When we first moved to London, I found shopping a nightmare.  I had no idea what a ‘high street’ was, there were so many new shops, and I had to slowly work out where I could buy the things I needed.  I remember being suprised to discover, for example, that the best place to buy stockings was in Boots (a chemist franchise unlike anything I’d experienced in Australia or New Zealand).  And when I came to write a marketing plan about a festival website for my job interview, I had to Google the names of major camping stores – something I’d just know off-hand in New Zealand.

I don’t think I’d have the same problem here in Seoul.  After two days in the city, it seems to me that individual shops are less important here than the type of goods sold.  Want stationery?  Go to ’stationery alley’ in Namdaemun Market.  Want to buy an engagement ring?  We found a street of jewellery stores on the way to the palaces.  On the outskirts of Dongdaemun Market, Matt and I wandered past shop after shop selling fabric and ribbons. 

Of course, being the technology geeks that we are, ribbons and fabric didn’t excite us that much.  We were more tempted by the sound of the Yongsan Electrics and Techno Mart.  That sounded like lots of technology.  Twenty-two markets worth of it, according to the guidebook.  But, after an hour or so, and just two department stores, we walked away feeling that lots of technology was perhaps a little underwhelming.  In I’Park mall for example, there was a camera floor, there was a home appliances floor, a games floor, and two computer floors.  Each floor contained over twenty market stalls – each of which appeared to sell pretty much the same range of product.  Perhaps as a result, there seemed to be many more shop assistants than customers.  We walked between the aisles, frustrated that most items didn’t have a visible price, and knew that everytime an assistant said ‘hello’, he was talking to us. 

Of course, we weren’t actually looking to buy a computer.  If we were, then perhaps the selection would’ve been helpful.  But to me, the whole experience seemed to be lacking something.  For example, I’m not a fan of Mac computers, but I love the Apple Store in Regent Street.  When it’s not too crowded, I enjoy that store: the helpfulness of the staff, the demonstration of the products, being able to touch things.  To be fair, I think the language barrier has a lot to do with it.  If I knew Korean, I don’t think there would be such a separation between store and customer.

Also, if I knew Korean, we may have found the rest of the electronics stores earlier.  We arrived at Yongsan Markets, followed the English signs, ended up at I’Park Mall.  Okay.  So where were the other twenty-one markets we were promised?  We went outside, round the block, round the block the other way, back inside, back into the station, out again, and finally – almost by chance – found a corridor which lead to a raised passage across to another store and the rest of the markets.  By which time, it was 6:30pm and the shops were beginning to close.

So we haven’t bought a computer in Seoul, and we haven’t bought fresh fish or lace or antiques or jewellery or antiques.  But after only two days here, I feel that if I was going to buy any of those things, I’d know where to start looking.  And I guess, in a big city, there’s some merit in that.

Tash