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Koreans are communal in nature and living by yourselves is still considered an odd thing, so most food items sold in discount retailers are in family-size packaging. I shop for food mostly in the small supermarket right next to my studio apartment building, because I can buy in smaller quantities. I only visit discount retailers a few times year to get bulk items such as detergents.
Walmart pulled out of the Korean market last year. If you are interested, you can read more about why in the following articles
A box store retailer fails in Korea even as South Korean department store sales continue to rise because it doesn’t see the Korean shopper’s preference for an upscale shopping experience.
"The South Korean economy uses the chaebol system of interrelated companies, forming friendly conglomerates. It's similar to the Japanese system, but even stronger."
Koreans are the epitome for "keeping up with the Joneses". They like cheap prices like consumers anywhere in the world, but they don't want to be seen buying cheap. Successful foreign brands make sure they are perceived as "trendy" and "upscale", and of US or Western European origin. (Koreans dislike things Japanese for historical reasons, so you see very few Japanese brands here and those that are here never emphasize their Japanese origin.)
The extent Korean chaebols are involved in retail also surprises most foreigners. Please do not think of Samsung as a manufacturer only. In Korea Samsung is discount retailer (joint venture with the British retailer Tesco), department store (named Shinsegae), shopping mall (Samsung Plaza). Similar things can be said for LG, Hyundai......
The above in turns explains in part that even though Korea has higher GDP per capita in number compared with Taiwan, the purchasing power parity is actually higher for Taiwan. I buy clothing and toiletries from Taiwan unless I need it in a jiffy before the next trip home. For the exact same tube of J&J's facial cleanser that costs NTD 100 (~USD 3), why pay KRW 9000 (~USD 9) in Korea? The difference may be even greater compared with the price in the US.
Most Taiwan companies think Korean market is difficult to crack, and I agree. Unless one understands these Korean consumer market peculiarities, one is likely to repeat the mistakes of global giants such as Walmart and Carrefour.
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