Moon Living Abroad in South Korea by Jonathan Hopfner

Author:Jonathan Hopfner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Travel
Published: 2013-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

SHOPPING

Shopping is one of South Korea’s favorite pursuits, and the retail scene is so diverse and highly developed that people flock from all over Asia to explore it. There was a time when high tariffs, lackluster demand, and perhaps some lingering nationalism conspired to limit the presence of foreign goods, but more appear on the shelves each year. It’s now possible to find a lot of the branded goods from back home, or at least passable local replacements. There’s also a wealth of products produced domestically—everything from handicrafts to funky clothing, stationery, electronics, and rice wine—that warrant some intensive exploration.

South Korea’s shopping landscape can be divided into a few tiers. At the higher end you’ve got department stores such as Shinsegae and Lotte, which, contrary to the dowdy image the term evokes in some other countries, are generally high-class complexes with floor after floor of designer clothing, household goods, and well-stocked grocery stores. Slightly further down the retail chain are superstores such as E-mart and Lotte Mart, which usually have a wider array of furniture, clothing, and food at slightly lower prices, but less in the way of luxury goods. Almost every major town in South Korea has at least one department store and a superstore branch or two, and larger cities, like Seoul or Busan, literally have dozens.

The low end is taken up by traditional markets, which are either at permanent locations or convene every few days. Particularly for those with limited Korean skills, a stress-free shopping experience they’re not—they can be crowded, full of unfamiliar sights and smells, and haggling is sometimes required—but they can’t be beat for bargains on produce, meat, and sometimes clothing and household items as well. There are also convenience stores or supa (miniature supermarkets) on nearly every urban street corner that sell a limited variety of fruit, vegetables, rice, noodles, and other daily necessities.

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