Convenience Store Worker Posts Photo Online
Table Covered with Cup Noodle Containers, Beverage Bottles
'Please Organize' Notice in Chinese Also Ineffective
A convenience store in Jeju, frequently visited by Chinese tourists, is struggling with piles of trash left behind by these visitors.
On the 22nd, an online community posted a thread titled "Current state of a convenience store with many Chinese customers." The photos revealed trash scattered all over the store, including leftover cup noodle containers, wooden chopsticks, and water bottles. Although the exact location and time of the photos were not disclosed, the presence of products sold only in Jeju suggests that the photos were taken at a convenience store in Jeju.
The post's author, Mr. A, said, "When I came to work my shift today, it was in this condition," adding, "I plan to do a lot of cleaning." He further explained, "The previous shift tried to clean up, but so many Chinese customers kept coming in that there was no time to tidy up." The three photos posted by Mr. A showed dozens of cup noodle containers left on tables, with trash bins already overflowing. Some trash was even discarded on top of the freezer.
Additionally, there were plastic cups from takeout drinks that appeared to be purchased from a coffee shop rather than the convenience store, suggesting that customers even left outside trash at this store. On the convenience store walls, notices such as "If you are too noisy, others will be disturbed" and "Please clean up after finishing your food" were posted in Chinese as well.
Netizens who saw these photos commented, "Did a group of about 50 tourists come and mess up the place?", "Even with notices, they still leave it like this," "Once a few people leave trash, everyone ends up doing the same," and "In China, the system is not that the eater cleans up, but there are separate staff who only clean trash, so leaving it behind is part of the culture." Some netizens also criticized the convenience store's management, saying, "If there are many customers, they should hire more part-timers," "There should be cleaning staff besides the cashier," and "If they don't empty the trash bins, where are customers supposed to throw their trash?"
According to the Jeju Tourism Association, from January to April, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Jeju was 424,585, a 2052% increase compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of domestic tourists decreased by 8.7% during the same period. However, as Chinese tourists are no longer spending as much money as before and various 'bad manners' controversies have arisen, the atmosphere in Jeju is not very welcoming toward Chinese tourists.
On the 18th, a post titled "Chinese people are really too much. Please take a look" was uploaded on a local Jeju mom caf?. The author, Ms. B, shared, "It's somewhat okay that Chinese people come to travel to Jeju, but their child defecated on the street in another country. As a local resident, I was very angry and reported it to the police," along with photos.
The photos shared by Ms. B showed a boy squatting next to a roadside tree with his pants down, defecating. Nearby, a woman who appeared to be his mother and others in the group were just standing still. She expressed her outrage, saying, "What on earth are they thinking? Our people even clean up dog poop with bags, but human feces? Why do they dirty another country?" She added, "They cross the crosswalk in groups as if the light is green when it’s red. I don’t know where common sense ends. If you see such Chinese tourists, let's all report them together."
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