Shinsegae stores can be more foreigner-friendly

Customers buy beauty products at the first floor of Shinsegae Department Store, downtown Seoul. / Korea Times Photo by Cathy Rose A. Garcia

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

With an impressive facade that exudes Old World charm, the Shinsegae Main Store is easily one of the most striking landmarks in downtown Seoul. It is the epitome of what Shinsegae Department Store stands for: refined elegance and luxury.

Yet it is easy to see why Shinsegae is not number one in the market. Unlike market leader Lotte that caters to a broad market, Shinsegae appears to be more snobby, targeting a base of mostly older, wealthier local customers.

Obviously, Shinsegae can’t care less about expats or tourists since posters and promotional ads are only in Korean.

The store is not the only place where Shinsegae shows its inattention to foreign customers.

Most foreign shoppers are usually unaware that they can get a Shinsegae point card, since there is no English information available. One can apply for the point card, but the application forms are all in Korean.

The staff is usually helpful, but it takes some effort to understand the mechanics and benefits of the point card.

The department store guide, available at the information counters, is written in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. It claims its services, such as the information desk, baby carriage service, stockroom and translation services, are ``different’’ and have a ``high standard,’’ but what they offer are the basics in other department stores.

``We offer absolutely different and elegant services such as tax refunds for global foreign customers and a concierge desk (at the Main Store),’’ the store guide reads. A tax refund desk is already a fixture in other department stores and shopping malls in Seoul.

Shinsegae also boasts of having English, Chinese and Japanese translators, but the information counters are only manned by Korean-speaking, albeit, polite and helpful staff.

Less crowds but more expensive

As one walks inside the Shinsegae Department Store’s new building, there is an air of refined elegance as one spots luxury brands Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Ferragamo, Prada, Fendi and Burberry, as well as global cosmetics brands Chanel and Lancome.

Older customers seem to be the main targets Shinsegae caters to. The second floor is devoted to women’s classic clothing, which is geared for ``mature’’ women, while the third floor is for ``ladies’ career and character,’’ aimed at working women. Noticeably, middle-aged women were seen shopping in these floors, as compared to the 4th and fifth floors that cater to the ``young’’ crowd.

American brands Gap and Banana Republic, that are distributed by Shinsegae International, also have stores within Shinsegae department store. They look similar to the U.S. outlets but the pricing is predictably higher. A pair of Gap jeans that retail for $59.50 in the U.S. is sold for 115,000 won, while a classic Banana Republic trench that costs $198 is sold at twice the price.

Shinsegae has also placed sale racks next to the escalators, which attract a lot of foot traffic but creates congestion.

Tired customers might find it hard to find places to sit down on each floor. There are only a handful of chairs and benches, usually near the elevators. Customers seem to be encouraged to walk up to the 11th floor to relax at the ``Sky Park,’’ a garden with benches and chairs.

At the basement of the new building, the area is solely devoted to food. There is a grocery, bakeries, food stalls, Starbucks, and even a designer water bar.

The grocery looks like a more upscale version of E-Mart, the discount store arm of Shinsegae. But unlike E-Mart’s discounted prices, many of the products available at the grocery are higher. On the plus side, foreigners can find imported products and hard-to-find ingredients here, but be prepared to pay a premium price.

The designer water bar also sells ridiculously priced bottles of imported drinking water, like Siana Water for 4,000 won and Nordenauer water for 10,000 won.

Some of the most popular attractions of Shinsegae are the restaurants on its 10th floor. During lunch time, one will be faced with crowded elevators and long lines at the restaurants. Many of the restaurants serve decent but overpriced food, although there is always a nice ambience.

Meanwhile, the Main Store is the oldest department store in Korea, and has been renovated as a luxury hall. It was a branch of the Japanese department store Mitsukoshi, which opened in 1930.

The Main Store has a unique ``store-in-store’’ concept with boutiques of luxury brands Hermes, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani throughout the building.

Simply put, the Main Store is a luxury shopping mall. The marble staircases and floors, fresh flowers and unobtrusive art works lend a hushed, museum-like atmosphere. But there are even fewer shoppers in the building, despite the spacious hallways and posh interiors.

Even at Louis Vuitton, there were only a handful of shoppers, unlike the brand’s store at Lotte Avenuel which is always full of Japanese and Chinese tourists.

Perhaps because of this atmosphere, the shop personnel look snobbier and seem uninterested. It feels like some personnel check out a customer’s appearance to see if they are rich enough to buy something worth millions of won at their store, before deciding to assist them.

Luxury goods are already expensive as it is, but even more so in Korea. For example, a much-coveted Proenza Schouler PS1 bag was being sold for 3.39 million won, much higher than the $1,595 (1.9 million won) retail price in the U.S.

The Main Store also offers a concierge service, but only for users of its S Class mileage program. Once again, there is no English information available on this S Class mileage program.

The Main Store’s website could also use some improvement. While it is mostly in Korean, the category names are in English and it misspelled accessory as ``accessary.’’

Shinsegae claims to have a higher standard of customer service than its rivals, but its posh image cannot hide the need for more improvements in its operations.