Korea is big on selling! Everyone must sell, sell, sell. They have interesting ways to advertise their products.. not that they seem to be very effective.. but hey!
One of the first things I noticed here were these little vans that drive around really slowly while the driver yells something in korean. "blah blah blah, hamnida... etc etc" (notice that I can't pick out very many words yet.. haha) Anyway, my sister and I thought it would be something interesting like government propoganda.. maybe against the North?? But alas.. it wasn't so. Apparently it's just a guy driving around droning an advertisement for a particular store or product. SIGH. And the worst part... NO ONE listens to him. So there's one method out the window.
Next.. I noticed that people are really really big on their business cards here. I've been handed several. Most in Korean. I usually nod politely and pretend to read it.. then smile at the giver and put it in my purse --> I read that this is the proper way to accept one.. and it seems to work! It would be extremely rude if you folded it up and stuck it in your pocket.. OR (heaven forbid) you threw it on the ground! Heathen! So then why, I asked myself, are there soooooo many business cards all over the ground?? The answer came to me the other day when I was walking to work. A man was driving a motorcycle towards me.. wearing a helmet with a black visor. This struck me as odd, because most people don't care about vehicle safety here. Then suddenly, he threw a business card at the nearest storefront. AH HA! More advertisements. I then saw an old lady sweeping them into the gutter. So again.. useless.
The last one is the most interesting. I heard this music that sounded like a musicbox tune coming from a motorbike being driven by a woman. She pulled right in front of me and stopped. "ANYONG!!!" Umm.. it wasn't a woman. It was a man.. dressed as a woman.. as a creeeeeepy woman, with a white grinning face. I kinda sideskirted him.. really fast. WELL, apparently it's yet another selling technique. If I had spoken to him, he would've tried to sell something to me. And yet again.. it didn't work on me!!
They need to figure out something that works!
1 comment:
that is honestly the coolest thing I've ever heard. Could you imagine how fun it would be if men drove around dressed as a woman here. hilarious. I hope it catches on in these parts.
You should try throwing the card on the ground
and Grinning. not a happy grin but a "what-are-you-going-to-do-now?" grin. It'd be awesome if you could, please and thanks.
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