Five Shopping Quirks

I don’t remember much of my first week here in Korea. It was all a bit of a whirlwind. I do remember my first shopping excursion though. I was standing in the dairy aisle staring at cartons trying to decide which one was the milk I wanted to buy. My thought progression went something like this:

The blue carton? Or maybe the red one? What’s the difference? Is there a difference? What if I buy the wrong one? What are the people next to me buying? Maybe I should just get that one? What if I never figure it out? Oh my gosh! I’m going to starve in Korea because I don’t know what anything is!!!

Obviously I haven’t starved and I’m happy to report that I do, in fact, have milk in my fridge at this very moment.

However, shopping here can still provide some unique experiences. Here are five shopping quirks I’ve noticed during my time out and about in the stores.

1) No shopping bags

I’m a little sad that I didn’t pack the multitude of cute, reusable shopping bags I had collected during my time in Salt Lake. Here in Korea they are actually necessary since most stores will charge you for each bag you need for packing up your purchases. However, those plastic shopping bags also double as the trash bags you are required to use when you put garbage out on the curb for pickup. (Korean waste disposal is a whole different post waiting to be written... that is once I figure out how it works. So maybe in a few years I’ll understand it enough to explain! Here’s hoping...)

2) What you wanted.... plus!

I’m discovering that Koreans like their extras. Whenever you sit down in a restaurant you are brought an array of side dishes that come with any meal. Sometimes you even get coffee or tea after... just because. There’s always that little extra something you get for, what seems to me, no particular reason. This is pretty common and extends beyond restaurants to grocery stores, skincare and makeup shops, even cell phone stores.

         My absolute favorite example of this was when I signed up for my cell phone contract. It was during my first few weeks of living in Korea. I was lucky enough to find a store on Cell Phone Street that had an English speaker. It made the process incredibly easy and I was happily waiting for my new iphone to be set up when the sales assistant brought over this box and said- “gift!”. I took it with a smile but was honestly too excited about my new phone (finally, I could compete with all the 7 year olds on the bus with their fancy phones!) to wonder much about what was inside.

When I got home I decided I should check it out. What could possibly be in a box that size from a cell phone store... I never would have guessed.

Because I obviously need some fry batter, flour and Korean pancake mix to go along with my new phone! And how did they know I was out of paper towels?!

3) Follow the Foreigner

This shopping quirk is not quite as positive and nice as the others. Truthfully I’m still trying to figure out the why and the reason behind this and could be missing some information. BUT it seems to me that whenever I walk into a store downtown I quickly have a second shadow in the form of a salesman attached to my side. Well, not exactly my side, they usually stay a step or two behind me. Shoe stores, clothing stores, makeup stores, the variety doesn't matter. Once I walk in the doors they are at my side, avoiding eye contact, not saying anything after the customary “Hello. Welcome to [insert store name here].” Sometimes it’s not terrible, but for someone who doesn't like shopping to beginning with, feeling like someone is following me around and watching my every mood doesn't help the experience.

4) It's your turn to take the waygook's order!
On the other end of the spectrum from being followed when I walk in a store is the look of fear that sometimes appears on the faces of employes. I've actually seen some run into the back and drag someone else out (I suppose the poor soul that was deemed the best english speaker of the bunch) to take my order. I usually just smile and laugh. And honestly I always feel like saying "No, really, we're in Korea. I should be the one terrified because I'l have to use my poor Korean to order!" 

5) Did they just say what I think they said?!

My favorite new game when walking around downtown in the evenings is finding the store with the most horrid English song blasting from their doors. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard as many songs with that amount of swearing and derogatory terms in one stroll down a street as I do on any given night downtown. Granted, if I went to the right streets I’m sure it’s pretty easy to find in the States... but not usually in a family friendly clothing store! I’m not sure where they are getting these mix cds of English songs but they really need to hire an English speaker to help filter some of those songs out. I’m looking at you ABC Mart....

Shopping is still something that I don't love doing, no matter what country I'm in! But at least focusing on these little quirks and differences gives me something to chuckle at as I stumble through the process.

Kpop song of the Week: Epik High- Don't Hate Me 

Ok so not exactly a representation of Korean Shopping... I just adore the group and this song! ;)