Oriental Food Mart — Local services in Appleton

A LOT OF PEOPLE in the low ratings are saying that the store owner is rude, which I would have thought so, but since being educated about Korean culture, etiquette, etc. I know he follows guests around just to ensure that no one steals (he doesn’t discriminate, he’ll do this for anyone). From what I heard from him (which I understand isn’t a lot) he might not understand English much. We shouldn’t assume foreigners have been here a long time because they own a store. And we also don’t know how long the store has operated l, so, no, they might not have all payment methods available (like EBT). As a purebred American and guest service worker, I know plenty of American customers (at least most of the time they’re American) are soooo DIFFICULT , INCONSIDERATE, and RUDE. (Hence, some of these reviews I’m seeing 🫣) I’m not saying ALL Americans are rude, and some rude customers are foreign too. In Korea, they have proper etiquette, but they are also very much “mind your business if you don’t know someone” which explains why he doesn’t talk much. I went to Korea recently too, and every shop owner is different. Now I can’t confirm this, but I’m sure this man experiences a lot of rude comments and even racism, which isn’t okay. I don’t know if this is mostly an American thing, but we definitely assume too much and judge too quick. (I could’ve made assumptions here too, but seriously, we need to be nicer to others)

Dear store owner(s) Thank you for keeping your store stocked, organized and clean, and doing well all together. I see what you do and appreciate you ♥️

Advice for shoppers of Asian shops: Visit plenty, and buy a lot. It’s kind of their love...

Back when me and my Japanese wife were living in Wisconsin in '09-'10, finding Asian food was damn near impossible. We searched high and low, and this place was by far the best place to go, bar none. The selection is primarily catered to Southeast Asian cuisine (Thai, Vietnamese, Hmong, Filipino), but they were willing to order products outside of their range should you need anything. Most things are reasonably priced, and the staff was EXTREMELY friendly and helpful; I dare say it was the friendliest staff I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. They also have a rental shop, although this is primarily catered to the local Hmong population, so brush up on your Hmong if you want to enjoy the movies.

They also have a REALLY good and surprisingly inexpensive restaurant; although small, it comes HIGHLY recommended.

All in all, this is, beyond a question of a doubt, a...

I was really excited to find a store that sells lots of Korean ingredients, but the guy running the store is just so rude! He followed us around and watched us like we were doing something wrong, it was creepy. I found packs of ramen that expired in 2021. I went to check out and the guy didn't say a word, I tried to use EBT and he just stood there glaring at me. I was like, "do you not take ebt?" And he said no, I was like "oh sorry nevermind then" and tried to go put my items back, but he angrily snatched them away like he didn't even want me touching them. I don't know what this dude's problem is, but what kind of store that sells groceries doesn't accept EBT in this day and age? Like, at least put a sign up and make it clear, or say "sorry but we don't accept ebt" instead of just glaring down your customers. Never coming back and I recommend you steer...