Shinsegae Department Store Main Store — Attraction in Seoul

The original, or main store, is a classy assortment of very upscale global name brand shops that reminded me a bit of Rodeo Drive in LA. Connected by 2 skywalks on the upper levels and an underground link is the newer building which is a cross between Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Macy's to use American comparisons. You'll find really big spenders in the original building and everyday shoppers in the newer building, but everything in both facilities is expensive - comparable, or possibly higher than NYC or other high cost US cities. There is also a pretty good selection in the Duty Free shopping areas for the foreign shoppers and they even have a Foreign Customer Service counter to help visitors.

The upper floors of both buildings offer a variety of nice restaurants and a nice Sky Garden atop the old building. The B1 level combines many fast food type options in a large food court and a small supermarket with an excellent assortment of fresh fruit and many other things.

I always stop once or twice at Shinsegae during each visit to Seoul.

Added tip: After you check out the upscale items, right outside Shinsegae, on the road that divides the 2 buildings, is the beginning of the famous Nam Dae Mun outdoor street market where you can get almost anything really cheap. Quality may be less, but you also get the fun of the traditional bargaining experience even if you only speak a little...

After checking out the huge Lotte Dept. Store we had a look around here.

Lotte was ok with a fine food court. But Shinsegae beats Lotte clearly. Everything looks a bit cleaner, a bit better, a bit more professional. There's a big selection for clothes, kitchenware and electronics. But some stuff has crazy high prices. Then - like Lotte - there's the huge Duty Free Section with some good deals (especially on Korean Snacks).

The real highlight for us was the lovely food court (with a nice luxury supermarket with fresh fish, seafood and meat). Nice little restaurants and food stalls. Try the Al Tang “Korean Hot Spicy Fish Roe Soup at the Sushi Bar!

Besides that don't miss out on the lovely rood terrace. It's an actual small park with some fountains and lots of green. And even some cherry blossoms! Great if you wanna catch a quick breath from all the shopping. Absolutely wonderful!

After checking out this nice store don't forget to visit the nearby...

This department store has a great selection of boutiques and brands but is lacking in customer service. Two separate experiences that lead me to this conclusion.

Firstly, when I walked up to two staff members seated right at the entrance at the information desk and greeted them politely in Korean (I am not a native speaker) it was shocking to not even get a simple informal greeting back. The department store employee just stared at me blankly. I asked for directions and she pointed with a nod towards stairs (we were there with a stroller)… I later found elevator on my own.

The second experience was at the Row boutique inside the store. I came in to take a closer look at the bags and shoes and the SA came up so close and followed step-for step to a point of being unsettlingly close. I fled quickly just to put some distance between myself and her.

Would not recommend this department store due to poor...