Shinsegae Duty Free Myeongdong — Attraction in Seoul

I had a terrible experience at the Shinsegae Myeongdong Duty Free Shop today. I received the Shinsegae Duty Freebies E-Gold Pass (through klook purchasing our ktx train tickets) and was told by customer service that I only needed to spend at least USD 1 to receive the free gift of 10 face masks. That was the only condition communicated at the time.

I then made a purchase at the SK-II counter—clearly spending more than USD 1—and returned to customer service to redeem the masks. However, a different staff member informed me that my purchase didn’t qualify because the SK-II items were discounted by more than 29%. This restriction was never mentioned earlier, nor was it stated anywhere in the promotion’s terms or disclaimer.

Still trying to qualify, I went to another shop in the store and was told by a staff member that although they participate in the promotion, I would need to spend at least USD 10 for her to scan the code—again, a completely new and conflicting condition.

This experience felt misleading and disorganized. There was a total lack of transparency and consistency in the information provided. I expected better from a retailer like Shinsegae. Extremely disappointing.

On another note, when I was purchasing my products at SK-II, I was told that a previous promotion had ended. However, I was informed of a new offer: if I spent more than USD 1,200, I would receive a free gift set. After completing my purchase, I was then told that the gift sets were already sold out or had all been given away. Yet another misleading claim on the same day—this is...

‼️ Sales of beauty and skin care products are highly emphasized here.

‼️ Every foreign tourist who comes in groups will definitely be taken directly to the cosmetic product sales section.

🧠 If you are a foreign tourist, remember that beauty and skin care products must be used continuously and not just occasionally, so don't go crazy buying them, unless you are planning to visit South Korea again in the near future to buy these products!

🧠 If you have no plans to visit South Korea again in the near future or if the product is not sold in your home country, then as a foreign tourist you should not buy it, because these products will not be useful if you only use them occasionally!

🧠 Make sure you buy because you really need it and don't buy just because other people are buying the product!

💯 If you are selective in buying, you will realize that none of the products sold here are good and useful!

💯 However, be wise in buying! Be a smart tourist!

💲 The prices listed are in dollars, try converting them to your currency and compare them with shops around you that also sell the same product, because the prices here are...

We were staying at the Westin Josun which was 2-3 blocks away. This was one of our favorite large department stores to shop for just about anything. Stores are high-end so if you're looking for cheap souvenirs, gifts, or stuff like that probably not here, rather consider nearby Namdaemun street market which is a block or two south-west from here. As for Shinsegae, think of something like 10 floors all connected via a central escalator (see picture) where each floor highlights something (women's clothes, men's, jewelry, electronics, homewares, sports attire, etc.). The real GEM of this place is the beautiful and wonderful food court in the basement which you may miss unless you head downstairs. Yum Yum, gained some calories here. One thing though, seating is very limited with most seats reserved for specific food stalls. But this is a great place to get some packaged food to take home or sit outside to eat (there are some good places to seat just South of the main...