Now that my time is coming to a close, I wanted to start thinking about my time in Korea during the last 11.5 months. There are a lot of things I really like and a lot of things I think I'm really going to miss.
First order of business: Service.
No moderate sized shopping trip in Korea would be complete without a few freebies. Anytime a sales associate or clerk hands you something you didn't pick out yourself and says/mumbles/shouts the word "Service" it means you are getting something free to go with what you have just paid for.
Sometimes it makes sense. Sometimes you buy 5 pairs of socks and get 1 free. Sometimes you buy a box of cereal and get a bowl or a bag of onions and get a free pack of gum.
Sometimes it doesn't make sense. Sometimes you'll buy a couple of beers and get a dried squid. Sometimes you buy a couple of triangle kimbaps and get a free lighter, or a pen. Buying a pack of candy could mean a free sample of another kind of candy or it could mean you get a face mask. Actually. The face mask thing is fairly common.
I don't know if the locals get as much service as we foreigners, but I do know they don't treat us like this in the States. While I'm home, I'll definitely be thinking about all the possible service opportunities I'm missing out on.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment