Korean Job Discussion Forums

[marsha marsha marsha]

Someday when you are standing at a crosswalk and see a Korean girl carrying a shopping bag from an expensive store, peek at what she has in there. 9 times out of 10, it is her lunch or things that belong in a purse. I realized that Korean women carry around expensive bags just so people will think they have just been shopping there. Cracks me up!
One of my Korean friends, who now lives in America, once told me that she and her friends would go to the coffee shops in expensive hotels and stay for hours drinking one cup of coffee just to be seen there and so they could say they went there.
How bizarre is this behaviour, especially the bag thing? I mean are you really impressed by a person that was just shopping at Shinsegae??
Says a lot about this society...

[Gord]

In your world, do people not carry things around in plastic bags simply because it's easier than carrying the item(s) without a bag?

[weatherman]

I know I rip of Korea a lot, but I do the bag thing too. It is good for fitting in, and all the locals know that 9 out of 10 times, it is nothing important in the bag too. fashion, fashion, fashion.

[steroidmaximus]

I trigged on to the bag thing my first year in. . .now I do it as well. I still have bags from Beanpole and Tiffiny's, stuff bought almost a year ago.

[Homer]

Is this a big deal or a "comment on the society"?

Thats a a bit much. Perhaps they carry stuff in there because its more practical.
People keep plastic bags you know, they use them for their lunches a lot.
didn't know a lunch belonged in a purse...must be one of those over sized purses then.

[marsha marsha marsha]

They aren't carrying around Grand Mary or EMart bags. It is the label they are trying to show off. I do not go to an expensive shop and then keep the bag so I can make people think I have just been shopping there. To use any old bag is one thing but to carry one as a social status thing is an entirely different matter.

[Canuck]

Thats the difference. They carry nice bags, you probably dont care if you look like a slob so you carry an old plastic bag. The REAL question is why YOU have a problem with trying to look good.

[marsha marsha marsha]

Canuck, you need to step off. You don't even know me. I was making a freakin innocent comment about a subject I had recently discussed with my Korean friends who admitted to doing this and in hindsight (after moving to a western country) thought it was quite stupid on their part.

My handbags are nice thank you very much.

[Derrek]

I carry around two "Hong Kong Duty-Free" airport bags in the subway and cough a lot.

I usually get the seat I want.

[Hank Scorpio]

[Canuck]

Why is that? Would you rather see them walking around with a black plastic bag? If they put an effort into trying to look nice, why would they carry around an ugly bag? It seems that the people who have huge issues with Korean women's appearance are the frumpy North American slobs. Just cause brown socks and sandals are a fashion rage in Canada or ugly tights and dirty sneakers being the fashion rage in Amerrica, doesnt mean people all over the world should shoot for the slob look.

[Hank Scorpio]

Good looking bags don't necessarily say "Prada" on them. If all they were interested in were a pleasant appearance you'd see textile and leather bags used to haul around lunch. This is all about showing that you shop someplace that's expensive; and that is pretentiousness.

[Canuck]

Is that practical? Lotte bags are afterall big, so you can put a lot of stuff in them, cheap (FREE), lightweight and they look good,so the women can carry them when they dress up. I dont think its about the bags though. It could be about make up, shoes, clothes, accessories...its about the fact that North American women, come from the land of the slobs. At home they can wear ugly black tights with white sneakers and a plaid shirt, even if they weigh a deuce and a half. Or they can wear jeans, a sweatshirt and brown hiking socks and birkenstocks, and be comfortable. They come here and the young women are dressed in nice clothes. And it hits them that they aint in Kansas anymore. So they start the complaints and we have to read posts on all sorts of things from weight and diet to men and their "yellow fever" to posts about make up and absurd posts about Lotte or Hyundai bags.

[The Lemon]

The bag thing is a symptom of the Korean consumer's weird obsession with status. Where we come from, the status cache is derived from what the item is. Here, much of the status comes from where the item was purchased.

Economic theory goes out the window here. If Item X is sold at E-Mart for 10,000 w, demand is supposed to be greater than at Shinsaegae where the same item is sold for 25,000w. But in the Korean brain, it doesn't work this way. Demand for the thing at Shinsaegae goes up, because Koreans want to be seen shopping for things at Shinsaegae. It puts them on a higher level than the pleebs at E-Mart. Is it any wonder they carry their Shinsaegae bags with such pride?

Thus, the more something costs, the greater the demand. It's bizarre. And people like me, who shop at Store X instead of Y to save $5, are considered cheapskates, rather than careful consumers.

A few years ago some of my adult students took me to the Outlet 2002 in Hayggye-Dong up in Nowon-Gu. Near the front door they were selling factory-rejected Eddie Bauer shirts - very nice dress shirts actually. 5000w a piece, with no visible flaws. I bought three, quite happily. On the drive back, I was rather boastful of the good deal I got, but the women I was with commented that they found it very strange that someone would be happy to buy something for so cheap. It made me look like a peasant.

This is the only way to explain the electronics section at Shinsaegae, or those Samsung company stores. Prices there are >50% of what they are at E-Mart or Yongsan. So who in their right minds would shop for large items there? The service isn't any better. The selection sure isn't any better. These are people who want to spend more for the identical item.

This population is a retailer's dream.
_______________________

Mod hat on now: Canuck, you'd do well to not turn threads about Korean shopping habits into attacks on the appearance of Western women. The OP talked about shopping bags. You started yammering about North American obesity rates. Such comments could be called off-topic at best, and baiting and trolling at worst.

[Gord]