Lets Go Shopping~ Gangnam Station
Today I have another favorite Korea shopping spot of mine that many visitors would not think to spend much time in~ Gangnam Station! Yes that is right, the metro station in Gangnam has some amazing shopping for the newest trends on a very modest budget. I find MANY of my 10,000 won treasures here at this station, which is funny since Gangnam is known for being “expensive” on the outside.
This is not a place for you to seriously unload and shop till you drop as a tourist, better areas for that are Hongdae, Edae, or Dongdaemun~ however this is a perfect place if you are hunting for something trendy and want it low cost. If I want say, an awesome new knit sweater but want to get something unique for a low price I will hunt around Gangnam Station first because they will have the best prices and the higher likelihood of having something I will like.
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Many metro stations in Korea have underground shopping like these, some are more old lady clothing, but a few are AMAZING for finding deals at if you can sift through the junk and things marked too high!
Knit sweaters in every color for 20,000 won!
Need a cute new pair of lace socks for 1,000 won? Gangnam Station. 10,000 won Skirts to layer under dresses? Gangnam station! It is impossible for Nara and I to walk through and not end up with one new thing…kind of like Forever 21 for most people. You walk around and go “ah crap I need that and it costs nothing!” lol I prefer shopping here over the shopping above the station (which is fairly sparse anyway!)
The styles sold at Gangam station underground shops vary a bit depending on the store and the seasons of course, but generally they are a clean cut and slightly trendy~ with a dash of cute or elegance which fits with the young students in the area. Knit sweaters, cardigans, blazer jackets, and mini skirts cover the racks currently~
If you are into more simple yet girly styles, but Edae shopping is too young or cutie~ Gangam station may be a nice place for you to visit! A bit hip, and a bit refined for the office girls walking through.
The best feature about shopping at Gangnam station is of course the 만원 10,000 won racks. 10,000 won (around $10) is the magic number in Korea for clothing, if I really want something (like say a new white skirt) I always hunt for something to fit that price. Because this is a metro station with lots of young shopping-prone foot traffic, you will find almost every store for younger styles has a sale rack set up~ check them out first!
Ignore the more expensive racks in this area or randomly expensive shops (you can spot them because they are usually empty lol) stick to the posted sale racks because you will almost always find something good in them that you would pay 3x the price for in other areas.
Note the “만원” sign with red letters, again this is a good sign to remember when shopping since it means the rack is usually 10,000! Shops proudly posting the numbers at this station like the example above naturally have the best deals for cheap fast finds. Some shops are better than others, I have about 5 favorite shops in this whole center that I always stop by so just look for the crowds of girls and you will most likely be in the right space.
Gangnam Station Shopping
- Good for *select* cheap finds
- Mainly girls clothing, limited shops for men
- Best for inexpensive sweaters, scarfs, blouses, and skirts
- Mainly Cash, ATM by the Metro entry gates
- Clothing here is Korean general off-brand apparel. Free Size/ OS
I do not advise coming here on a special trip as a tourist to shop since other areas have far more choices. Come here if you are in the area already, are a regular Korea shopper, or are looking for cheap deals on select goodies!
I suppose it was only a matter of time before they opened a “Gangnam Style” store in Gangnam… (-_-;)
Hanabi (“Fireworks” easy to spot because of the Japanese sign) Usually carries some more trendy and fun clothing similar to Hongdae for very affordable prices from around 10,000-30,000 won! I love this store!
강남의류 is one of the larger cheap shops in the station~ while they do not carry many fancy pieces, they are amazing for cheap basics, sweats, and comfy clothing like shirts or plain color skirts. If I need something basic I always check here first since almost everything is 5,000-10,000 won.
Gangnam station also has a smattering of Men’s clothing stores throughout the area, but sadly they are not filled with the savings that the girls stores have the clothing is usually very basic and blah. Boys will have some shops to poke around in, but from our exp Nara rarely finds anything he likes here~ mainly he has better shopping success in proper shopping areas like Edae or Hongdae! I suppose it is understandable, the metro station shops usually cater to women on the go since we are impulse shoppers! lol
Gangnam station also has a nice selection of Korean skincare and makeup shops for those of you looking to do a bit of beauty shopping! Skin Food, Tony Moly, Missha, Etude House, Too Cool For School, and more!
like many of the shopping areas, some shops do not take cards so it is easier to have cash on hand! ATMS are located right around the Metro gates so getting cash is easy ;) Also note that almost all of the shops are free size clothing and usually will not have fitting rooms for you to try things on.
Outside of the cute Gangnam Station shop “Pink Ribbon” which sells sweet and lace style pieces usually!
Some of these cuter (and less crowded) stores have really sweet clothing, but the price can be a little higher for some items so do not be too surprised! Often they have nicer things (with more trim or detail) that the cheap-o stores do not though!
Gangnam also has a few accessory shops that sell ok deals, sometimes you can find something nice at them~ but as usual the best deals are always at “Bad Cat” which is a chain and does have a shop location here. Feature on that store soon!
Shoe shopping is also just OK here, the prices are pretty standard (if not a little higher) so I generally do not buy my shoes here since my favorite place to buy shoes is Edae /Ewha. Every now and then they do have something really cool though, so you never know!
Elle’s Gangnam Station Shopping Finds
Dresses: 10,000 won & 25,000 won | Pastel LOVE Necklace: 8,000 won | High Heels: 25,000 won & 30,000 won
Here are some things from my wardrobe that I scored in Gangnam station! I buy a LOT of stuff here, so these are just a few of my favorites~ many of which are only 10,000 won. This is my favorite shopping spot for deals.
Vivid sleeveless blouse: 20,000 won | Flower blouse: 10,000 won | Bracelets: 8,000 won
I will add some more later! Almost all of my sweaters are from here and most of my flat color skirts or slips for layering!
Location of Gangnam Station
Since Gangnam Station shopping is connected to the metro station, this area will be extremely easy to find~ Just get off the train at Gangnam and you will be in the middle of the two sides to the shopping zone! The red Gangnam Bundang line (not pictured, this line is affiliated with Ko-Rail) is also connected to this station with some stores (they are kinda meh and over priced) it just requires a little bit of walking underground to the main area where the Green Seoul Metro line is~
Generally this area is open from maybe 10am-10pm-ish (If anyone can provide a better time let me know, I always forget the hours here) although some stores will pack up sooner or later depending on the day and crowds.
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This station is very busy during the evening with foot traffic and especially on the weekends since above ground is a popular hangout area for BBQ and drinking, so if you can come in the middle of the day or avoid the weekends it will be the most peaceful.
The shopping area is all underground so you can walk around and head to the exit when you are ready to step back into the sunlight and explore someplace else! Keep in mind, the main area is kinda split in two (look for the metro gates you swipe your tickets to exit) you can pick left or right so explore one half, then return and cross to check out the other!
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You can also continue and explore the shopping in the Bundang line area (You will be able to tell because it will be a lot less crowded and the area will be MUCH wider) but like I said, the shopping is only OK. Only reason I go around the bundang shopping wing is when I am visiting Cafe Pawz.
Have you gone shopping at Gangnam Station and found any amazing goodies? Do you like shopping at the metro stations in Korea for deals? See anything in the post you would love to have? Comment below!
