From the Stars and Stripes:
Prince Harry learned last week that his royal status will curry no favor with Army and Air Force Exchange Service employees — unless he calls ahead.
The prince, who made an unannounced visit to the home of the 48th Fighter Wing last Sunday, was part of a contingent of British troops turned away from the register for failure to have a proper American identification card to shop at an AAFES facility.
“As soon as the first soldier got turned away, the prince and the other soldier left the line,†said AAFES spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Konop.
A local British paper reported that Prince Harry was trying to buy an iPod, Apple’s popular music player.
I only have one question about this, how is it AAFES can turn away Prince Harry, but for some reason can never seem to turn away an ajumma in the commissary who shows up every week with a cart full of ox tails, pork strips, Spam, Herbal Essence shampoo, Ritz crackers, among a host of other items popular in the Korean blackmarket?
Popularity: 4%
9:50 pm on March 10th, 2007 1
I’ll be the first English teacher to admit that openly sold black market goods were a lifeline back in the early 90s, before major Korean supermarkets began to import foreign foodstuffs legally. I wonder if the “Red Door” is still operating in Itaewon. Every new teacher got taken on a shopping trip there after arriving. As late as 2001, Sareoga Supermarket in Yonhui-dong, a neighborhood with lots of wealthy Koreans and quite a few foreigners, rented out floor space to Ritz crackers and Kraft cheese peddling ajummas.
10:03 pm on March 10th, 2007 2
Red Door black market in Itaewon directions and info may be found here.
11:55 pm on March 10th, 2007 3
Saroga is still there. Although the actual supermarket now has a big aisle for foreign foods. Shinchon has a couple more black market stores than before. But the best store is by for the Foreign Foods place up on Itaewon hill (where all the gay bars are) — couscous, just about any spice, and Australian lamb on the cheap. Great place.
9:28 am on March 11th, 2007 4
Prince Harry was not Korean, and had no dependant ID card, like the Ajuma’s do. It is not only the Philippines where you marry the beautiful girl, and her mother is a part of the package! That is only one way the system is corrupted. As all systems are. Personal opinion only, RITZ and SPAM don’t care, only the Korean TAX Revenue people care. The US tries to slow the “Black Market” down, but can’t seem to get it done. Personal opinion again, there are higher priorities.
3:35 pm on March 11th, 2007 5
What Mr. Joe said. If the prince doesn’t have a valid (U.S. military) ID/Ration card on his person, then he’s out of luck.
5:11 pm on March 11th, 2007 6
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10:51 pm on March 11th, 2007 7
Mr. Joe wrote:
“Personal opinion only, RITZ and SPAM don’t care, only the Korean TAX Revenue people care.”
RITZ and SPAM are probably glad to see their products gain new consumers through the black market. We ESL teachers have long suspected that the reason the US government doesn’t crack down too hard is that the black market increases market share for imported US food and personal care products, which in turn, helps promote legitimately imported goods. I believe this to be true. When I first came to Korea, most of the imported foodstuffs and personal care items I bought were from the Red Door. Gradually, major department stores like Hyundai and Lotte began expanding their imported food offerings. As Haisan noted above, Saroga now carries foreign food legal for sale to the general public.
8:36 am on March 12th, 2007 8
In Kandahar, everyone shopped in the PX; including some Egyptian contractors with contracts on the base. What a slap in the face to our staunchest allies.
9:13 am on March 12th, 2007 9
That is a STUPID policy in a deployed area. I can understand the logic behind it (protecting finite resources for US troops) but why not just increase the logistical side of things and allow our allies to shop there? I personally have no issue with Brits, or anyone else who is out there taking bullets being able to shop at an AAFES facility.
1:06 pm on March 12th, 2007 10
Makes no sense. All NATO members are supposed to be able to shop. When the Canucks come to FT. Lewis, they are allowed to buy…and they do serious damage at the Class VI, considering that their liquor up there is so damned expensive.
9:23 pm on March 9th, 2008 11
It is all about the law.. Customs drives most of the rules of who can shop where. So if you want to know who allowed to shop where and when check your local customs office. I f you see someone not allowed then do the right thing and report it…
I am sure AAFES and other companies (if given the chance) would love to sell to who they can to male the sale but it is all about the law and customs regulations.
11:02 am on March 10th, 2008 12
I’m sure Harry was chuffed at the prospect of getting an iPod without the 17.5% VAT he’d have to pay in old Blighty.
11:46 am on March 10th, 2008 13
“The US tries to slow the “Black Market” down, but can’t seem to get it done.”
No they don’t… and yes, they can’t… because they don’t want to… because it is not the “US” that is responsible for slowing the black market down… it is people… people who do not benefit from it being slowed down.
“RITZ and SPAM don’t care, only the Korean TAX Revenue people care.”
Yes and no. Ritz and Spam certainly don’t care… but, the Korean tax man is not the only group who should care. Three hundred million American taxpayers who subsidize the shipping of Ritz and Spam should care that their money is buying ajuma a German car instead of buying GI Joe a better armored vehicle.
3:31 am on April 24th, 2008 14
3:46 pm on August 13th, 2008 15
“how is it AAFES can turn away Prince Harry, but for some reason can never seem to turn away an ajumma in the commissary ”
AAFES doesn’t run the commissary. I understand your point, but the commissary is run by the Defense Commissary Agency, not AAFES. Commissary employees are DOD civilians (Govt. employees). AAFES workers are not.