Your tl;drs are like a survival guide to living in or visiting South Korea. Despite not having any plans in the near future of going there, I still feel inclined to watch them just in case Doctor Who appears with his tardis and we end up in Korea.
you all prolly dont give a damn but does someone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb lost my password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me!
Yo, I understand your Canadian feels. Gotta tip even when the food is terrible and there's crappy service:'((( And with only like SEPHORA or Shoppers drugmart here, I really envy dat cosmetics service y'all get over there in SK. Sidenoteee, Kiehl's is pronounced KEELZ. :D
Stephanie Hau yeah but you know what, servers get paid LESS because there's an expectation of being tipped. Its much worse in the States, since out minimum wage is higher, but still, serving is a really stressful and shitty job and people working in retail and food get a LOT of crap from customers, so a tip is really deserved. A lot of servers understand that younger customers won't be able to tip a lot so they'll be grateful even if you tip a bit
In Sweden you sometimes get free samples with magazines. Like.. all of a sudden there's some moisturizer stuck to a page. And also, in bigger convenience stores you might get some taste samples. But otherwise... NO SERVISEU! I want toilet paper stuck to my coffee!!! I'm moving to Korea.
I had a great experience in subway in Seoul with service! The girl at the desk was so eager and happy to speak in English with me by the time she had made my sandwich, she gave me a free drink as 'service' :)
I'm from Malaysia and I've never received free stuff before but for those who are living in/going to Korea, I want to say that Two Two Chicken (it's a fried chicken chain) will always give you services whenever you call for a delivery. I stayed in Seoul for two months and had Two Two Chicken for about 6~7 times (don't judge me, if you've ever tried their friend chicken, you would ALWAYS want to go back to it, it's like the best fried chicken I've ever eaten, I swear) and they would always give me a can (or two) of coke. Sometimes I would walk in the shop and tell them I want a take-out, they would give me services in the bag too. Seriously guise, try Two Two Chicken. I don't even like fried food but that's heaven right there. I'm back in Malaysia now and I'm moving to Korea by the end of the month but I can't take the craving no more. /brb crying ;A;
In Australia we have a Korean run store called Morning Glory and a while back I bought maybe $30 of stuff and got a free water jug, two glasses and two face masks hahaha
*TL;DR Question: Can you please discuss that personal stamp, that I usually see in the dramas, which is used to sign official documents?* Is it required that every Korean have one? Do you have one? Can you complete an official document without it? Where would you get those stamps, and do you choose your own design? Does the government provide it? Those stamps sort of remind of the Victorian era wax and seal kits. Here in the U.S., you can practically sign your life away with just a chicken scratch of a signature; no stamp needed. And you can throw in a fingerprint, if you're feeling fancy. Lol
I think they talked about the stamp in some video(s) on becoming a business in South Korea and maybe when they were finalizing the studio they want. If I remember correctly - the stamp, represents the business, serves as a signature on contracts and other paper work.
It is videos like this one that remind me why I started watching you two. This exposes unique and different aspects (not ENTIRELY foreign, but different enough to be UNIQUE) from Western culture, and you explain with examples of your experiences in Canada and your experiences in South Korea. Your humor and tangent stories (with pictures and videos! Yay!) also remind me of your earlier days. Nothing can beat those early videos and your infectious enthusiasm, informative narratives and random (quirky and hilarious in a great way!) humor. I love you guys! Thank you for your hard work and your sharing of your videos. They make my work week more bearable! Best wishes and regards!
No wonder I get a lot of free stuff whenever I go to Nature Republic lol. I literally got SOO much free stuff from there. I've gotten a handful of samples but I've gotten A LOT of EXO merch. Yes, EXO merch. And as an EXO-L, I'm so happy and grateful. Some of the things of gotten are fans, photo cards, posters, mini standees, and even a photobook. I love Nature Republic so much 😭😍
+Ichigo Senpai And Etude House. Shop at December and get 2-3 items for the price of one AND a buttload of freebies. Wow I sound like a salesperson. But srsly FREE STUFF!
I live in Southern California and there is this skin care store called The Face Shop, with is based in South Korea, and every time I purchase something, it could be just a tiny little chapstick, they'll give me a package filled with free samples. It's the freaking best thing ever! Other than that, no one else really does that here -.-
I feel like, especially with the restaurants, if someone sees another person getting something free then they expect to as well even if it's their first time there and they don't even know the owners name. It's definitely a sense of entitlement of "If they get it then so should I" so that practice I think could actually hurt a business here in the U.S.
Jango221 This is actually probably true. Korea or most asian cultures have a completely different concept of respect and appreciation that the us and many european countries as well, dont have.
It's far from the majority but unfortunately it's enough entitled jerks to ruin it for others. They want to be treated special but they don't want to see people who aren't them treated special. Hospitality is my career and not wanting your customers to perceive something as "special treatment/favors" is definitely considered.
Actually, they did make us pay for breathing once. O2 bars use to be a thing and then we realized how stupid it was that we paid for breathing. Im old so i remember this trend.
I don't know if it's the same anywhere else but in the UK when you buy something you get to the till and they're like "would you like these pens today for £1?" "Would you like this perfume today for only £17.99?" but it's like stuff nobody wants 😂
Actually the "Serbisu" was in fashion in Korea before the massive Chains started to kill off Mama & Papa shops. It's just been a business practice and way to give customer perks if they ordered a lot.
I LOVE YOU GUYS :D When is the next video on your cafe coming out? I'm so excited to see what you guys will make out of it.... even though i'm stuck in Toronto and can't visit it even if i want to :'(
I get service from Korean and I've never even been... I buy a lot of Korean cosmetics and just recently when buying a single bb cream, they threw in 5 bb cream samples, 3 moisturiser samples, 2 lip tint samples. Score!
Amber Phoenix True got to love Ulta when they give free samples, but again you have to purchase items. :( Also Costco you need a membership; though it is pretty cheap in my opinion. I would love to go to a makeup store in Korea and get all the free stuff Martina showed in photos.
I've gotten free drinks and small extras in America before. Plus for some reason clinique (found in Macy's, Dillards etc) gives you so many free samples it's crazy. I bought 70 dollars of face cream and they gave me a 16 dollar lipstick plus full sized mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow for free in a cute little make up bag. It's usually for larger purchases I guess. It does work though, I ended up buying that lipstick multiple times afterwards.
I live in Canada and there has only been one place that ever gave me a free service. It was a Vietnamese place that I weekly went to for coworker lunch runs. After about six months of regular visits, they started bringing out a few free fried wontons for me while I waited. Now that I think about it, the free stuff started not long after another (way better) Vietnamese place opened up down the street.
Yes, you can go to most fast food restaurants, places like TGIFridays, Red Lobster, Green olive (what's the name of that one?), and such! And most Thursdays have 2x1 in alcoholic beverages!
When I lived on Jeju I used to get free chocolates in the supermarkets ALL the time. There was usually someone around the food section promoting tourism on the island, and they would always stop me and give me free green tea-, orange-, or cactus blossom-flavored chocolate. In my opinion, the chocolate-while-you-shop routine should definitely be promoted world-wide. Thanks for reminding me of free stuff in Korea, guys!
This "service" is mostly popular in Asia, you will never hear about this in North America/Europe, or you might, rarely. Only "service" I've had is in Asian restaurants, primarily Korean ones. Along with an online shop, and I got some freebies from shopping on there. North America sucks.
Oregon, USA- It's the same here as it is in Canada. You can get free samples of makeup and health care stuff. But during the Fair or festival local businesses and banks will give you free stuff (sometimes in grab bags). For example; My bank once gave me a grab bag with pens, letter opener, note pads, piggy bank, saver light bulbs, plant growing kit (mini plant), and designed packing tape (weird right?). I think they were also handing out water bottles and ice cream.
My favorite Chinese restaurant is run by a Korean couple. When I go there for takeout and my bill might be $18 & change. They'll say, for $20, we'll throw in a bowl of soup... $4 on the menu! Not free, but their egg drop soup is GR8! (^;
Next TL;DR -difference in korean/kpop fashion in contrast with the fashion in America/Canada -how popular is Korean dramas in Korea??does the limitation of illegal online viewing of Korean dramas affect the number of people who watch it? Are Koreans obsessed with Korean dramas as much as foreign fans?
- the whole taped-free-stuff is a marketing scheme; Simon and Martina guessed it right! It's a sort of countermeasure when the sales drop lower than the rivals - it used to be ALL cosmetic shops giving out LOTS OF free samples ALL THE TIME, but now they only do it in really competitive areas (like most of Seoul :P) or holidays. Instead there's a lot of sales (down to 50%!) for membership customers, and you get a text alert when it happens. - Mom&Pop shops giving free stuff is a bit different, since it originally is a cultural thing. Those people feel that selling food is a way of life, not means of living, so feeding people is just what they do. FOOD is a big part in Korean culture (believe it or not) affecting a lot of aspects - from language to manners. There's a lot to say on this topic, but basically, Koreans like to share food. And feed people. So "service" in the food industry does have a different background(actually, it probably IS the bg of free stuff), although nowadays it is used as a marketing method as well.
i live in the uk and the only time i get free stuff is when employees fuck up. i got free chicken wings in nandos last week cause they gave me plain when i asked for medium and i was so happy lol
I live in Canada (not really Toronto but still kind of Toronto Nastie!!) and at the fabric store in my home town I occasionally get, not free stuff, but they'll give me deals on stuff. Being that I stay there and I talk with them, tell them what I'll be using the fabric for, tell them what I had used previous fabric for, bring in my creations for them to see, and such, they will sometimes give me deals on fabric and notions. This doesn't happen every time I go there, but every now and then, I'll get a couple free buttons if I happen to pick up some from their little basket of random buttons, or a couple dollars off my final total. And it's really awesome! Another thing, this has only happened once, but at my public library, I tend to volunteer a lot. Half of the librarians know me by name because I'd be there so often. One time when I'd gone in to pay some fines for having over due books, I gave the librarian my card and started pulling out my money, she handed me back my card and said, "Oops, I accidentally deleted them." I just stared at her for a moment, shook my head a little, and said our goodbyes before I left. The fine was only just under $5, but still.
Just sayin'. I pick my norebangs here in Korea based on how much service I get. If I get an hour and a half to two hours free service, then they'll have my business again, haha. While for hofs here in Korea, my friends and I feel like we hit the jackpot when they give us service of a potato french fry sampler. But we realize, it's usually the result of three pitchers of beer. But hey, it's still awesome!
THAT FLASHBACK. Martina, why so adorable? Also, I live in Jamaica, and it's possible to get a lot of free stuff if you go to the right places. There are a couple of supermarkets which ALWAYS have banded stuff, but it's like cereal with a free bowl, or something like that. Other stores apart from supermarkets will do it but generally only smaller stores (I guess you call them mom & pop stores). Restaurants don't give out free stuff unless they're like roadside vendors, which will give you LOADS of free stuff. In Jamaica, there's something called "taste and buy" where fruit vendors and some other food vendors will voluntarily give you some of what they're selling just so you're more enticed to buy from them. And it's not a big problem if you don't buy either. You can walk through a market and get full just from taste and buy.
We also have "service" in Greece in supermarkets and in some cosmetics shops! As for the restaurants some of them give you free desert or fruit and most of the taverns the will give you free wine or beers if you have a big bill or if you are a regular customer! And you don't need to give tip! I have never thought about it until Martina and Simon did this vid!! I didnt thought this was a big deal!!
Simon: "I will buy this one q-tip and take this $50 worth of free samples, thank you." Martina: "No, you don't even have to buy anything!" Simon: "SCREW YOUR Q-TIP, I will take the $50, thank you!" Gold...just, gold.
What's religion like in South Korea? Are they monotheistic or polytheistic? If they are monotheistic what is the major religion? If polytheistic do they believe in spirits or mythology?
This reminds me when i visited Korea, I went into a SUPER small store and it was raining outside when I left, and the only staff there gave me an umbrella for FREE. I noticed they had prepared a whole bunch of umbrellas at the corner as well. How nice!!
I remember going to myeongdong and they kept saying "come in, have a look, you dont have to buy anything and we'll give you this free face mask!!". Although I did go in and come out without buying anything, it's REALLY awkward when you don't buy anything... because they follow you around introducing products and try to talk you up. So then you feel guilty if you don't buy at least one thing... Lol but no regrets. *bathes in my free face masks and samples*
Where I'm from in America this happens quite frequently also. Maybe not to such a large extent, but restaurants (mom and pop/ not big chains) will give out extra sides sometimes or will offer free desert. And stores (not big chains) will give a butt load of samples. But it may just be where I'm from, the whole southern hospitality and the "if I feed you, you are now my family" ideal.
In Singapore we don't usually tip waitress or waiters in restaurants because in SG we have to pay GST(7%) and Service Charge(10%) so is considered 'tipping' them already. And it's also compulsory to pay both, which sucks.
Finland? Free stuff? mmmm, nope. The only places i've gotten samples or something like that are like the expensive cosmetics stores, but they usually give you like two or three little tiny samples. Everywhere else, no so much. I did get some extra strawberries and peas last summer from a farmers market, because i visited so often. They started to recognize me and gave me a few scoops more strawberries and whatever fresh, yummy local farm-grown veggies i decided to get that time. :3 But in the city areas it's really rare to come across freebies.
Finnish way is to give like, free time for your phone when you sign up with a connection, or if you have loyalty cards you rack up points (slowly) and they'll mail you a coupon, or you collect stamps on your card for a coffee shop and your tenth coffee is free. But this is a country where you never have to tip, so there's that. But really everything is really expensive and nothing is usually free. I ordered cosmetics from a Korean online shop and got some free samples and I don't want to use them because they're so precious!
Hey Simon and Martina. Could you guys do a tl;dr on how to learn Korean. I really want to learn Korean and there is no Korean classes anywhere around me so maybe give a few tips on tricks on how to learn Korean? :D Thanks
in australia you dont really get free stuff, but i was at a korean restaurant here and they gave us free soup and ice cream at the end, so awesomeeeee!!! :P
Uk - We get some free samples, but also we don't do the American tipping thing. Tipping is mostly optional and it'll only be a few pounds. The Owners of the restaurant have to pay their staff a certain amount, meaning that we don't tip.
Hey there! My Korean friend posted your vid about gangsters! Loved it! Speaking of free stuff!! I make artisan nail polish I would LOVE to send ya some! You both rock!
I live in america but theres a Korean cosmetic store close to us called the faceshop and every time we go there and buy something they give like a whole 2 handfuls of packets of random samples. Its the best. Also at all of the asian markets i go to they just have small table stands set up with people cooking food to give as free samples.
In Mexico if you go to any big store like Walmart on a Sunday it's like a free all you can eat buffet. They will give your beverages, yogurt, chorizo, chips, cup up burger patties (lol) etc. We also have the stuff taped to other stuff, sometimes it doesn't even have to be taped together, you buy hand cream and get a packet or rice for free or something.
Um...I'm not sure where I should ask this, but... Can you explain how to read a map of Korea? I mean how do you take an address written down on a paper or website and find that exact location on a Map of South Korea? See, I'll be in Seoul in 2 weeks and I want to be able to locate all the places I want to visit on a Korean map based on the address given. I'm from the USA and how we translate an address into a location on a map is very different from South Korea, so I'm really confused. I'm hoping you guys can make a TLDR for this by next week. ^_^ Or maybe someone on this comment board can help me.
It's nearly impossible to find a place with a written address, especially in Seoul. I would strongly recommend using a smartphone's map app, such as Daum Map or Naver Map. The caveat is that you need to type in the address in Korean... Google Map also works on majority of time, but it's not as accurate as the Korean ones.
zigolleid Hi, thanks for replying. I have the Naver Map application but it actually gives me too much information and the text is TOO SMALL! I can read Hangul, but DAMN even when I zoom in close on the hangul it re-formats all the text to this tiny size. -_- Also, I plan to use "paper maps" as a backup to my applications. So I still would like to know how to take an address given to me, and find it on a map.
EmpressB7 If you're using Naver Map, then there is a setting that makes everything "larger": if you tap the grid icon on the top left you'll see "설정", and there is an option called "지도 크게보기". If you set that to "크게 보기(고화질/HD)", it should make things bigger... slightly. And if you're planning to use a paper map, then I'm out of luck to help you since I don't really know that either (and I'm a Korean...). In fact I doubt if anyone is actually using a paper map other than the post officers. Yeah, it's that complicated D: What people usually do is, they remember the closest subway station exit number and landmarks or nearby buildings to pinpoint the place to go. That works most of the time.
zigolleid Thank you SOOOO MUCH for that Naver Map tip! It does make it a bit easier to read! As for no Paper maps...(cries) Aw I hope the airport has some! I need a souvenir! And the Bus and Trains must use maps to display their travel routes.
EmpressB7 I'm almost positive they'll have paper maps in the airport. I know for sure they have them at the subway stations, I relied on paper maps myself one time I went because I left my phone in America. zigolleid is right though, the address system in Korea is really confusing because they're in the middle of transitioning from an older system. Most Koreans don't use it themselves. They use directions like the ones that Simon and Martina provide in WANKs instead.
From the US and the only free stuff I've seen in stores are like shampoo bottles might have this travel size conditioner or shampoo with it. It's mostly always cosmetic type stuff. I can't think of any other ones. And I don't know if this counts, but there is a Korean restaurant here that my family goes to all the time (and the servers let me practice my Korean on them~!!!) and sometimes they give extra side dishes or something like that and last time they gave us an extra dish of 고기 (like we only ordered and paid for 1 plate, but they gave us 2~!!).
well here they usually give u free food if they mess up an order. Like last week i got a free pizza and breadsticks cuz they brought us the wrong one and we had 2 boxes of pizza and bread sticks at home like fatasses. Plus there's cosco. They give out free samples of food there all the time. And if you go to Cosco in Mexico. you can even get free liquor samples. And if the lady giving out the samples is nice you can basically take as much as you want hehehehe
I'm from the Uk, have lived in New Zealand and currently in Australia, and I've hardly ever come across any freebies in any of these places :O (except at expos/conventions). Hopefully it was just the places in these countries that I lived in. . .because freebies are awesome!
In the UK I guess it's similar to canada.. I barely ever get free stuff! But last year when I went to America I was so surprised by the tipping culture! After visiting lots of cities it was like oh someone's opened the door for me now their shaking a tip pot at me! And the 20% of the bill was crazy, we actually got into arguments about that with waiters! In the uk you're never expected to tip..
ajaffair is right. Though I don't know about where you went, but in VA if the waiter/waitress didn't make at least minimum wage then the employer has to compensate. Again I don't know where you were, but you don't always have to pay 20%, when I go out I pay an amount I think is deserved for how well their service was. I've had horrible waiters and left no tip before. I don't live in the city so I've never had any one ask for a tip for opening a door, we have to open our own doors where I live. :P
In Winnipeg, shopping in grocery stores on the weekend they always have samples of food that they cook in the store and give away - although really small samples. Simon and Martina already talked about in beauty stores, which you get here, too. And ordering asian food, you will usually get free rice or fried rice if you order over a certain amount. I think that's about it...?
I live in the Netherlands and my country is kinda known for being stingy... so no free stuff, they'd rather steal the shit you already bought xD Only time when I get things free is in a supermarket. Especially a supermarket chain called 'Emté'. I get like sausages, soup, pizza, cheese, tea and more when I walk around. And then I make another round. And then I put on disguise and make another round.
There is a famous Indian restaurant near Kansas City that I love to go to; since we live several hours away we can usually only go once or twice a year. We always go to the original restaurant as it's famous for the owner who is very energetic and generous; he serves food, fills chai, blows balloons for people leaving, and gives free food. We'll be happily eating and he'll come up and give us a free mango lassi (yogurt drink) or just randomly give us free naan or other extra morsels. When my little sister was there recently it was packed and the wait for a table was 30 minutes. She told me they kept giving them these delicious vegetable skewers while they waited til they were almost full on them! This restaurant definitely has the best service I've ever experienced, both in the sense of customer service and free food. One of many reasons its my favorite restaurant.
Haha no such thing here in Malaysia. But it happens at Korean run places. I enter The FaceShop to get a mask, I come out with free makeup boxes, Q tips, cotton pads, toners. And im like "but i already use these at home" and they'll be like "oh then use these for traveling!" *throws more*. Same thing with Korean bbq places, but only the ones im regular at
REally?!!! I only get free samples from Etude House when I buy more than 100+ ringgit worth of stuff. sometimes less than 100, but I'm a regular there. Which Face Shop do you go to? The one in Pavilion has sucky staffs
ohh i dont go to Etude House much. mostly the one at Paradigm Mall. real friendly staff ^^ the one at Curve is not bad either... oh really? i hardly go to pavillion. i know the one in AEON Bandaraya Melaka has real ignorant staff. i had to literally wait for them to come to me -.-
Next time you come to Japan, you have to spend some time in Nagoya. At almost all local restaurants, if you buy a cup of coffee in the morning, you'll be asked if you want "mo-nin-gu" (morning set) which means they'll give you toast and a hard-boiled egg for free. It rocks. Really sweet gesture of local hospitality. :)
It's exactly like you mentioned, you need to know the people really well to get free stuff in Toronto. I've been going to the same sushi place for about 6 or so years now and they always throw in small side dishes for me to try out. Also, working in retail you become extremely familiar with some of the customers and they'll notice you while they're working in the mall (or even in the area) and hook you up with sample products not usually included or special deals at food places.
We live in the US. I am of European descent & my husband is from Bangkok. When we travel to Thailand, we are offered free stuff all the time "because your sons are SO cute". Restaurants give us free food, shops throw extra goodies in our bags, & hotels always do extras for us. My MIL says that free stuff is common in Thailand, but she's noticed that our sons do get extra special treatment. She said because they are Thai/American, our boys are considered to be very attractive & that's the reason for the extras.
I feel like other American viewers might have already said this, but I know that a lot of the free stuff in America comes after you've spent extra money, for example, joining a special buyers club or getting a rewards card for a certain store. I feel like this especially happens with big chains and also women's products like makeup. My mom and I are members of a special buyers club for the makeup store Sephora and we (admittedly) end up spending a lot of money on products before we get free things, but the incentive of the buyers club is that even though you have to buy things before you get free samples, the things you buy are at a discount. Same thing with rewards cards. I have one for a big drugstore chain and you get a discount on your purchases immediately, but over time as you use the card you build up points towards free items, sometimes not even samples but whole products. It's almost like frequent flyer miles for every day items.
I live in Brazil, and we do get free samples when you make purchases in some beauty shops, but when I was a kid I used to go to the supermarket with my cousins on the weekends because there were always a lot of free food samples, from new products they were starting to sell. It was really fun. We don't see that so much nowadays, but it still happens.
In Toronto, there's a Japanese place called Hanabi at Finch and Midland. They give some hand rolls on the house. Granted it's been years since I've been there.
dang simon been on that avocado eye cream from kiehls since way back when, i’ve only recently seen all the celebs with it last year and this year!!! no wonder he looks like a flawless baby lamb in the snow
Whenever I go to the kebab shop all of the guys that work there are really young and flirty and give me free soda's and other drinks, hahaha (as well as extra kebabs and more food!) BEST SHOP!!! XD
Was that North American store Kohl's (said like coal's)? In Japan there are tons of samples and the like, especially at beauty stores. I was in an electronics store once that had baskets filled with bath salts and emergency blankets that you could just take as many as you wanted. The American students from the university I was at would often get free lassi and other things from an Indian restaurant we went to, but I don't know about getting things at other resturants, but it could just be because we weren't there long enough. I had friends who had other patrons of the izakaya they frequented treat them to upwards of $100 of booze, though. In the US, you might get a sample at some nicer department stores (Kohl's being on kind of the cheaper end of that) and at vitamin shops, but not much of anywhere else. I've gotten a lot of hair and skin care and perfume samples in the mail before and occasionally feminine products, but it's all single use samples. I probably only got them from signing up for store cards and the store giving my info to mailing lists. I've gotten free food a couple times. Occasionally I'll get my orders at fast food places upsized if it's near closing or I order something that needs time (chicken tenders at Arby's - a roast beef sandwich place) or something else like that. I got free dessert once at a formal restaurant, and it was an Indian restaurant that gave us dessert as a thank you for visiting them a few times before and after their remodel. I wonder if the service idea is big in Indian culture?
Asian supermarkets here in Toronto, Canada. You can get food samples on sat and sun only. At costco the samples are like really big. Its like this sample tour of food.
Oh this makes a lot of sense now. I go to a Korean restaurant all the time with my friends and they always give us a side dish 'on the house'! So nice!
That's so cool, I love "service" and definitely think that Korea is the Queen of Service :P Here where I live, there are places where you can get service, but not many. See's Candy gives free samples, as well as most ice cream places (you can try before you buy). Also I've gotten free samples at the mall occasionally while walking around, sometimes cosmetic shops stand in the doorway of their shop to hand out samples (just got a diamond face cream the other day). And in some restaurants, they might give you service if you've been there often, or if it's a mom & pop restaurant and they happen to be having a good day (like when the owner of a small cafe offered me some free cookies while I was there)... but overall, this is nothing compared to the awesome service in Korea xD
in england when you buy something they will be like oh would you like this extra thing for extra money. nothing is ever free your just being tricked into spending more money.
In Argentina it's pretty much like what you guys described Canada to be, but in supermarkets you may find, very occasionally, that there are some products taped together. Usually it makes sense to have them together, like Fernet and coke, or peanuts and beer, or something. But it's seldom free, which kinda defeats the purpose, but whatever. Also sometimes, again, at supermarkets, by the aisle that sells a certain thing, there'll be stands that give you small samples of that thing, like creams, or drinks or soft cheese or yogurt or stuff like that. Sometimes you'll get stuff "de yapa", which is what we call when you're hooked up with something if you're a regular or if you made a big purchase or something like that. It's usually not too big and it's just a way of saying "you got my back, I got your back" and shit. But I'm pretty sure it's pretty similar to what you described in Canada, just that that sort of relationship may happen faster or more easily. And if they forgot your delivery order, it isn't uncommon to get something "de yapa". But there's a pretty big culture of servicing your associates here in Argentina. Like "the privilege of being my friend", or rather, I care more about you, because you're my friend. Which translates great when it comes to family and social life, but not too nicely when it comes to politics if you know what I mean...
I think to a certain extent yes. I goto this one pizza place over the others not because the pizza is better, but because you get a loooot more for your money. If it were as expensive as other places I'd probably complain about the taste, but since it's such a good deal, most delicious crap ever :P
I want to live in South Korea now..I live in the States in Lincoln, Nebraska .. **The state in the middle** We get free stuff here but not as much as u mentioned. Here u can get a bunch of free samples of food, free rings, buttons from the diamond store. Also , if u go to a cosmetic place, u WILL get a makeover with top brands. Also, u can get stuff on certain occasions, like on Valentines day, a store was giving out free roses, and sunglasses, and makeup and all the good crap
Your tl;drs are like a survival guide to living in or visiting South Korea. Despite not having any plans in the near future of going there, I still feel inclined to watch them just in case Doctor Who appears with his tardis and we end up in Korea.
NightCore Korea Finally, someone with the same mindset as me! :D
you all prolly dont give a damn but does someone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb lost my password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me!
Thank you to whoever made English subtitles for this!
Ayo, can you hook a brotha up? We'll tell you about how to get lots of free stuff in Korea, and what "Service" is all about, in this week's TL;DR!
Hulk, grrr, hahaha...
Yo, I understand your Canadian feels. Gotta tip even when the food is terrible and there's crappy service:'(((
And with only like SEPHORA or Shoppers drugmart here, I really envy dat cosmetics service y'all get over there in SK.
Sidenoteee, Kiehl's is pronounced KEELZ. :D
Stephanie Hau yeah but you know what, servers get paid LESS because there's an expectation of being tipped. Its much worse in the States, since out minimum wage is higher, but still, serving is a really stressful and shitty job and people working in retail and food get a LOT of crap from customers, so a tip is really deserved. A lot of servers understand that younger customers won't be able to tip a lot so they'll be grateful even if you tip a bit
In Sweden you sometimes get free samples with magazines. Like.. all of a sudden there's some moisturizer stuck to a page. And also, in bigger convenience stores you might get some taste samples. But otherwise... NO SERVISEU! I want toilet paper stuck to my coffee!!! I'm moving to Korea.
Martina you should Curl your Hair with Simon's Shirts again. Your hair looked so cute curly.
I have Frizzy Curly Hair.
You guys can eat free Mexican food in my house.
Promise?
Rice & beans.
I had a great experience in subway in Seoul with service! The girl at the desk was so eager and happy to speak in English with me by the time she had made my sandwich, she gave me a free drink as 'service' :)
I stayed in a hostel when i went to korea and they had BTS's SKOOL LUV AFFAIR album for free. I took 2. :3
omg you are so lucky
I know right? *^*
wow such luck, and here i am going broke from ordering online and they have it for free at a hostel
Yeah, i guess i was just so lucky. o_o
A.R.M.Y is so jealous ATM.
I know this has nothing to do with the video but I LOVE your hairstyle Martina
In France we barely get free services but guess what? Free education, health care + housing aid is more than enough :)
I'm from Malaysia and I've never received free stuff before but for those who are living in/going to Korea, I want to say that Two Two Chicken (it's a fried chicken chain) will always give you services whenever you call for a delivery. I stayed in Seoul for two months and had Two Two Chicken for about 6~7 times (don't judge me, if you've ever tried their friend chicken, you would ALWAYS want to go back to it, it's like the best fried chicken I've ever eaten, I swear) and they would always give me a can (or two) of coke. Sometimes I would walk in the shop and tell them I want a take-out, they would give me services in the bag too.
Seriously guise, try Two Two Chicken. I don't even like fried food but that's heaven right there. I'm back in Malaysia now and I'm moving to Korea by the end of the month but I can't take the craving no more. /brb crying ;A;
True.. agreed...
Kyle Hudsons Glad you agree with me!
I'm living in Korea now, so yeah..
Kyle Hudsons Awesome~ I'm moving there soon (as stated in the original post). XD
Can I know what for?? Studying here?
In Australia we have a Korean run store called Morning Glory and a while back I bought maybe $30 of stuff and got a free water jug, two glasses and two face masks hahaha
there is a kpop merch store with the same name in Canada
Omfg i got free stuff from there too xPP .... but it's the only store ...
*TL;DR Question: Can you please discuss that personal stamp, that I usually see in the dramas, which is used to sign official documents?* Is it required that every Korean have one? Do you have one? Can you complete an official document without it? Where would you get those stamps, and do you choose your own design? Does the government provide it?
Those stamps sort of remind of the Victorian era wax and seal kits. Here in the U.S., you can practically sign your life away with just a chicken scratch of a signature; no stamp needed. And you can throw in a fingerprint, if you're feeling fancy. Lol
I think they talked about the stamp in some video(s) on becoming a business in South Korea and maybe when they were finalizing the studio they want. If I remember correctly - the stamp, represents the business, serves as a signature on contracts and other paper work.
Ohhhh. Thank you. :)
It is videos like this one that remind me why I started watching you two. This exposes unique and different aspects (not ENTIRELY foreign, but different enough to be UNIQUE) from Western culture, and you explain with examples of your experiences in Canada and your experiences in South Korea. Your humor and tangent stories (with pictures and videos! Yay!) also remind me of your earlier days. Nothing can beat those early videos and your infectious enthusiasm, informative narratives and random (quirky and hilarious in a great way!) humor. I love you guys! Thank you for your hard work and your sharing of your videos. They make my work week more bearable! Best wishes and regards!
No wonder I get a lot of free stuff whenever I go to Nature Republic lol. I literally got SOO much free stuff from there. I've gotten a handful of samples but I've gotten A LOT of EXO merch. Yes, EXO merch. And as an EXO-L, I'm so happy and grateful. Some of the things of gotten are fans, photo cards, posters, mini standees, and even a photobook. I love Nature Republic so much 😭😍
Janeen Sudiacal omg ur sooooooooo lucky, I want Free Exo stuff *.*
+Ichigo Senpai I'm so jelly right now !
+Ichigo Senpai And Etude House. Shop at December and get 2-3 items for the price of one AND a buttload of freebies. Wow I sound like a salesperson. But srsly FREE STUFF!
I envy you! 😭😭😭
I need to move to Korea
Channah Sorensen south korea -- yes
north korea -- HELL NO!!!!
debayudh talapatra Yeah, I know the difference and I agree.
I live in Southern California and there is this skin care store called The Face Shop, with is based in South Korea, and every time I purchase something, it could be just a tiny little chapstick, they'll give me a package filled with free samples. It's the freaking best thing ever! Other than that, no one else really does that here -.-
I feel like, especially with the restaurants, if someone sees another person getting something free then they expect to as well even if it's their first time there and they don't even know the owners name. It's definitely a sense of entitlement of "If they get it then so should I" so that practice I think could actually hurt a business here in the U.S.
Jango221 This is actually probably true. Korea or most asian cultures have a completely different concept of respect and appreciation that the us and many european countries as well, dont have.
Jango221 Are people in the US are really that fucked up?
It's far from the majority but unfortunately it's enough entitled jerks to ruin it for others. They want to be treated special but they don't want to see people who aren't them treated special. Hospitality is my career and not wanting your customers to perceive something as "special treatment/favors" is definitely considered.
Jango221 So 50/50?
Lol Free stuff in U.S.? ahaha if they could they would make you pay for breathing xD
It's sad how true that is.. xD
*****
So you took my pen...!
Considering healthcare is practically a freaking privilege, it's not that out of the mind to think we're paying for breathing...
Tax free in Vegas.
Actually, they did make us pay for breathing once. O2 bars use to be a thing and then we realized how stupid it was that we paid for breathing. Im old so i remember this trend.
My FAVORITE service combo is the plastic jugs of soju that come with band-aids. How appropriate!!!! hahaha. ^o^
I don't know if it's the same anywhere else but in the UK when you buy something you get to the till and they're like "would you like these pens today for £1?" "Would you like this perfume today for only £17.99?" but it's like stuff nobody wants 😂
YES. If you go to WHSmith they're all like 'Do you want any Haribo for £1 today?' as you try to find change in your pockets to pay.
Actually the "Serbisu" was in fashion in Korea before the massive Chains started to kill off Mama & Papa shops. It's just been a business practice and way to give customer perks if they ordered a lot.
And yes the key is to get friendly with the restaurant waiters / waitresses and the owner. Opens a lot of doors and Serbisu.
Can you guys talk about rooftop houses? Are they like what we see in Korean dramas or completely different?
me: *moves to korea for the free salad spinners*
I LOVE YOU GUYS :D When is the next video on your cafe coming out? I'm so excited to see what you guys will make out of it.... even though i'm stuck in Toronto and can't visit it even if i want to :'(
Thank you! For the cafe, we're still moving along. Construction should start in June! We'll get some vids up on it, then, I think!
I get service from Korean and I've never even been... I buy a lot of Korean cosmetics and just recently when buying a single bb cream, they threw in 5 bb cream samples, 3 moisturiser samples, 2 lip tint samples. Score!
Well I live in America so nothing is free. I liked the comparison to infomercials that really made me laugh. Great video!
Hell yeah nothing for free unless they made a mistake....or give u half off
Amber Phoenix
True got to love Ulta when they give free samples, but again you have to purchase items. :( Also Costco you need a membership; though it is pretty cheap in my opinion. I would love to go to a makeup store in Korea and get all the free stuff Martina showed in photos.
True that!
In America you gotta purchase something to get a free sample.
If that sentence isn't a contradiction I don't know what is. haha
I've gotten free drinks and small extras in America before. Plus for some reason clinique (found in Macy's, Dillards etc) gives you so many free samples it's crazy. I bought 70 dollars of face cream and they gave me a 16 dollar lipstick plus full sized mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow for free in a cute little make up bag. It's usually for larger purchases I guess. It does work though, I ended up buying that lipstick multiple times afterwards.
I live in Canada and there has only been one place that ever gave me a free service. It was a Vietnamese place that I weekly went to for coworker lunch runs. After about six months of regular visits, they started bringing out a few free fried wontons for me while I waited. Now that I think about it, the free stuff started not long after another (way better) Vietnamese place opened up down the street.
Wow... in America, the most you can hope for is a free cheese cube.
Kimberly Adams but most restaurants have unlimited beverages, we dont have unlimited beverages and they are expensive!
Ricardo Llamas
WHAT? Most restaurants have unlimited beverages? I need to go to one of these.
Yes, you can go to most fast food restaurants, places like TGIFridays, Red Lobster, Green olive (what's the name of that one?), and such!
And most Thursdays have 2x1 in alcoholic beverages!
Ricardo Llamas I think it's Olive Garden. Huh... I obviously don't get out enough. Haha.
I always get free Miso Soup at Nuri Sushi, also I got free ice cream at the Hotdog Stop.
When I lived on Jeju I used to get free chocolates in the supermarkets ALL the time. There was usually someone around the food section promoting tourism on the island, and they would always stop me and give me free green tea-, orange-, or cactus blossom-flavored chocolate. In my opinion, the chocolate-while-you-shop routine should definitely be promoted world-wide. Thanks for reminding me of free stuff in Korea, guys!
This "service" is mostly popular in Asia, you will never hear about this in North America/Europe, or you might, rarely.
Only "service" I've had is in Asian restaurants, primarily Korean ones. Along with an online shop, and I got some freebies from shopping on there.
North America sucks.
Oregon, USA- It's the same here as it is in Canada. You can get free samples of makeup and health care stuff. But during the Fair or festival local businesses and banks will give you free stuff (sometimes in grab bags). For example; My bank once gave me a grab bag with pens, letter opener, note pads, piggy bank, saver light bulbs, plant growing kit (mini plant), and designed packing tape (weird right?). I think they were also handing out water bottles and ice cream.
My favorite Chinese restaurant is run by a Korean couple. When I go there for takeout and my bill might be $18 & change. They'll say, for $20, we'll throw in a bowl of soup... $4 on the menu!
Not free, but their egg drop soup is GR8! (^;
Oh my gosh! I remember retro Simon and Martina! Lol I have been tuned in from almost the very start
Next TL;DR
-difference in korean/kpop fashion in contrast with the fashion in America/Canada
-how popular is Korean dramas in Korea??does the limitation of illegal online viewing of Korean dramas affect the number of people who watch it? Are Koreans obsessed with Korean dramas as much as foreign fans?
- the whole taped-free-stuff is a marketing scheme; Simon and Martina guessed it right! It's a sort of countermeasure when the sales drop lower than the rivals
- it used to be ALL cosmetic shops giving out LOTS OF free samples ALL THE TIME, but now they only do it in really competitive areas (like most of Seoul :P) or holidays. Instead there's a lot of sales (down to 50%!) for membership customers, and you get a text alert when it happens.
- Mom&Pop shops giving free stuff is a bit different, since it originally is a cultural thing. Those people feel that selling food is a way of life, not means of living, so feeding people is just what they do. FOOD is a big part in Korean culture (believe it or not) affecting a lot of aspects - from language to manners. There's a lot to say on this topic, but basically, Koreans like to share food. And feed people. So "service" in the food industry does have a different background(actually, it probably IS the bg of free stuff), although nowadays it is used as a marketing method as well.
i live in the uk and the only time i get free stuff is when employees fuck up. i got free chicken wings in nandos last week cause they gave me plain when i asked for medium and i was so happy lol
I live in Canada (not really Toronto but still kind of Toronto Nastie!!) and at the fabric store in my home town I occasionally get, not free stuff, but they'll give me deals on stuff. Being that I stay there and I talk with them, tell them what I'll be using the fabric for, tell them what I had used previous fabric for, bring in my creations for them to see, and such, they will sometimes give me deals on fabric and notions. This doesn't happen every time I go there, but every now and then, I'll get a couple free buttons if I happen to pick up some from their little basket of random buttons, or a couple dollars off my final total. And it's really awesome!
Another thing, this has only happened once, but at my public library, I tend to volunteer a lot. Half of the librarians know me by name because I'd be there so often. One time when I'd gone in to pay some fines for having over due books, I gave the librarian my card and started pulling out my money, she handed me back my card and said, "Oops, I accidentally deleted them." I just stared at her for a moment, shook my head a little, and said our goodbyes before I left. The fine was only just under $5, but still.
Just sayin'. I pick my norebangs here in Korea based on how much service I get. If I get an hour and a half to two hours free service, then they'll have my business again, haha.
While for hofs here in Korea, my friends and I feel like we hit the jackpot when they give us service of a potato french fry sampler. But we realize, it's usually the result of three pitchers of beer. But hey, it's still awesome!
THAT FLASHBACK. Martina, why so adorable?
Also, I live in Jamaica, and it's possible to get a lot of free stuff if you go to the right places. There are a couple of supermarkets which ALWAYS have banded stuff, but it's like cereal with a free bowl, or something like that. Other stores apart from supermarkets will do it but generally only smaller stores (I guess you call them mom & pop stores). Restaurants don't give out free stuff unless they're like roadside vendors, which will give you LOADS of free stuff. In Jamaica, there's something called "taste and buy" where fruit vendors and some other food vendors will voluntarily give you some of what they're selling just so you're more enticed to buy from them. And it's not a big problem if you don't buy either. You can walk through a market and get full just from taste and buy.
You guyz forgot bout 노래방... They would give you like extra 1hour or more singing time...
We also have "service" in Greece in supermarkets and in some cosmetics shops! As for the restaurants some of them give you free desert or fruit and most of the taverns the will give you free wine or beers if you have a big bill or if you are a regular customer! And you don't need to give tip! I have never thought about it until Martina and Simon did this vid!! I didnt thought this was a big deal!!
Simon: "I will buy this one q-tip and take this $50 worth of free samples, thank you."
Martina: "No, you don't even have to buy anything!"
Simon: "SCREW YOUR Q-TIP, I will take the $50, thank you!"
Gold...just, gold.
I love your relationship so much, it makes me so happy to watch you two!
What's religion like in South Korea? Are they monotheistic or polytheistic? If they are monotheistic what is the major religion? If polytheistic do they believe in spirits or mythology?
Buddhism is the most prominent religion in South Korea with Christianity as a close second.
This reminds me when i visited Korea, I went into a SUPER small store and it was raining outside when I left, and the only staff there gave me an umbrella for FREE. I noticed they had prepared a whole bunch of umbrellas at the corner as well. How nice!!
I remember going to myeongdong and they kept saying "come in, have a look, you dont have to buy anything and we'll give you this free face mask!!". Although I did go in and come out without buying anything, it's REALLY awkward when you don't buy anything... because they follow you around introducing products and try to talk you up. So then you feel guilty if you don't buy at least one thing...
Lol but no regrets. *bathes in my free face masks and samples*
Where I'm from in America this happens quite frequently also. Maybe not to such a large extent, but restaurants (mom and pop/ not big chains) will give out extra sides sometimes or will offer free desert. And stores (not big chains) will give a butt load of samples. But it may just be where I'm from, the whole southern hospitality and the "if I feed you, you are now my family" ideal.
I went to a grocery store in Texas and they were offering a free stroller if you bought a box of diapers.
Lol funny
Anna Chancy HEB? lol
oh my i miss korea and all the free samples at cosmetic stores! your shirts are super cool in this video, love your style!
I bought a CD in Korea and got a pair of men's tighty whites free....whaaaa? I loved it.
that is uh wow uh idk what to say
Yeah. I was speechless as well
In Singapore we don't usually tip waitress or waiters in restaurants because in SG we have to pay GST(7%) and Service Charge(10%) so is considered 'tipping' them already. And it's also compulsory to pay both, which sucks.
Finland? Free stuff? mmmm, nope. The only places i've gotten samples or something like that are like the expensive cosmetics stores, but they usually give you like two or three little tiny samples. Everywhere else, no so much. I did get some extra strawberries and peas last summer from a farmers market, because i visited so often. They started to recognize me and gave me a few scoops more strawberries and whatever fresh, yummy local farm-grown veggies i decided to get that time. :3 But in the city areas it's really rare to come across freebies.
Finnish way is to give like, free time for your phone when you sign up with a connection, or if you have loyalty cards you rack up points (slowly) and they'll mail you a coupon, or you collect stamps on your card for a coffee shop and your tenth coffee is free. But this is a country where you never have to tip, so there's that. But really everything is really expensive and nothing is usually free.
I ordered cosmetics from a Korean online shop and got some free samples and I don't want to use them because they're so precious!
Hey Simon and Martina. Could you guys do a tl;dr on how to learn Korean. I really want to learn Korean and there is no Korean classes anywhere around me so maybe give a few tips on tricks on how to learn Korean? :D
Thanks
in australia you dont really get free stuff, but i was at a korean restaurant here and they gave us free soup and ice cream at the end, so awesomeeeee!!! :P
Uk - We get some free samples, but also we don't do the American tipping thing. Tipping is mostly optional and it'll only be a few pounds. The Owners of the restaurant have to pay their staff a certain amount, meaning that we don't tip.
"...and getting toilet paper with your hand-phone..."
That moment when the konglish comes out
Hey there! My Korean friend posted your vid about gangsters! Loved it! Speaking of free stuff!! I make artisan nail polish I would LOVE to send ya some! You both rock!
Sooo....did that teapot ever break? It's killing me. I neeeeeed to knoooooow
I live in america but theres a Korean cosmetic store close to us called the faceshop and every time we go there and buy something they give like a whole 2 handfuls of packets of random samples. Its the best. Also at all of the asian markets i go to they just have small table stands set up with people cooking food to give as free samples.
everyone in america(dunno about other countries) knows that you can get free stuff at costco!
In Mexico if you go to any big store like Walmart on a Sunday it's like a free all you can eat buffet. They will give your beverages, yogurt, chorizo, chips, cup up burger patties (lol) etc. We also have the stuff taped to other stuff, sometimes it doesn't even have to be taped together, you buy hand cream and get a packet or rice for free or something.
Martina you looked so cute back then. Lolz
I was just thinking the same thing!
You two, have my spitting out my coffee and crying! I can't stop laughing!!!! Love it!
Um...I'm not sure where I should ask this, but... Can you explain how to read a map of Korea? I mean how do you take an address written down on a paper or website and find that exact location on a Map of South Korea? See, I'll be in Seoul in 2 weeks and I want to be able to locate all the places I want to visit on a Korean map based on the address given. I'm from the USA and how we translate an address into a location on a map is very different from South Korea, so I'm really confused. I'm hoping you guys can make a TLDR for this by next week. ^_^ Or maybe someone on this comment board can help me.
It's nearly impossible to find a place with a written address, especially in Seoul. I would strongly recommend using a smartphone's map app, such as Daum Map or Naver Map. The caveat is that you need to type in the address in Korean... Google Map also works on majority of time, but it's not as accurate as the Korean ones.
zigolleid Hi, thanks for replying. I have the Naver Map application but it actually gives me too much information and the text is TOO SMALL! I can read Hangul, but DAMN even when I zoom in close on the hangul it re-formats all the text to this tiny size. -_- Also, I plan to use "paper maps" as a backup to my applications. So I still would like to know how to take an address given to me, and find it on a map.
EmpressB7 If you're using Naver Map, then there is a setting that makes everything "larger": if you tap the grid icon on the top left you'll see "설정", and there is an option called "지도 크게보기". If you set that to "크게 보기(고화질/HD)", it should make things bigger... slightly.
And if you're planning to use a paper map, then I'm out of luck to help you since I don't really know that either (and I'm a Korean...). In fact I doubt if anyone is actually using a paper map other than the post officers. Yeah, it's that complicated D:
What people usually do is, they remember the closest subway station exit number and landmarks or nearby buildings to pinpoint the place to go. That works most of the time.
zigolleid Thank you SOOOO MUCH for that Naver Map tip! It does make it a bit easier to read! As for no Paper maps...(cries) Aw I hope the airport has some! I need a souvenir! And the Bus and Trains must use maps to display their travel routes.
EmpressB7 I'm almost positive they'll have paper maps in the airport. I know for sure they have them at the subway stations, I relied on paper maps myself one time I went because I left my phone in America. zigolleid is right though, the address system in Korea is really confusing because they're in the middle of transitioning from an older system. Most Koreans don't use it themselves. They use directions like the ones that Simon and Martina provide in WANKs instead.
From the US and the only free stuff I've seen in stores are like shampoo bottles might have this travel size conditioner or shampoo with it. It's mostly always cosmetic type stuff. I can't think of any other ones.
And I don't know if this counts, but there is a Korean restaurant here that my family goes to all the time (and the servers let me practice my Korean on them~!!!) and sometimes they give extra side dishes or something like that and last time they gave us an extra dish of 고기 (like we only ordered and paid for 1 plate, but they gave us 2~!!).
well here they usually give u free food if they mess up an order. Like last week i got a free pizza and breadsticks cuz they brought us the wrong one and we had 2 boxes of pizza and bread sticks at home like fatasses. Plus there's cosco. They give out free samples of food there all the time. And if you go to Cosco in Mexico. you can even get free liquor samples. And if the lady giving out the samples is nice you can basically take as much as you want hehehehe
I'm from the Uk, have lived in New Zealand and currently in Australia, and I've hardly ever come across any freebies in any of these places :O (except at expos/conventions). Hopefully it was just the places in these countries that I lived in. . .because freebies are awesome!
In the UK I guess it's similar to canada.. I barely ever get free stuff! But last year when I went to America I was so surprised by the tipping culture! After visiting lots of cities it was like oh someone's opened the door for me now their shaking a tip pot at me! And the 20% of the bill was crazy, we actually got into arguments about that with waiters! In the uk you're never expected to tip..
I hope you actually did tip them.
Because if you didn't know waiters in the US get paid 2 -3 $ which is about 1.10 to 1.70 pounds, and they make their money off tips.
ajaffair is right. Though I don't know about where you went, but in VA if the waiter/waitress didn't make at least minimum wage then the employer has to compensate. Again I don't know where you were, but you don't always have to pay 20%, when I go out I pay an amount I think is deserved for how well their service was. I've had horrible waiters and left no tip before.
I don't live in the city so I've never had any one ask for a tip for opening a door, we have to open our own doors where I live. :P
You should know that in the UK tipping depends on the establishment. A pub, a take-out: no. But a restaurant: yes. 10% of the bill is customary.
Errr in the UK you are definitely expected to tip...it's not compulsory but it's pretty rude not to
In Winnipeg, shopping in grocery stores on the weekend they always have samples of food that they cook in the store and give away - although really small samples. Simon and Martina already talked about in beauty stores, which you get here, too. And ordering asian food, you will usually get free rice or fried rice if you order over a certain amount. I think that's about it...?
I live in the Netherlands and my country is kinda known for being stingy... so no free stuff, they'd rather steal the shit you already bought xD Only time when I get things free is in a supermarket. Especially a supermarket chain called 'Emté'. I get like sausages, soup, pizza, cheese, tea and more when I walk around. And then I make another round. And then I put on disguise and make another round.
Very Dutchlike. HA, FREE STUFF, LET'S EAT IT ALL! We Dutch people are crazy greedy...
Yeah that's what I was referring to as well ;)
The “ohhhmyyygawwwdddd” gets me everytime haha!! 😂🤣😂🤣😂
you are sooooooo couple goals
There is a famous Indian restaurant near Kansas City that I love to go to; since we live several hours away we can usually only go once or twice a year. We always go to the original restaurant as it's famous for the owner who is very energetic and generous; he serves food, fills chai, blows balloons for people leaving, and gives free food. We'll be happily eating and he'll come up and give us a free mango lassi (yogurt drink) or just randomly give us free naan or other extra morsels. When my little sister was there recently it was packed and the wait for a table was 30 minutes. She told me they kept giving them these delicious vegetable skewers while they waited til they were almost full on them! This restaurant definitely has the best service I've ever experienced, both in the sense of customer service and free food. One of many reasons its my favorite restaurant.
Haha no such thing here in Malaysia. But it happens at Korean run places. I enter The FaceShop to get a mask, I come out with free makeup boxes, Q tips, cotton pads, toners. And im like "but i already use these at home" and they'll be like "oh then use these for traveling!" *throws more*. Same thing with Korean bbq places, but only the ones im regular at
REally?!!! I only get free samples from Etude House when I buy more than 100+ ringgit worth of stuff. sometimes less than 100, but I'm a regular there. Which Face Shop do you go to? The one in Pavilion has sucky staffs
ohh i dont go to Etude House much. mostly the one at Paradigm Mall. real friendly staff ^^ the one at Curve is not bad either... oh really? i hardly go to pavillion. i know the one in AEON Bandaraya Melaka has real ignorant staff. i had to literally wait for them to come to me -.-
Next time you come to Japan, you have to spend some time in Nagoya. At almost all local restaurants, if you buy a cup of coffee in the morning, you'll be asked if you want "mo-nin-gu" (morning set) which means they'll give you toast and a hard-boiled egg for free. It rocks. Really sweet gesture of local hospitality. :)
Buy a soda...GET A FREE STRAW.
Welcome to 'Murrica
ahaha omg this is amazing!! :)
It's exactly like you mentioned, you need to know the people really well to get free stuff in Toronto. I've been going to the same sushi place for about 6 or so years now and they always throw in small side dishes for me to try out. Also, working in retail you become extremely familiar with some of the customers and they'll notice you while they're working in the mall (or even in the area) and hook you up with sample products not usually included or special deals at food places.
NOW IM REALLY TEMPTED TO GO TO KOREA
We live in the US. I am of European descent & my husband is from Bangkok. When we travel to Thailand, we are offered free stuff all the time "because your sons are SO cute". Restaurants give us free food, shops throw extra goodies in our bags, & hotels always do extras for us. My MIL says that free stuff is common in Thailand, but she's noticed that our sons do get extra special treatment. She said because they are Thai/American, our boys are considered to be very attractive & that's the reason for the extras.
Are you talking about Kohls? Cause that's pronounced like Coles. I don't know if it's Canadian then don't ask me just move on from this comment.
No, I'm talking about Kiehls :D
+Simon and Martina How simon said it the first time was correct, its a german brand so hence the letters that in english don't work :P
I feel like other American viewers might have already said this, but I know that a lot of the free stuff in America comes after you've spent extra money, for example, joining a special buyers club or getting a rewards card for a certain store. I feel like this especially happens with big chains and also women's products like makeup. My mom and I are members of a special buyers club for the makeup store Sephora and we (admittedly) end up spending a lot of money on products before we get free things, but the incentive of the buyers club is that even though you have to buy things before you get free samples, the things you buy are at a discount. Same thing with rewards cards. I have one for a big drugstore chain and you get a discount on your purchases immediately, but over time as you use the card you build up points towards free items, sometimes not even samples but whole products. It's almost like frequent flyer miles for every day items.
In England you never get free things. They always seem to have 'promotional offers' at tills in beauty stores, but it's still not cheap.
Daniella G if youre lucky in morrisons or asda theres the free food samples 😂😂
I live in Brazil, and we do get free samples when you make purchases in some beauty shops, but when I was a kid I used to go to the supermarket with my cousins on the weekends because there were always a lot of free food samples, from new products they were starting to sell. It was really fun. We don't see that so much nowadays, but it still happens.
Cosco....free food samples....
Are you lying?
It's Costco
Pokebrandon Hd whoops my bad.....
Honest Lie that doesn't count...
In Toronto, there's a Japanese place called Hanabi at Finch and Midland. They give some hand rolls on the house. Granted it's been years since I've been there.
Free stuff? In America? Don't be silly.
Oh man! i did love that EYK throwback of Homeplus back in the day!
OH GOD. I HEARD SIMPLY NAILOGICAL;S THEME AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT CANADA XD
dang simon been on that avocado eye cream from kiehls since way back when, i’ve only recently seen all the celebs with it last year and this year!!! no wonder he looks like a flawless baby lamb in the snow
Whenever I go to the kebab shop all of the guys that work there are really young and flirty and give me free soda's and other drinks, hahaha (as well as extra kebabs and more food!) BEST SHOP!!! XD
O_o!!!!what are u doing with their hearts???u are soooo playful!!!*~*
I hope!!didn't u give them ur number??^…^
yasaman yahyatabar Haha, no! Thankfully it's just down the street from me so I always see them anyway ^^
Hahaha!!I just kidding my friend!!u are an exotic,right?^~^
yasaman yahyatabar Yeah! Of course ^^ Lulu is my bias~
Was that North American store Kohl's (said like coal's)?
In Japan there are tons of samples and the like, especially at beauty stores. I was in an electronics store once that had baskets filled with bath salts and emergency blankets that you could just take as many as you wanted. The American students from the university I was at would often get free lassi and other things from an Indian restaurant we went to, but I don't know about getting things at other resturants, but it could just be because we weren't there long enough. I had friends who had other patrons of the izakaya they frequented treat them to upwards of $100 of booze, though.
In the US, you might get a sample at some nicer department stores (Kohl's being on kind of the cheaper end of that) and at vitamin shops, but not much of anywhere else. I've gotten a lot of hair and skin care and perfume samples in the mail before and occasionally feminine products, but it's all single use samples. I probably only got them from signing up for store cards and the store giving my info to mailing lists. I've gotten free food a couple times. Occasionally I'll get my orders at fast food places upsized if it's near closing or I order something that needs time (chicken tenders at Arby's - a roast beef sandwich place) or something else like that. I got free dessert once at a formal restaurant, and it was an Indian restaurant that gave us dessert as a thank you for visiting them a few times before and after their remodel. I wonder if the service idea is big in Indian culture?
I never had Taco Bell and I've been living in America for 3 years almost . Heard it's really unhealthy
Its great if you enjoy diarrhea.
^lmao well I do prefer diarrhea over constipation
Luanna Ramcharran whoah, maybe if you're constipated and you eat taco bell then itll even out and you'll be okay.
Lmao right haha that makes sense ^^
Luanna Ramcharran I think Ive had Taco Bell like once... But I live in Mexico and I think they close down long ago.
Asian supermarkets here in Toronto, Canada. You can get food samples on sat and sun only. At costco the samples are like really big. Its like this sample tour of food.
Netherlands...: no free stuff NEVER!!! (maybe once or twice in your live = NEVER)
***** Reclame campaigns XD
Oh this makes a lot of sense now. I go to a Korean restaurant all the time with my friends and they always give us a side dish 'on the house'! So nice!
man i almost forgot how normal martina used to look like lol
And how normal Simon used to talk lol.
predebut martina? xD
That's so cool, I love "service" and definitely think that Korea is the Queen of Service :P Here where I live, there are places where you can get service, but not many. See's Candy gives free samples, as well as most ice cream places (you can try before you buy). Also I've gotten free samples at the mall occasionally while walking around, sometimes cosmetic shops stand in the doorway of their shop to hand out samples (just got a diamond face cream the other day). And in some restaurants, they might give you service if you've been there often, or if it's a mom & pop restaurant and they happen to be having a good day (like when the owner of a small cafe offered me some free cookies while I was there)... but overall, this is nothing compared to the awesome service in Korea xD
in england when you buy something they will be like oh would you like this extra thing for extra money. nothing is ever free your just being tricked into spending more money.
In Argentina it's pretty much like what you guys described Canada to be, but in supermarkets you may find, very occasionally, that there are some products taped together. Usually it makes sense to have them together, like Fernet and coke, or peanuts and beer, or something. But it's seldom free, which kinda defeats the purpose, but whatever. Also sometimes, again, at supermarkets, by the aisle that sells a certain thing, there'll be stands that give you small samples of that thing, like creams, or drinks or soft cheese or yogurt or stuff like that.
Sometimes you'll get stuff "de yapa", which is what we call when you're hooked up with something if you're a regular or if you made a big purchase or something like that. It's usually not too big and it's just a way of saying "you got my back, I got your back" and shit. But I'm pretty sure it's pretty similar to what you described in Canada, just that that sort of relationship may happen faster or more easily. And if they forgot your delivery order, it isn't uncommon to get something "de yapa". But there's a pretty big culture of servicing your associates here in Argentina. Like "the privilege of being my friend", or rather, I care more about you, because you're my friend. Which translates great when it comes to family and social life, but not too nicely when it comes to politics if you know what I mean...
Nothing tastes better than free food huh? What if the free food is really shitty? Still taste better than non free food?
its the thought that free food is better than no food
tsubasangel I get the concept but some food no matter how free isn't worth not paying for a good meal
I think to a certain extent yes. I goto this one pizza place over the others not because the pizza is better, but because you get a loooot more for your money. If it were as expensive as other places I'd probably complain about the taste, but since it's such a good deal, most delicious crap ever :P
I want to live in South Korea now..I live in the States in Lincoln, Nebraska .. **The state in the middle** We get free stuff here but not as much as u mentioned. Here u can get a bunch of free samples of food, free rings, buttons from the diamond store. Also , if u go to a cosmetic place, u WILL get a makeover with top brands. Also, u can get stuff on certain occasions, like on Valentines day, a store was giving out free roses, and sunglasses, and makeup and all the good crap