Where to Buy Items you Need
What if I forgot things at home?
Daiso
Artbox
Lotte Mart
E-Mart
Home Plus
What about things I forgot at home that I need?
If you forgot something at home, you may be able to find it in South Korea. However, Korea may have different products then you have in your home country or don’t sell the products you need. You can still find these items but you may have to search for them a bit more. For example, Korea doesn’t sell deodorant at all so you will have to look for it. Itaewon is an area known for being foreigner-friendly and is the best spot to look for items you would buy back home. There will not be a huge variety and it will be more expensive but if you need an item it may be here. If you did forget something which is common around the world ( like a toothbrush) your best bet is to visit any of the stores below.
Daiso
What can get there: Daiso is a great place to get things you need for your accommodation at a cheap price. Below is a list of a few things you may want to buy that you can get here:
Hangers
Some cooking utensils you need
Bathroom mats
Towel- know they are smaller than American towels
Cleaning supplies
School supplies
Storage
The average price of items: There items here tend to be between 1,000 KRW to 5,000 KRW. Some items may be more expensive than that but on average most items fall in the range.
Sidenote: Daiso is like dollar stores in America so it is a good place for students to shop.
How easy is it to find the store: You can find the store near almost every university or in any popular shopping area. There is also a store located close to the Yonsei and Ewha halls owned by 42SHARE, which provides less travel time to and from the store when shopping.
Artbox
What can get there: While the store is most known for its stationary you can get other items you need here. Some examples are:
Personal Fans for outside and inside
Kitchen utensils like mugs
Towels
Decorations
Humidifiers
The average price of items: There is a larger range of prices here as some items can cost 900 KRW but others can cost up to 50,000 KRW. It all depends on what you want.
How easy is it to find the store: This is a store you can find at any popular shopping areas like Hongdae and Myeongdong. Like Daiso, there are stores located near the Yonsei and Ewha halls owned by 42SHARE.
Lotte Mart
What can get there: Lotte Mart has everything you will need when studying abroad. You can get pretty much everything you can think of here. Some examples are:
Food
Cleaning supplies
Toilet paper
Storage
School supplies
Kitchen supplies
The average price of items: Because of the wide variety of stuff, there is not an average cost for what you can buy. It can be more expensive than Daiso but not as expensive as other places.
How easy is it to find the store: This is harder to find as there are only a few locations throughout Korea. You can find one at Seoul Station and one in Jamsil. They are the recommended ones to visit in Seoul. You can also go to other Lotte stores to get things as well.
E-Mart
What can get there: This is another discount store in Korea that has a wide variety of items. You can find things like:
Food
Cooking utensils
Cleaning supplies
School supplies
Hygienic supplies like toothpaste
The average price of items: Similar to Lotte Mart, this store is not going to have things priced as low as Daiso but it is still not as expensive as it may be in other places.
How easy is it to find the store: E mart is the largest retailer of this type in Korea so it is pretty easy to find. You may have to look for it more than you would for Daiso since this is like a supermarket. It has also expanded into having convenience stores that have some of the items you can get at the big stores. Luckily there is a store located close to the Yonsei and Ewha halls owned by 42SHARE so you do not have to look too far!
Home Plus
What can get there: Like E Mart and Lotte Mart the store has pretty much anything you need to buy. You can find things like:
Cleaning supplies
Food
Storage
Cooking utensils
Towels
The average price of items: The store is pretty reasonably priced and while it is more expensive than Daiso may be, it is still affordable for students.
How easy is it to find the store: There are a variety of stores throughout Seoul and the surrounding areas for you to visit. Some are located in popular shopping areas like Hongdae.
By Marissa Owens, Intern Editor
Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
mowens3107@outlook.com
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