(Part 3) More subtle cultural differences in Seoul, Korea

Another subtle cultural difference that I have found in every country I have been to, is the way in which things work at the checkout section in supermarkets and it can be confusing. In England, you will usually be handed the plastic bags you need and then you bag the goods yourself. This system is good for keeping the line moving because both you and the checkout operator are working to get you through the checkout.

In some Korean supermarkets, you bag your things yourself, like in the UK. In other supermarkets though there is always someone bagging your items for you, such as in the large supermarket in Shinsaegae, Seoul Bus Terminal. The problem is that, for some reason, the staff bagging the groceries always put everything in too few a bags, to the extent that the bags are likely to break under the pressure. Go to a ‘Seven Eleven’ convenience store and the same thing can happen. Without exception, they always use one bag, regardless of how many things you buy. Maybe it was just that I was very unlucky? I realise that maybe you have to ask if you want another bag because you have to pay for it, but on one visit I bought five bottles of 1.5 litre water, one can of Cass Beer, two tins of tuna and four yoghurts. The shop assistant still spent a while forcing everything in the one bag, to the extent that I could not actually carry it in one hand and if I had, there is no doubt at all that the bag would have broken. It seemed at times as though logic was maybe being ignored to meet with company rules. In other situations Koreans provide services which sometimes are so simple yet brilliant; ideas that sometimes make me question Western logic.
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