Lining Up for 4,000-Won Coupons While 180 Million-Won Whisky Sells Out... Chuseok Shopping Sees Sharp Contrasts [Reportage]

Two Faces of Chuseok Spending
Hunting for Cheaper Ritual Table Ingredients, Even for a Few Hundred Won Difference
Traditional Market Costs 16% Lower Than Large Supermarkets
Gifts Over 500,000 Won Account for 45% of Department Store Sales

On the morning of the 20th, five days before Chuseok, a long line of people formed in front of the customer service center at the Hanaro Mart Changdong branch in Dobong-gu, Seoul, eager to receive 4,000 won discount coupons. Those who received the coupons made their way toward the displays stacked with green onions sold at 1,792 won each (limited to 800 units per day) and radishes priced at 1,320 won each. A woman in her 60s who came for grocery shopping remarked, “During holidays, there’s a lot to buy, so a difference of just a few hundred or a few thousand won really adds up. I came here on purpose because the vegetables and meat are cheaper.”

An 180 million won bottle of whisky found its buyer at a department store. The product in question is the 'Macallan Red Collection 71 Years,' showcased by Shinsegae Department Store for this Chuseok. High-end wines such as 'Chateau Le Pin 2015' and 'Chateau Petrus 2010,' each priced at around 10 million won and offered in limited quantity (one bottle each) by Lotte Department Store, also sold out immediately after release.

This year, there was a clear difference in the way people shopped for Chuseok. When buying ingredients for ancestral ritual tables, shoppers collected discount coupons and compared prices between markets and supermarkets to save even just a few hundred won. On the other hand, for gifts sent to parents, in-laws, or important clients, people spent hundreds of thousands of won, and some even sought products worth tens of millions. With the financial burden of grocery shopping heightened by high inflation, more consumers are scrutinizing price tags more carefully for ritual offerings, while focusing on quality and exclusivity when choosing holiday gifts.

On the morning of the 20th, people are shopping at the Hanaro Mart Changdong branch in Seoul.

Foot Traffic Determined by Just 500 Won Difference in Green Onion Prices

From 11 a.m. that day, Hanaro Mart Changdong branch was packed with citizens shopping for the holiday. Even though the branch is among the largest in Seoul, every aisle was crowded with customers holding carts and shopping baskets. Counters labeled “Chuseok Festival” were stacked with food ingredients for ritual offerings, such as pan-fried dishes and blanched vegetables. Eggs were piled high on the shelves, and fruit and meat sections showcased gift sets prominently at the front.

The meat section, in particular, was bustling. Customers were choosing meat for stews and pan-fried dishes, while others searched for Korean beef (Hanwoo) gift sets. One customer loaded about ten Hanwoo gift sets into their cart at once. Staff repeatedly announced that free delivery was available for gift sets as they took a rush of last-minute orders.

The government, in cooperation with Nonghyup, allocated 87.7 billion won this Chuseok to lower grocery prices. At Hanaro Mart, products eligible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' agricultural discount program had special discount signs. For example, “Hanagadeuk White Jumbo Eggs” were sold for 6,960 won. Such large-scale discount events filled Hanaro Mart with swarms of shoppers.

By contrast, the atmosphere changed at the Emart Changdong branch, located just five minutes away by car. Unlike at Hanaro Mart, where moving a cart was almost impossible due to the crowds, the store aisles at Emart had plenty of space. There were only a few customers in the vegetable and meat sections as well.

For some vegetables, Hanaro Mart offered cheaper prices. The dirt green onions sold at Hanaro Mart for 1,792 won were priced at 2,296 won at Emart. Hanaro Mart was 504 won, or about 22%, cheaper. Radishes were 1,320 won at Hanaro Mart and 1,710 won at Emart. The price per 100g of carrots was 390 won at Hanaro Mart and 478 won at Emart.

On the 20th, ahead of Chuseok, Mangwon Market in Mapo-gu, Seoul, is bustling with people.

Long Lines at Pancake Stalls, Quiet Fruit Shops in Traditional Markets

Traditional markets were also bustling with customers doing their Chuseok shopping. On the afternoon of the 20th, Mangwon Market in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was so crowded that people moved along at a crawl. A vendor in the market said, “We usually have a lot of customers on weekdays, but this week, with Chuseok ahead, there are more than 30% more shoppers than usual.” There were noticeably more local customers carrying shopping baskets than foreign tourists.

The busiest spots were butchers and savory pancake (jeon) shops. Customers formed long lines at every butcher shop to buy Korean beef and pork. At traditional markets, according to the Korea Price Information Center, brisket for soup (yangji) was being sold at 5,500 won per 100g. The price for 600g of brisket for soup was 33,050 won at the traditional market—17,560 won, or about 35%, cheaper than at large supermarkets (50,610 won).

Pancake shops sold assorted jeon platters—400g of assorted pancakes such as pumpkin, skewer, pollack, meatball, perilla leaf, and beef—for 18,000 won. Ms. Lee, a woman in her 60s who bought an assorted platter, commented, “It’s actually cheaper than buying all the ingredients separately and making it myself. I bought a variety of jeon that my family enjoys.”

In contrast, the stalls selling vegetables and fruits, for which prices have surged recently, were relatively quiet. The price of a zucchini jumped 92.8% year-on-year—from 1,250 won in the previous year to 2,410 won this year. A radish increased from 2,040 won to 2,530 won, a 24% rise. The price for five pears rose 16%, from 23,540 won to 27,300 won. Since Chuseok falls earlier this year than usual, the shipping schedule has been moved up and large-sized fruit, typically used for ritual offerings, has become less prevalent. The dominant sentiment was to buy only as much as needed of vegetables and fruits with significant price increases.

The Korea Price Information Center reported that it now costs 303,750 won to prepare a traditional ancestral ritual table at traditional markets this year, up 4.1% from last year. Still, this was 57,550 won, or about 16%, cheaper than large supermarkets (361,300 won). Preparing the same table using online shopping malls would cost 362,970 won.

On the 20th, customers were walking through the store at Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam Branch in Seoul.

Gifts Over 500,000 Won Account for 45% of Sales

The atmosphere at the department store food sections was noticeably different. Gift sets with apples, pears, Shine Muscat grapes, and apple mangoes were displayed with price tags ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 won. Customers asked staff about the origin and contents of each set, comparing several products. Although the prices were high for everyday shopping, there were customers choosing gift sets priced in the 400,000 won range.

Ms. Jang, a woman in her 60s from Seocho-gu, said, “Since I’m sending a gift to my in-laws, I focus more on quality than price.” Behind the counters, employees were busy packing and restocking gift sets for numerous orders. The gift delivery reception desk was crowded with customers wanting to send gifts to several destinations. Staff handled each order by checking recipient names, addresses, and delivery schedules one by one.

At Shinsegae Department Store, 30.5% of Chuseok presale revenue came from products priced between 500,000 and 1 million won, while 14.2% came from items costing over 1 million won. In other words, 44.7% of sales from gift sets came from products priced above 500,000 won.

‘Premium Hanwoo The Signature’, made exclusively with the top 3% of 1++ grade Hanwoo cows, was priced at 3.2 million won. The ‘Premium Chamgulbi Special’ set, featuring 35 cm long yellow corvina, was 3.5 million won. Shinsegae also garnered customer inquiries for a 3.5 million won Baekja Moon Jar and a 4.5 million won blue and white porcelain peony jar, developed in collaboration with the National Heritage Administration. There is steady demand for gifts with not just high price, but also rarity and story value.

A department store industry official stated, “During holidays, some customers spend more lavishly than usual depending on whom they are gifting. Even amid high inflation, there remains consistent demand for premium gifts with guaranteed quality and uniqueness.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.