By Yoon Ja-young
Ahn Sang-yeon, a male in his 20s who recently graduated from college, is pondering over what to give his girlfriend for White Day, which falls on Wednesday. In a reverse of the tradition in the West, March 14th is celebrated in Korea and Japan as the day on which women receive candy or gifts from their boyfriends, while men get chocolate or a present from their girlfriends the previous month on Valentine’s Day here.
“It should be something more than candy, of course. I am thinking about buying her a bag or designer clothing,” said Ahn, who added that he plans to spend between 200,000 to 300,000 won. Last month meanwhile, he received chocolate and vitamins from his girlfriend.
While Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries as a day for romance, White Day was started by a Japanese confectionary company as a gimmick to increase sales and is only celebrated in a handful of Asian countries, including Korea.
According to sales records at department stores, spending for White Day surpasses that for Valentine’s Day. This reflects the general idea that men have to shell out much more than their girlfriends.
At Lotte Department Store, sales during the week in which White Day falls were as substantial as 77 percent of the Christmas season last year. Total sales throughout the Valentine’s Day week were slightly less at 70 percent of Christmas sales. The spending per shopper for White Day was also 15 percent higher than that of the women supposedly shopping for their valentines. “Boyfriends, husbands, hopeful romancers present not only candy but also handbags or jewelry. The spending of an average White Day shopper is growing by 10 to 20 percent each year,” said a representative for Lotte.
A survey by Shinsegae Department Store outlines why people open their wallets wider for White. It seems 32 percent of males plan to spend 200,000 to 300,000 won on a White Day gift and those willing to splurge 300,000 to 500,000 won were 25 percent. Females, meanwhile, were much more frugal, with 35 percent allocating 100,000 to 200,000 won for their beaus a month earlier.