Men buy White Day gifts at convenience stores

Shoppers walk by a shop selling candy for White Day in Myeong-d0ng, central Seoul, March 12 2014. / Korea Times file

Men buy “White Day” gifts at convenience stores, but women buy Valentine’s Day gifts at department stores, retailers or chocolate shops.

In Korea, Valentine’s Day is when women give chocolates to men. On “White Day,” which falls on March 14, men give women candy.

According to data from a domestic convenience store chain from Feb. 1-14 and March 1-14 last year, sales of chocolate and candy in the weeks leading up to White Day were 8.3 percent higher.

On White Day, sales rocketed 923 percent from average daily sales in the preceding two weeks. On Valentine’s Day, sales soared 779 percent.

Industry sources say this reflects the tendency of men to buy gifts at convenience stores on the actual day, whereas women bought gifts from various outlets ahead of the day.