Grocery Shopping in Korea


Don’t let an unfamiliarity with Seoul stop you from taking advantage of the many perks that come with living in a city. One great example is home delivery. Because most people go to neighborhood stores or department stores within walking distances without using a car, grocery stores have begun in recent years to do home delivery. Both neighborhood stores and department stores do home delivery, but you do have to check in advance how much you need to purchase in order to get it delivered. 

 

Generally, if you buy between $30 and $50 worth of groceries or shopping, then you can have someone from the store deliver it to you. At Lotte Department Store, they even have a boxing section so that you can pick from stacks of cardboard boxes in all sizes and tape it up for delivery. Many stores will also do just regular delivery in plastic bags. They’ll let you know around what time they will be delivering to your house. Once they are delivered, check your bag to make sure it’s yours and to make sure that nothing delicate like eggs got crushed. It could potentially save you a trip going back to the store or having to make a phone call, both of which can be difficult unless you have a high level of Korean. 

 

Another great and recently implemented service is ordering online. You can order food online at certain stores (generally large chain stores, but potentially local ones with websites).

 

 

It can be a little difficult to navigate through the website and pay so it’s best if you search for these stores with a Korean friend or if you have a high level of Korean. The biggest potential problem might be that you won’t be able to choose exactly which apples from the pile you’d like or which cut of meat from the frozen section. If you are someone who likes to shop and look at your items first-hand, this might not be worthwhile for you. However, if you have one of those weeks where you are so busy with work and the children, then this might be a great tool for reducing your workload.

 

Shopping at Korean Stores, Malls, and Outlets