Shopping in Seoul

Seoul, by all accounts, is a shopper's paradise. It's a little difficult to describe, though quite worthy of a blog post. So here goes: Every thing out there originated somewhere, right? Well, I have been to the origins of it all, and it was amazing.

 

The city is filled with "markets." In these markets are countless little shops that are grouped with other like-shops. They are a mix of indoor (giant warehouse, several stories high) and outdoor (side-by-side storefronts, which span city blocks) and sell anything you could possibly imagine from clothes and shoes to toys to kitchen items to electronics. And lots of it. Row after row. After row.

 

I was completely overwhelmed on a recent trip, and only magaged to buy a (super cute) hair barrette for Eri. There was so much of everything, it was impossible to make a decision. I could only follow my guides (two Seoul-market-shopping veterans / Air Force wives) at a ridiculously slow pace.

 

 

Seoul's Dongdaemun Market:

The market is divided into five districts

over 10 city blocks, with 30,000 shops and 50,000 manufacturers.

It's open from 10:30 a.m. until 5 a.m. The quantities here are astounding.

 

Buttons. Millions of them.

Belts.

Scarves.

Hats.

Shoes.

Ribbon.

Necklaces.

I am actually not much of a shopper (I lack time and patience, plus I have Amazon Prime), so these markets are more of a cultural experience for me. The one exception: Costco -- also worthy of a blog post. Seoul has 11 Costcos and one is right next door to my office building. I spend many lunch hours there, and am toting home one piece of that warehouse at a time. (This is huge downfall of riding the subway, which I only fully realized after hitting many of my fellow commuters with my four-pack of bulk wrapping paper, so 96 rolls of premuim toilet paper are out of the question.)

 

Korean Costcos feature the Kirkland brands we all know and love, plus chicken bakes, those huge muffins, and lots of things geared toward the Korean shopper (see below).

 

Costco:
So wonderful, in any country.

Bulk squid.

Bulk octopus.

Bulk ? (maybe it's sea urchin).