The Real Summer Sale In Seoul!

I remember there was a Korea Grand Sale campaign a couple of years back when shoppers had fun crowding the shops, especially those in Myeongdong, and getting their shopping fix for the season.

But these days, since the MERS virus scared most of the tourists, the shopping areas in Seoul, specifically Namdaemun Market, Myeongdong, and Dongdaemun Market, have all suffered from the lack of shoppers.

                  (These 50% sale sign boards 
                   are all over Myeongdong!)

So, it wasn't a surprise for me when, one night last week, I walked through the Myeongdong area and saw the sign boards that would make any shopaholic jump up and down the street: 50% SALE!

The shops and vendors have to resort to these 'sale' events in order to lure the local customers, if not tourists, into their stores.  

As I said in my blog last week, this is the bright side of the MERS crisis. Since the numbers of Chinese and Japanese tourists have dwindled, you have all the attention of the store clerks and salespeople, and they would lavish you with free samples and freebies as long as you shop at their store.

If those cosmetic shops gave away free samples even during the height of the shopping season last summer, just imagine how much freebies you'd get now that there are no other customers but you! 

        (An unusual sight: crowd-less Myeongdong 
                             on a weeknight)

So, you think last year's summer sale was fun? This year's even better!