Korea Curio #5: Let's Go Shopping!

For the most part, grocery shopping in Korea is similar to grocery shopping in the US. Our local grocery store has the usual assortment of goods and produce and I can still get my Cocoa Krispies. Quite a few of the products I know from the US have made there way to Korea. A few of them are expensive (e.g. maple syrup) but most are actually around the same price.

I have found some interesting differences though:

1. You have to pay a deposit for your cart. The carts are locked together; you have to insert 100 won (about 10 cents) to unlock a cart. When you lock your cart back to the other carts, you get your 100 won back. Maybe it doesn't sound like a big deal, but hey, it's my 100 won and I ain't giving it to some corporation because I was too lazy to return my cart!
2. You also have to pay for shopping bags. I think it's actually a per-bag environmental tax. This I like very much; it encourages reusing bags instead of getting a new bag every time you go to the store. It also cuts down on the number of bags people use.
3. Every section and almost every aisle has its own attendant--and they're very eager to help. This would be more helpful to me if I knew more Korean but I appreciate the practice. My usual interaction involves an attendant asking me if she can help me find something (I think) and me trying to pantomime "scrub brush," "light bulb," or "baking soda." Fortunately, my girlfriend has yet to send me for feminine products. It'd be the classic guy nightmare only with a language barrier to make things more interesting...
4. The meat and produce sections also have attendants, only they're more like carnival barkers. It's intense with lots of yelling that I can't translate, but I imagine it's something like "Meat here!" or "Buy my fish!" Today I was accosted in the baking aisle by a pork pusher who had wondered away from his post. That'll keep you on your toes.