I haven't returned to the Garibong area in years! I was there on my first autumn in Korea when I needed to get myself some winter coats so I wouldn't freeze over during my first winter ever. This place is different from the Dongdaemun shopping centers as these are outlets, meaning, branded items are sold here at very, very cheap prices!
My Korean friends told me way back about this place, where I could get myself cheap bargains for quality clothes. And they were right! I returned to the Mario Outlet and the W Mall a couple of times ever since!
And as three of my Pinoy friends (Ruth, Polly and Bong) in Seoul wanted me to bring them there, I played tour guide one day.
The fastest way going there is through the subway. Just get off at the Gasan Digital Complex (Line 7), Exit 4, and you're almost there. But Ruth's driver had other ideas that day. We took her car from Itaewon, thinking he knew the fastest way to get there. But he relied on his electronic navigator, which instructed him to meander through Mapo-gu,Yeouido and Yeongdongpo-gu before hitting the direction to our shopping target. (I actually knew the fastest way by car, but I just shut my mouth up, lest this noisy, human navigator wanted to be kicked out of the van! Ha-ha-ha!).
And after 45 minutes of joyride and unscheduled sightseeing from the van, we finally arrived in Garibong!
The Mario Outlet has a couple of buildings, each one has multiple shopping floors. The W Mall across the street also has several floors and with a convenient food court in the basement, right next to a Zara discount shop! Where else can you find an outlet mall, where you can munch down your bulgogi lunch while picking out Zara items at the same time and at an unbelievable discount! Zara goodies for only KRW10,000!
Well, to make the shopping blog short, the four Pinoys had fun shopping and ended up with tired legs (as expected!) and multiple shopping bags (really expected!). Ha-ha-ha!
And to cap the shopping conquest, we rested our tired legs at the coffee shop on our way to the Gasan Digital Complex Station. No more driver this time.
(thanks for the coffee, Polly!)
(a shopper with a mascot)
(a happy shopper on her way home)
So, if you're heading there soon, be prepared to spend the whole day there. Happy splurging!
i love Mario outlet. i got a denim jacket there (egoist) for 57,000-won. it originally costs 261,000-won. how's that for an outlet store? hahaha... and yes! got Zara shirts, too!
ReplyDeletecan i add you to my blog list? i assume you speak hiligaynon because you're from negros. i speak the same dialect. i am from iloilo.
Hi Wendy! Thank you, guid! Ti, kulang isa mo ka adlaw sa Garibong, ay? People I know would want to go back there again. Kadamo guid barato nga signature items. Actually, my father's ancestors were from Iloilo, too. Halong and happy shopping again at Garibong!
ReplyDeleteWhat are the items generally cost for clothes in this area? Are the brands authentic?
ReplyDeleteI do love bargains and that place looks full of them; I think I would get lost in it, it looks so big.
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