Convenience store? Pyun Eui Jeom? what??

A convenience store is a small store or shop that sells items such as candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along with a selection of processed food and perhaps some groceries. Nowadays in South Korea, convenience store has extended its roles to postal service, purchase on event tickets, wireless internet zone, cell phone charging service, automated civil affair documents machine, ATM and so on. It is a clear part that how much convenience store has involved in Korean society. However, as a foreigner who are not familiar with Korean's culture or atmosphere, it is not easy to adventure convenient store (a.k.a Pyun Eui Jeom, 편의점). So I would like to give you some tips that might help travelers from foreign countries or foreigners who have just started their life in South Korea.

First, look around your place.
Seriously, Pyun Eui Jeom is everywhere in South Korea. You can even see some convenience stores right next to each other. I doubt there will be no difficulty to find one. Yet, we all need to figure out which store offers best service or better products. (Trust me, there is slight differences in each store.) This is a list of convenience stores. These stores are most likely franchise store. (Of course, there are some private convenience stores in Korea, I am trying to base on stores that are well-known and somewhat recognized their services from public.

GS 25 is the first franchise that has initiated as a domestic company in South Korea. It was LG25 back then, it changed its name to GS 25 after GS dropped out from LG. The best thing about GS 25 is that it offers high quality in instant foods. such as various flavor of Sam-gack-gim-bap (Dried sea weed roll), sandwiches, cup noodles, and so on. Also GS 25 encourage its customers to use GS&Point mileage card to use credits that has deposited. GS 25 has more events to offer discounted products to customers as well.

7-Eleven is the world-known franchise convenience store. However, its popularity in South Korea has decreased in order to advent of GS 25 and Family Mart. It is a still known fact that 7-Eleven is very well known in world wide, so foreigners might feel less afraid to use 7-Eleven than other convenience stores.

Family Mart and Mini Stop has originated in Japan. Especially, Family Mart becomes only convenience store which has its store in every single district in South Korea. Family Mart also has mileage card; if you are the holder of OK cashback, you can use OK cashback card asmileage card. Unlike most other convenience stores, Ministop stores feature a kitchen, where sandwiches and other snacks are prepared on demand, and a seating area, where customers can sit down and consume those snacks and other drinks or food bought in the store on the spot.
GS 25 and Olive Young are definitely different convenience stores comparing to others in South Korea. Both of them are more focussing on beauty products such as cosmetics, personal hygiene stuffs. They audaciously get rid of food sections and sets main concept which is drug type stores.

Journalist : heyday90@koreaprose.com

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