Shopping in Korea

I'm from California, so a Korean winter is definitely something I'm not used to. I know I've been here 2 years now, so you think I'd be used to it, right? But no siree! I'm surprised every winter by the cutting winter wind, by the abundance of icy patches that daunt me to fall again and again, by the negative Celsius temperatures, by the ice cold touch of my hands and feet, by the numbness of my body that won't thaw... Yep, a white winter is tough for a California girl who is used to sunshine 365 days a year. That's why I decided I needed a down jacket/coat.

I had been looking for a few weeks and whenever I found one I liked, I would take a picture to get a second opinion. There are 2 people in my life whose opinions I value a lot in this area: Elis and Simon. They're both trendy and honest (bluntness is a good thing when shopping). At one point, Simon pointed out to me that I need to be careful when choosing a down jacket because I don't want to look like a little kid. I told Elis what Simon had said and she agreed; she suggested I ask Simon to go shopping with me. So I did and we went to Metapolis in Dongtan (which is the closest thing you'll get to an American-style mall in Korea. I think COEX and Times Square are very mall-like too.) Like I said, Simon is trendy and honest, so he gave me straight nos and yeses during the shopping trip (very useful). One tip about shopping in Korea: get used to being followed around from the moment you step into the store. They will follow you around, recommend clothes for you to buy, then when you actually pick something up, they'll pounce on it and you. They'll ask you what size you need. They'll say that you picked a good item and that it will flatter you very well. Bluntly put, I feel suffocated in a Korean store. This is something that I'm still getting used to because I don't like having a sales rep. watching my every move, especially in case I don't want to pay the ridiculous department store prices. But, since Simon was with me, he kept pushing me to "Let her do it for you. It's her job." I have to admit, it was nice. I would tell her I liked a certain coat and she would find my size, put it on me, and even hang it back up for me after I tried it on she tried it on me. Anyway, the shopping trip was successful because I bought a down coat that has 20% duck feathers in it! It's quite warm and the sales rep. told me that the 20% duck feathers is the normal ratio for down coats, so I'll be as warm as the Koreans are. Hooray!

the famous Metapolis towers

inside Metapolis

Yeongdeungpo Times Square

COEX mall