Korean Job Discussion Forums

xCustomx · Joined: 06 Jan 2006

There are usually one or two different salesmen that come to my school every day pitching cars, insurance, credit cards, squid, stamps, books, etc. If they ever approached me I'd tell them to bug off. They are relentless and usually the Korean teachers have to tell them they're not interested at least five times before they move on.

I did have a guy try to sell me a car, but I told him I'm leaving Korea soon just so he'd go away. Have they ever approached you? If so, what did you do?

nobbyken · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Location: Yongin ^^

Guy with a limp, a nervous stutter and a bag of socks over his shoulder was looking for custom in our staffroom once.
He was getting no sale, but they were good, thick, grey sport socks. I bought 5 pairs of him, now my warm Mon-Fri socks.

Another time, a woman was giving out samples of dried squid and fish skin.
I liked the sample and remembered my wife loved that stuff (calcium rich), so I bought a packet.

Guy from KB was round yesterday, but seems most people were already with KB, lol.

nomad-ish · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject:

only once... and i didn't mind because he was selling cookies and had free samples Very Happy

plus it was entertaining to watch his sales pitch, but i felt a bit bad for him when the korean teachers tried to ignore him

Perceptioncheck · Joined: 13 Oct 2008

The salesmen generally follow the K Teachers lead and completley ignore me. Laughing

Once I did get a vitamin drink, but it was from what I suspect was a rogue parent. So many random people wander around my schools I'm never quite sure if they're salesmen or here to fix the photocopier.

EzeWong · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Location: Seoul

It's easy to get rid of the real estate ones that come around,

I whip out one of my giant recreational english books and watch them turn from the corner of my eyelid.

Then I promptly return to posting on Dave's...

jadarite · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject:

Just bring the salesperson into your classroom and try to sell them English lessons. They'll go away.

sojourner1 · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject:

We had one sales man show up with 2 large pieces of luggage full of American market goods that included aspirin, Immodium, flash lights, wallets, belts, tools, etc., but it was so over priced. He also had a bunch of Chinese looking shit.

He wanted 20,000 won for a small bottle of Equate aspirin! I can get the large size in Seoul or Daegu for 5,000! His 50,000 won ray skin belt was a fake! I proved it by showing my genuine ray skin wallet! LOL

KYC · Joined: 11 May 2006

credit card guy walks into the middle of my afterschool program.

me: um, can I help you?
him: says something in Korean
me: sorry, I don't speak Korean
him: hangul mal?
me: sorry, I don't speak Korean

then he leaves.

Ramen · Joined: 15 Apr 2008

Samsung Card Sales Woman walked in:

salesW: You work school?
me: Yes.
salesW: Can I see your Korea ID cad?
me: Why?
salesW: I want to give credit card.
me: Really?
salesW: I make copy ID cad, ok? Sign here.
me: Ok.

one week later, I gotta samsung visa credit card. Razz

lohengrin · Joined: 16 Mar 2008 Location: Loompaland

nope, they avoid me like the plague

bogey666 · Joined: 17 Mar 2008 Location: Korea, the ass free zone

I keep my head down, just flicker eyes around a little hoping they don't notice me.

they do.. but they stay away (thank God)

I actually get a kick out of how some K-teachers pretend they don't even exist.

it's such a demeaning job - sales. I think I'd prefer to shoot myself first than have to sell something to someone.

nota bene: most of the American "economy" these days is in the so called "service sector" .. translated this means armies of people trying to sell you things you don't need and "services" you either don't need or aren't interested in.

bobranger · Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Location: masan

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

Salespeople just walk into your schools?

BS.Dos. · Joined: 29 Mar 2007

^Yep, frequently as well.

My CTs have a good tactic for getting rid of them. Whoever gets cornered by the rep engages them sincerely for about 5-minutes before one of the other teachers rings their desk phone. They then have a pretend animated conversation before the CT who was talking to the rep slams the phone down and says he has an emergency to attend to before running off.

The rep will usually loiter around for about 5-minutes before skulking off.

ED209 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006

Some of the shiniest suits in Korea come to my school. Though once we had one downtrodden man come in trying to sell pens, I think he just took them out of the stock cupboard further down the hall. Public schools are considered just that, public. Anyone can wonder in or out unchallenged. What irks me are the hagwons and school uniform hawkers hanging around the gates handing out lolly pops("Hey it works for pedos, maybe it will help us sell overpriced uniforms").