[SUB/PDF] S1 E42 | Intermediate | Korean Podcast | At the Supermarket 마트 |

Hello, everyone. This is Professor Jeong from Focus Korean. Today’s topic is "Grocery Shopping at the Supermarket.

" Do you like going to the supermarket? Before going to the supermarket, I often feel lazy. But once I get there, I actually enjoy it.

It’s kind of fun to wander around the supermarket and look at new items. In this episode, I’ll talk about how I do my grocery shopping at the supermarket. I’ll speak slowly.

So listen carefully. When I arrive at the supermarket, the first thing I do is grab a cart. Near the entrance, there are carts and shopping baskets ready for customers.

If you put too many items in a basket, it gets heavy, so I usually push a cart instead. Before using the cart, I wipe the handle with sanitizer and wet wipes provided at the store. I think these have been available since COVID.

The supermarket I often go to has a fresh food section right at the entrance. So I usually buy fruits and vegetables first. These days, fruit prices have gone up a lot.

That’s why I usually buy whatever fruit is on sale. One of the advantages of shopping in person is that you can check the freshness yourself. I like that I can see and touch the fruits and vegetables to make sure they aren’t bruised or too soft.

Next, I go to the meat section. There are different types of meat, like beef, pork, and chicken, but I usually buy beef. I especially buy hanwoo (Korean beef).

Korean beef is called 'Hanwoo,' and it’s a bit more expensive than imported beef. But since my daughter really likes Hanwoo, so I make sure to buy it regularly. Iron intake is especially important for kids, so eating beef regularly is good for them.

After that, I head to the seafood section. Honestly, I rarely buy seafood like fish, shellfish, or shrimp. Cooking seafood is a bit difficult, and I also don’t like the fishy smell.

So I only buy fish occasionally for my daughter. One convenient thing is that at the supermarket, the staff clean and package the fish for you. You just choose the fish and tell them if you want it for grilling or stew.

They even season it with salt, so at home, you just need to rinse it and cook it. When I go to the supermarket, I mainly buy fresh food like fruits, vegetables, and fish. I prefer to see fresh food in person before buying it.

But for household items like toilet paper, detergent, and processed foods like ramen or seaweed, I usually buy them online. Online prices are often cheaper, and since they get delivered to my doorstep, I don’t have to carry heavy bags home. Still, since I’m already at the supermarket, I walk through the household items and drinks section to browse.

Sometimes, I end up buying things I didn’t plan to, but I think that’s part of the fun of grocery shopping. Also, I love sampling food at the supermarket. Once I’m done shopping, I go to checkout.

These days, there aren’t as many cashiers as before. Instead, there are a lot of self-checkout machines. At self-checkout, you scan the barcodes yourself and pay.

If the line at the regular checkout is too long, I use self-checkout, but if it’s not crowded, I just go to a cashier. Once I’ve paid, I put everything neatly into my reusable shopping bags I brought from home. Then, I double-check my receipt to make sure everything is correct.

I also keep my receipt because it’s needed for parking discounts. Finally, I return the cart, and my grocery shopping is done. Where do you usually do your grocery shopping?

Is there something you always buy? Leave a comment below! Now everyone, listen to the story once again.

I'll read it a bit faster.