Korean Job Discussion Forums

[depth]

so my wife wants to to hit the clothes and shoe shops on our travel to Seoul. is Dongdaemun the place to go? any recommendations would be welcomed!
we will have 1 full day (day & night) allocated for her shopping

thanks for any answers

[Gorf]

Just go to the Uniqlo. There's really nowhere else that's better or cheaper. Everything else will b super expensive and only middling quality and style or be dirt cheap but be trash.

[jondepoer]

Though Seoul has some of the worst (IMHO) shopping in Asia, Dongdaemun is probably the place to go.

Allow me to back up my opinion with a few key points:

International brands are priced through the roof. I don't know if paying more for certain items just makes Koreans fee
Korean clothes come in such limited sizes and shapes, that if you're not shaped like a cardboard tube, you probably won't fit in them/will look ridiculous.

Salespeople are extremely pushy, and will persist in following you around and speaking Korean to you when it is patently obvious that you don't speak the language. I've had items shoved at me, grabbed out of my hands, told "you can't buy this" when it was clearly sitting there with a pricetag on it. Horrible, stressful experience.

Any place half-worth shopping will be crammed with people

So there is my bitter assessment of shopping in Seoul, forged in the disappointment of trying to find things I actually want here. Sorry to be negative.

[Illysook]

If she's built like a Korean woman she will have fun, but if she's even a little bit curvy or western-built, go to Itaewon and hope for the best. It will still be frustrating as hell, but at least you can take breaks and have a wider selection of beers and foods to choose from.

I personally never plan a whole day of shopping in Seoul. I go where I am interested in going and if along the way, I see what looks like good shopping, I investigate it because if you see something that you like one day, it won't be there the next, you can almost guarantee it.

[Stout]

[minos]

Hit up the night market U:US in dongdaemun. Probaly the best place for clothing here.