Hello everybody. This is your dearly beloved cat…Miaow….This is my first official post.Today’s page will be devoted to one of my favorite places in Korea, dongdaemun district to be precise. I’m not going to write about its history, cause you’re not going read it anyway…It’s not a history blog…If you wanna know about dongdaemun search the internet…okey, where did I stop?
Just so you know “Dongdaemun” from Korean means east gates, there are also south gates called “Namdaemun…” The point is these are huge ancient architectural constructions placed in districts named after them. To be honest, they don’t look like gates at all. They managed to survive from urbanization and industrialization somehow and now they just beautify Seoul with their ancient looks....Yes, I promised not to write boring historical notes, but I am a natural liar…sorry…Be prepared in the future. Let’s start from the beginning.
Dongdaemun is well-know as a shopping district and it is also one of the epicenters of youth concentrating. You know if there is shopping, then crazy crowds of youths is something that goes without saying, so if you are young, you have money (this is crucial factor) and you have nothing to do on Saturday night, then welcome!
Tip1.
Right now there are four huge shopping malls there – a.p.m, Miliore, Ceres star and Good morning and Doota. All the clothes that are being sold there are extremely cheep;150$ will be enough to leave this place with the heap of goods in both of your arms, probably one leg and one bag in your mouth. However, be prepared, of course the quality of your purchases is going to be as low as the price is. Sometimes the price is going to be as low as you manage to cut it. Don’t be shy with those nice saleswomen. Trust me, they are not that nice. In most cases, there will be no price-stickers on the clothes, which means that every sly fox of those has her own price for each client, for Koreans and foreigners to be precise.
Be confident, you must show that you are always hanging around here (even if you’re not), be persistent, but nice when it comes to price bargaining. It is very useful if there are two of you, because if one of you fails to cut the price, then your friend may try again and who knows maybe he will be more successful then you. Another important thing is that you have to show that you can speak at least beginner Korean. It already shows that you are not an amateur, plus you won’t have to listen to the sellers’ horrible English.
Tip2.
What are the differences between shopping malls?
In two words, apm, Miliore and goodmorning are for poor students. Doota is for poor students who want to feel what it’s like to be in luxury department store and actually buy something there. Well, Doota hardly can be called a luxury department store. It is much bigger and conditions are better than in other stores, the choice of good is more various, however…that’s it. About 40% of goods are the same as in a.p.m, Miliore and Good morning. It is harder to bargain in Doota. In addition to that, the price often is as questionable as the quality. Be careful. Examine all your purchases before you leave the store. At this point Cerec star it the only “good” department store, Actually it is a whole complex. This is the only place in dongdaemun where you will be able to find brands and some luxury items.
What are the differences between shopping malls?
In two words, apm, Miliore and goodmorning are for poor students. Doota is for poor students who want to feel what it’s like to be in luxury department store and actually buy something there. Well, Doota hardly can be called a luxury department store. It is much bigger and conditions are better than in other stores, the choice of good is more various, however…that’s it. About 40% of goods are the same as in a.p.m, Miliore and Good morning. It is harder to bargain in Doota. In addition to that, the price often is as questionable as the quality. Be careful. Examine all your purchases before you leave the store. At this point Cerec star it the only “good” department store, Actually it is a whole complex. This is the only place in dongdaemun where you will be able to find brands and some luxury items.
Tip3 (for girls)
Girls (especially pretty) are not recommended to go alone to men’s wear floors. One of the delusions about Koreans is that they are very polite and modest. Don’t be confused. Dongdaemun salesmen are the exception. Their gazes will certainly purchase you. If somebody suddenly grabbed your hand and pulled you in unknown direction don’t be surprised. It’s just another salesman trying to attract your attention to his merchandisers. Sometimes they will call you or speak to you in clumsy English or clumsy Japanese, etc. When interacting
they will try to guess what country you are from. Just be polite. The best way out of this situation is to have a bodyguard or at least a Korean friend, excuse me, Korean male friend. (*_*)Tip4. Are you tired of shopping?
There are a lot of “singing rooms” called norebang, places where you can play billiard, two cinemas (in good morning and cerestar) and of course a plenty of eateries in a case that you are hungry. If you go to norebangs, always ask for free service!!!! If you don’t you’re not gonna get it. What is free service? You pay for one hour and get 40 minutes for free. You just have to remind 'ajumas' about it. Dongdaemun is also known to be a Russian district. There are a lot of Russian people there. By the way, if you want to try some Russian food there are two Russian restaurants. I like the food and the atmosphere. (I was not paid to advertise
those restaurants in the internet, seriously). If you want to get drunk go to the so-called “drunk street”, where side by side with the traditional Korean food you can enjoy drinking Soju.
Tip5. I strongly recommend to get to dongaemun by the subway unless you want to be stuck in a traffic jam and for the 30 minutes enjoy the beautiful view of The Dongdaemun gates from your bus’s window.Tip6. Don’t spend too much money if it’s you first traveling experience in Korea. There are still plenty of places to go. See you later!!!
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