Wednesday August 15, 2001
Well, I’m back. New OS (Windows 2000 Pro) on my computer, dual-boot system on Hanmee’s (Win98 & Win2000Pro), and virus-free hard drives. Caught a virus called Code Red II a week ago or more that shut me down. Apparently it spread to thousands and thousands of Microsoft NT & 2000 servers in South Korea, bringing government offices, large companies, banks, everything to a grinding halt – or at least dropping them into slow-mo – something that still hasn’t been fixed yet.
We went to Noe-ryang-jin, a fish market about 30 minutes’ scooter drive from here. Hanmee didn’t have fun at all. I was wondering what crawled up her butt because she was down the whole time. Turns out that shop-keeps there are really aggressive and not open to people who want to inquire about prices. Really pushy people at this market. I see now why no one wants to shop at traditional markets anymore. Read on.
Hyundai Department Store, Galleria, Lotte Department Store, E-Mart, and lots of other medium- to high-end chain stores were ordered by the government to stop their free shuttle-bus service to & from their stores because of pressure from traditional market & small store owners. What? Yes. True. Department stores are more expensive, yet people are shopping there instead. How come? It’s all about service. Kind sales people that don’t give you dirty looks for asking prices of many different styles or models of something. You get to try stuff on. You aren’t charged more if the salesperson hasn’t made much money that day, if you’re not old & wrinkly, if you look stupid, if you’re wealthy, or if you’re a woman. You can get a refund or exchange your stuff for something else. You don’t have to stand in the rain. You don’t have to – and certainly aren’t obliged to – barter and argue about pricing. And, if you walk away from their shop, you aren’t called a bitch or anything else. Some people say, “It’s a shame that traditional markets are hurting. It’s sad they can’t make money. It’s too bad they’re coming close to extinction. This longstanding traditional Korean shopping … way of life … blah blah blah.” No. It’s not like this. It’s survival of the fittest, man. Yes, department stores are more expensive. But there must be a reason people are going there instead of smaller shops & marketplaces. It’s called:
service
And there you have it, in a nutshell. Don’t get me wrong. Not all shops are like this. Our plant lady (so we call her) is very kind. The shop-keeps near here in Apkujong-dong are really friendly. The guy we buy all our plastic tubs, storage boxes, kitchenware, etc. is friendly. There are nice people out there in the big, ugly world we’ve made for ourselves, but it’s just easier, as many people will testify, to avoid unpleasant shopping experiences.
On to other things.
Still no CD writer / DVD player. Still broken. Or at least, it’s not inside my computer working, as it should be. The guy is supposed to call tomorrow with some news. I thought it’d be taken care of yesterday, but apparently not. We shall see. We shall see tomorrow. Perhaps.