This! Is! COSTCO!

Yes. I am writing about Costco. Why am I writing about that? It was my first time there and it is a place that people talk about here so it felt somewhat momentous. Somewhat. It is of course a cash-and-carry, but on a larger scale than anything that I have seen back home. Cheap prices, bulk ordering and far too many people even on a so-called 'quiet' day. The novelty was interesting, though I think it used up its goodwill on that first visit. Now I know why my bosses are reluctant to go there - the jury is out on whether the cost of petrol used to drive 15 miles from Songdo to the aforementioned superstore is worth it. Given the amount of department stores and supermarkets that dot the landscape I am further baffled that Walmart retreated from the Korean market several years ago sue to lack of interest. What the hell were they trying to do there? Eviscerate latecomers?

Anyway, the rest of the day was interesting, featuring a flat-out 11 hour solo shift on a busy Friday night. Aside from a 5 minute freakout when the tabs on the till turned into cuneiform script I believe I held the line manfully. It also helped that people noticed how busy I was and cut me some slack when they didn't get their drinks the very next second after they ordered. It's nights like this that make me think that if I could get paid real money for doing this job I would be ok with it. The Zone is something familiar to all of us who do not break when the situation gets crazy, and it's a fun place to exist in. But I'm not ok with it, and so I must look for other things when the time comes.