Korean Job Discussion Forums

Zyzyfer · Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 11:13 pm Post subject: Of Pharmacies and Men

I fear going into the local pharmacies here, whether down the street from my place, in Suwon, after a long night out in Seoul, whatever. Because every single time I walk into one, whether accompanied or alone, the dude(s) there glare at me like I'm some sort of heathen who's chock full of diseases or something. Ok...not quite...but pharmacy employees here are extremely curt and abrupt. I've been trying to get over this little hang-up lately.

Today, I wanted to pick up some vitamins. I have never bought vitamins before, and I was crusing through the bottles, checking out what's in each one, and what makes the men and old people vitamins different, all that good mess. I casually overlook one of the bottles that I'm interested in, and noticed the rockin' price tag of 46,000 won. I do the "comparative shopper" routine and judge that it's not a bad price to pay when the bottle will last me three months, so I grab it and one other bottle of fish oil tablets(also 40,000 won or so) and go up to the counter. I tried to make some small talk with the guy, speaking in Korean.

"These are really expensive."

Mistake #1 I made. He took it that I wanted a price cut or something, and he started talking about who knows what...from context, I'd judge that he has smaller bottles he could sell me or something. Anyways, he's babbling, and I just keep saying, "It's okay". Finally, I ask for the price. He knocks a couple thousand won off, dropping it to 80,000 for the two bottles.

Now, I was supposed to go to the bank today, and wire some money home, but I had forgotten that there are limits on my account as to how much money I can withdraw per day. I had taken out 600,000 initially, and was going to withdraw more money tonight/tomorrow, closer to my house. I didn't put it in my wallet; instead I put the money in a shirt pocket.

So I start to reach for my wallet, but remember that I don't have enough to foot the bill. So what do I do?

That's right...I pull out a huge wad of cash. So, not only am I uncultured for flashing money around all over the place, but I also look like a seedy little turd for "complaining" about the price when I had a big wad willy-nilly in my shirt.

I just kept apologizing while walking out red-faced. Last time I ever try to do small talk with the ornery pharmacy dudes...

lush72 · Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Location: I am Penalty Kick!

I can so visualize what happened to you today! DAMN! I would be embarrassed as well!

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

if you get depressed every time a shop owner is curt with you in korea, you are going to have a rough time.

also, trying to get a discount probably wouldn't improve his opinion of you.

i generally don't barter with shopkeepers except at the markets like dongdaemun and such.

Corporal · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Yeah, it's weird how the people who work at the yakguks never seem to be the most, er, personable Koreans out there. You'd think they would be, since they're sorta in the business of helping people, but they often act like they'd belong better behind a counter and plastic partition where they don't actually have to interact much with you, just grab your money and shove a bus ticket in your face and move on....

belong better behind, did anyone else notice that nice bit of alliteration?

Anyway, I hear you.

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

i get something called beecom-cf these things are loaded with goodies (all the b's + c) and where i buy them they cost 16,000 for 100 pills..

1 a day is 3 months worth.. just an idea

mokpochica · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

The people at pharmacies that I've met have all been quite nice. The thing that I get more bothered about is a few times I've bought B.C. pills from a female and she acted kind of strange and embarassed--thus making me feel that way too. You don't want to hear your pharmacist giggle in a situation like that.

Zyzyfer · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 5:24 pm Post subject:

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Zyzyfer · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 8:49 pm Post subject:

mokpochica · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Anyway, I thought that the part about pulling out all that money was pretty funny.

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

I've noticed pharmacists here have an elevated sense of their own importance. They want to be seen on a par with doctors.

Maybe it's because there are so many traditional korean cures and remedies, so the pharmacist sees himself as a diagnoser rather than a glorified counter clerk.

I always get the impression from watching Korean customers (especially older ones) that they go in and explain their symptoms to the pharmacist who then declares what medication should be taken. They seem deflated when someone asks for something specific. As if the customer is being presumptous to know what they need.