Service

One particular aspect of Korean culture that I've grown rather fond of in my short time here is a thing called "service." It is, much like it sounds, an extra service by the proprietor or employee of an establishment for you, the good and loyal customer. This can range anywhere from a couple free bottles of Coke at the local barbecue place with dinner, to a free red bean donut at the bakery when you buy a coffee, to the situation I encountered earlier today.

This morning a Tom -- a fellow teacher -- and I went out to look for camping gear for Tom in preparation for our upcoming trip to Jirisan National Park. Those of you who had even a ten minute conversation with me anytime over the past two years know this is far from a chore for me, so I embraced it with my classic EMS-salesman-aplomb. Camping in Korea comes with a laundry list of regulations (I'll do a whole post on hiking and camping in Korea later), and actually one doesn't typically need as much technical gear as one would in The States. However, the essentials are still necessary, and Tom had few of them, so we went first to HomePlus -- essentially the Korean version of Wal-Mart -- and then to a smaller, sort of Mom & Pop camping store on the way home.

At HomePlus, we were treated to a variety of chintzy but cheap camping equipment. The salesman answered a few questions but didn't make too much of an effort, as we looked like we were just browsing. We moved on to the smaller shop, and the man staffing it was super helpful. I brought a cookset and a bottle of fuel up to him, and he told me the price. Surely that couldn't be right, I thought. I inquired as to whether or not my math was wrong. "No," he said. "This...20% off for you," he said, pointing to the cookset, and then, pointing to the gas, "and this...service." In other words, for free!

Was it because I was a foreigner? Who knows, but I can tell you I'll certainly go back for any more gear I'll need (and need more gear I will). After working at EMS for so long, and getting frustrated with every self-absorbed Upper West Side client who demands a discount, it is funny to be on the other side. However, I did not demand a discount, it was simply given to me. Perhaps because I'm just so handsome, who can tell?

Tom, meanwhile, was experiencing a serious case of sticker shock. The few pairs of boots in his size were quite expensive, so he left without getting anything (for now, at least). After we left and had walked probably 6 blocks down the street, the employee came rushing up on his bicycle, excitedly informing us that he could give Tom the boots for a mere $90, down from over $150. Still too much, but maybe next time. What a salesman!