the exact same price he buys it for, and not take into account the shipping, other overhead, and the need to make a living off the business. What a slimy jerk for not doing that! |
Ah yes, the world of entitlement economics. A grocery bagger who feels they should be paid like an Executive VP, and that corporations should give 90% of their profits to worker's wages. Meanwhile they should be able to buy stuff dirt cheap, and pay low taxes (while receiving great government benefits). |
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calicoe
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:26 am Post subject: |
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It's not about being a sucker. For the unmarked items, I ask how much they are and it is the same price all the time. Yes, the spices are a little expensive, but I've had them separate the large containers into smaller and cheaper portions, and they've done it for me. They have the cheapest avocados that I've seen. And, I shop for a lot of their "local" Indian spices, which are not bad. Keep track of your total, and know how much you owe when you get up to the counter. As I said, there are different people on different days, and some are nicer than others. But, I've never been ripped off there; actually, there are times when they have been apologetic and accommodating when I've complained about some of their prices (tahini). They discontinued a cheaper version and started pushing an Egyptian brand. I am already thinking about just buying my own sesame seeds and making my own tahini.
So, it all balances out. I dunno, but where do you expect to find mac and cheese or even just cheese priced like at home??? Good luck with that. |
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marsavalanche
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Location: where pretty lies perish
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:31 am Post subject: |
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| calicoe wrote: |
It's not about being a sucker. For the unmarked items, I ask how much they are and it is the same price all the time. Yes, the spices are a little expensive, but I've had them separate the large containers into smaller and cheaper portions, and they've done it for me. They have the cheapest avocados that I've seen. And, I shop for a lot of their "local" Indian spices, which are not bad. Keep track of your total, and know how much you owe when you get up to the counter. As I said, there are different people on different days, and some are nicer than others. But, I've never been ripped off there; actually, there are times when they have been apologetic and accommodating when I've complained about some of their prices (tahini). They discontinued a cheaper version and started pushing an Egyptian brand. I am already thinking about just buying my own sesame seeds and making my own tahini.
So, it all balances out. I dunno, but where do you expect to find mac and cheese or even just cheese priced like at home??? Good luck with that. |
A box of poptarts is less than $2 in the States. Paying 10k won for a box in Itaewon makes you a sucker. This goes for everything else I've seen in that store an ridiculous prices (ie a small bag of cheetos for 4k won, I can go on...)
And any store where I have to "keep track" of the total in my head so that I don't get ripped off is a store I have no interest in. Here is Korea, not Mexico.
But look at the brightside, you're a few 100k won away from a free can of soup
lol |
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ryanbrezzi
Joined: 23 Jun 2011
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:42 am Post subject: |
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| Sounds like a pretty good place, thanks. |
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ryanbrezzi
Joined: 23 Jun 2011
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:43 am Post subject: |
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| But seriously, can't beat the price of a big block of cheese at Costco. compared to the prices of cheese everywhere else it's unbelievable! |
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Skippy
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 3:13 am Post subject: |
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The store has changed over the time. I think it started as a place that had legit products imported in and some blackmarket off the base stuff too. Through lately his selection has become more the first and less of the latter.
I have also noticed and think the owner resells. He gets products from places like Costco and Department stores and just ups the price. For example Horse radish I have seen at Emart for about a thousand won less. A good portion of the products I have seen in other stores for cheaper at many Korean places. Hey I will not fault him for that just makes it easier to get.
Sarcasm here for some people who are sensitive. Can somebody please explain why in Australia a bottle of Charm Soju is about 10 dollars and available at only one or two stores in the big cities. Yet here in Korea I can buy for 2000 won or less and all over. Hmmm logic and ecomonics will explain this ..... Koreans are not big fans of Kraft Dinner/Mac and Cheese but they are fans of Ramyeon. The demand for ramyeon is high so the price is low. The demand for Mac and Cheese is low and the price is high. Wow! The same with Charm soju in Australia. Most Australians want a beer not soju.
Or hmm scarcity - Ramyeon is made all over here in Korea. Many brands and types. But umm Mac and Cheese is only really made in the USA and Canada. Damn I forgot I am in Korea so the supply of of Cheesy Mac is going to be likely scarce or none at all. This also explains why I pay almost 4 times the regular price for Kraft Mac and Cheese in Australia almost 4 bucks when it is only a buck in Canada. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 4:57 am Post subject: |
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| marsavalanche wrote: |
| calicoe wrote: |
It's not about being a sucker. For the unmarked items, I ask how much they are and it is the same price all the time. Yes, the spices are a little expensive, but I've had them separate the large containers into smaller and cheaper portions, and they've done it for me. They have the cheapest avocados that I've seen. And, I shop for a lot of their "local" Indian spices, which are not bad. Keep track of your total, and know how much you owe when you get up to the counter. As I said, there are different people on different days, and some are nicer than others. But, I've never been ripped off there; actually, there are times when they have been apologetic and accommodating when I've complained about some of their prices (tahini). They discontinued a cheaper version and started pushing an Egyptian brand. I am already thinking about just buying my own sesame seeds and making my own tahini.
So, it all balances out. I dunno, but where do you expect to find mac and cheese or even just cheese priced like at home??? Good luck with that. |
A box of poptarts is less than $2 in the States. Paying 10k won for a box in Itaewon makes you a sucker. This goes for everything else I've seen in that store an ridiculous prices (ie a small bag of cheetos for 4k won, I can go on...)
And any store where I have to "keep track" of the total in my head so that I don't get ripped off is a store I have no interest in. Here is Korea, not Mexico.
But look at the brightside, you're a few 100k won away from a free can of soup
lol |
A bag of dried pinto beans is about $3 back home. They cost about 5k here. Not terrible. A large jar of pesto costs about $10 back home. Here it's 12k. Homemade hummus is about $5 at home. It's 5 or 6k here. Counting the exchange rate, it's hardly being ripped off.
You're the one looking to buy garbage junk food with a ridiculous mark up. Cheetos? Pop tarts? If you can't (or won't) do basic math, I don't know what to tell you. Here is Korea, not America. That soup was nice. Sometimes I crave a little tomato soup, as unhealthy as the canned stuff is. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 5:09 am Post subject: |
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| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
A bag of dried pinto beans is about $3 back home. They cost about 5k here. Not terrible. A large jar of pesto costs about $10 back home. Here it's 12k. Homemade hummus is about $5 at home. It's 5 or 6k here. Counting the exchange rate, it's hardly being ripped off.
You're the one looking to buy garbage junk food with a ridiculous mark up. Cheetos? Pop tarts? If you can't (or won't) do basic math, I don't know what to tell you. Here is Korea, not America. That soup was nice. Sometimes I crave a little tomato soup, as unhealthy as the canned stuff is. |
This. The huge markups are on comfort junk, not raw ingredients. |
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marsavalanche
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Location: where pretty lies perish
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 5:19 am Post subject: |
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| ryanbrezzi wrote: |
| But seriously, can't beat the price of a big block of cheese at Costco. compared to the prices of cheese everywhere else it's unbelievable! |
Costco is a great place to buy foreign foods. If I lived near one, I'd definitely get a membership. Reasonable prices, great customer service, the prices are actually listed and I don't have to keep a mental calculator going on in my head so I don't get ripped off.
But according to some people on Dave's that's half the fun!
lol |
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calicoe
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:30 am Post subject: |
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| marsavalanche wrote: |
| calicoe wrote: |
It's not about being a sucker. For the unmarked items, I ask how much they are and it is the same price all the time. Yes, the spices are a little expensive, but I've had them separate the large containers into smaller and cheaper portions, and they've done it for me. They have the cheapest avocados that I've seen. And, I shop for a lot of their "local" Indian spices, which are not bad. Keep track of your total, and know how much you owe when you get up to the counter. As I said, there are different people on different days, and some are nicer than others. But, I've never been ripped off there; actually, there are times when they have been apologetic and accommodating when I've complained about some of their prices (tahini). They discontinued a cheaper version and started pushing an Egyptian brand. I am already thinking about just buying my own sesame seeds and making my own tahini.
So, it all balances out. I dunno, but where do you expect to find mac and cheese or even just cheese priced like at home??? Good luck with that. |
A box of poptarts is less than $2 in the States. Paying 10k won for a box in Itaewon makes you a sucker. This goes for everything else I've seen in that store an ridiculous prices (ie a small bag of cheetos for 4k won, I can go on...)
And any store where I have to "keep track" of the total in my head so that I don't get ripped off is a store I have no interest in. Here is Korea, not Mexico.
But look at the brightside, you're a few 100k won away from a free can of soup
lol |
Dude, I wouldn't pay 10,000 won for a box of Pop tarts either (@2.79 at Walgreens, actually). But then again, I wouldn't buy Pop Tarts ANYWHERE, regardless of the price. That stuff is not food, it's product matter made in a chem lab! Ingredients include high fructose corn syrup, 220 mg of sodium, 19 g of sugar, about 25% fat ... maybe they are doing you a favor. Perhaps our experience is different because I don't go shopping for processed, garbage "food", but rather buy raw ingredients: spices, produce (beautiful Thai basil for 2,000 won; parsley, mint; avocados for 3,000 won; nuts, dried fruits for reasonable prices; canned chick peas for 2,000 won - the cheapest I've seen anywhere.
At High Street Market, I think I saw a bag of Doritios for something like 8,000 won or something - ridiculous! But, there are other deals there.
Yes, Costco sounds like it rules! I need to get a membership when I have a bigger fridge. |
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nickwils
Joined: 30 Apr 2007
Location: Asia
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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| calicoe wrote: |
It's not about being a sucker. For the unmarked items, I ask how much they are and it is the same price all the time. Yes, the spices are a little expensive, but I've had them separate the large containers into smaller and cheaper portions, and they've done it for me. They have the cheapest avocados that I've seen. And, I shop for a lot of their "local" Indian spices, which are not bad. Keep track of your total, and know how much you owe when you get up to the counter. As I said, there are different people on different days, and some are nicer than others. But, I've never been ripped off there; actually, there are times when they have been apologetic and accommodating when I've complained about some of their prices (tahini). They discontinued a cheaper version and started pushing an Egyptian brand. I am already thinking about just buying my own sesame seeds and making my own tahini.
So, it all balances out. I dunno, but where do you expect to find mac and cheese or even just cheese priced like at home??? Good luck with that. |
I really don't care about the actual product cost it's the pricing inconsistency I have a problem with. I understand he has to make some money but when I purchase the same curry sauce twice over a period of 4 weeks I expect to pay 3,500 both times.
That shop has changed over the past 4 years but I will only ever buy price marked products from now on. Two tier pricing is for Southern Asia where they might actually need the money. |
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calicoe
Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 1:55 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, pricing inconsistency would bother me! Also, I can't stand the lack of price tags. But, I just shamelessly call them over and ask the price on every item not priced. I do this before I get to the cash register. If something sounds ridiculous or asinine, I just tell them and toss it. They are competitive, so the best thing is to just assertively (not necessarily rudely or aggressively; there is a fine line) tell them that it is better priced elsewhere. That many trigger their instinct to bargin, which could work out in your favor. I did this with mangos and spices there, which worked out in my favor.
But yeah, if you are not accustomed to haggling in a friendly way, it could be frustrating. I have never had the experience of them trying to rip me off at the cash register, but then again I am always alert, and I know what my total is before I get there. However, I will start making my own tahini, and I will be sure to tell them their selection is too expensive.
But hey - Costco is also great, but remember, they have the benefit of economies of scale. We are talking about a small mom and pop shop. Can you get fresh Thai basil and fresh shallots for under 3,000 won there? You see, they both have their comparative advantages. |
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