Exploring Sinchon's Innovative Emart Branch

Do you like discovering random discounts at the market? I sure do! Most people think they know what to expect when they visit Emart, but I heard that this one had something unique to offer. Emart is a really popular market chain in Korea and the odds are high that everyone in Korea has been to one at least once. 

However, this Emart branch is unique from the others. It is designed from top to bottom to feature products specifically for singles, couples, or students studying abroad due to the many universities surrounding the area. So let's take a tour and see what we can find! I'll introduce some products and give recommendations as well as give you detailed instructions on how to get there. Prepare yourself!

Information

Address: 94, Sinchon-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 

Location: Exit 8 of Sinchon Station on Subway Line 2 / Grand Plaza Building B1~B3 

Hours: 10:00-23:00 (Closed on National Holidays)

The Adventure Begins!

The branch is connected to exit 8 of Sinchon station. So if you have access to public transportation, then you'll have access to this store! No car necessary! As you can see in the picture above, the yellow 8 is for the exit number. You don't need to go outside the station to get to the entrance.

There is a store guide on the wall as you enter. You can see that there are 3 levels to the store: Basement 1 (B1), Basement 2 (B2), and Basement 3 (B3). Each floor is home to different products. The first basement floor was set up for fresh vegetables, fish and meat, and other refrigerated/frozen products. The second basement floor consisted of a liquor corner and refrigerated or frozen food. Finally, the third basement floor was filled with instant food, snacks, and Emart's own branded products – No Brand.

In summation, two floors are set up for food and one floor is filled with instant food or daily, non-food products. So now that we're experts on the layout, let's get a more detailed look. 

The subway entrance takes you to B2. Upon arrival, I headed straight up to B1 and decided to work my way down.

Naturally, we need a cart for all of our purchases. You can grab a cart or basket here, depending on how many groceries you'll be buying. Since this EMart is on the smaller side, the escalators are not the type that act like conveyor belts, so you won't be able to take your cart on the escalator – you'll have to use the elevators. If you just have a basket, you'll be fine taking the escalators. 

The Produce Section

Vegetables

After grabbing my shopping basket, I headed straight for the vegetable section.

I've had a lot of issues in the past when it came to buying vegetables because I could never finish it all. But the Sinchon branch has got people like me covered! The amount included in each package is perfect for one or two-person households that don't have a whole family to cook for.

Fruits

In Korea, fruits are not usually available year-round, as they are seasonal. Some fruits can be very expensive in Korea too, but ones that are popular, like lemons, oranges, pears, etc. are not so bad! 

If there is a fruit that is in season or on sale, they will usually display it for everyone to see like this! These shine muscat grapes were only 6,980 KRW for a pack – which is quite low compared to usual prices, as they can shoot up to 20,000 KRW!

Products & Prices

Sweet & Veggie Mix (200g): 3,080 KRW
Fresh Mini Pack Salad (80g): 990 KRW
Scallions (300g): 2,980 KRW
1 Lemon: 980 KRW

Peacock Brand Meal Kits

In my whole shopping trip, the place I spent the most time was right here by the Peacock meal kits. There are a wide variety of unique dishes absolutely packed with flavor. I can cosplay a professional chef simply by following the instructions on the meal kits! Naturally, single people and couples can get a lot of value out of these. 

There are some popular Korean staples that you can pick up here. The classics include budaejjigae and spicy tteokbokki. There are even some popular foreign-inspired dishes, like pasta or pad thai. Of course it's always great to go to a Korean restaurant and get a hot meal, but sometimes you can't beat the feel of cooking a hot meal at home. It's always a great day when you don't have to leave your house...

Products & Prices

Uijeongbu-style Budae Jjigae (680g, 2 servings): 9,980 KRW
Shrimp Pad Thai (471g, 2 servings): 9,800 KRW

Ready-made Meals

Not a fan of cooking? Then you can also consider completely prepared food that doesn't require you to cook anything. Purchasing the already-prepared products sold at the mart, such as a healthy salad kit, fried tofu sushi, sushi, etc., is also a good way to enjoy food at home at a low price.

In particular, these products are discounted by more than 50% from dinner time to closing time, so you can buy them at a lower price if you visit then, though you might have less options.

Products & Prices

Sushi Assortment (10 standard pieces): approx. 9,800 KRW (varies by branch)
Salmon Sushi (10 standard pieces): approx. 12,800 KRW (varies by branch)
Shrimp Sushi (10 standard pieces): approx. 11,800 KRW (varies by branch)

From fresh produce and meal kits to ready-to-eat sushi packs; the first basement floor was already packed with goodies!

Frozen Foods

After looking at all the appetizing products on B1, I headed to B2. On B2, there was a section full of a variety of refrigerated and frozen foods.

The refrigerated foods are well arranged, and there are so many to pick from! While the Sinchon branch is smaller than other branches, there were still so many products available! There were many products with a wide range of tastes, price, ingredients, design, etc. that all reflect the diverse preferences of the younger generation. 

I picked the ones that looked the most delicious! The soup dishes in the picture, such as seaweed soup or kimchi soup, just need to be unpacked and heated. They're great for when you just want a simple meal without a lot of work. The noodle tteokbokki is a simple dish where you can just soak the rice cake and heat the sauce, so you can enjoy delicious tteokbokki at home. The frozen dumplings can be pan fried directly out of the freezer! Just be careful and make sure the oil is not too hot.

PEACOCK, Bibigo, and Pulmuone are all brands that Koreans like and eat a lot, so I hope you can try them when you have a chance! 

Products & Prices

Peacock Our Home Tuna Kimchi Stew (500g,1-2 servings): 5,980 KRW
Peacock Beef Seaweed Soup (500g, 1-2 servings): 3,486 KRW
Pulmuone Rose Noodle Tteokbokki (420g, 2 servings): 4,980 KRW

Alcoholic Drinks

Full of cute neon signs, this is the home of the alcohol section! I really liked the decorations and atmosphere. There are a lot of unique beer and liquor options, including both domestic and imported brands. What is your favorite drink? I bet you can find it here.

I have recently fallen in love with handmade beer produced in Korea. E-Mart's Sinchon branch has been selling more diverse handmade beers in comparison to other supermarkets. Not only that, but they stock everything from common Soju to Hwa-yo, which won the Korean liquor award!

I also saw a lot of interesting traditional liquor for the first time. If you go to E-Mart's Sinchon branch, why don't you buy some of these unique traditional liquor options? 

Products & Prices

Moonbear Brewing Hallasan/Baekdusan Beer (500ml): 3,000 KRW
Hwa-yo Soju (375ml, Al. 25%): 11,800 KRW

Electromart

Now that we're done looking around the frozen food and liquor section, let's check out the 3rd basement floor, where instant food and daily household supplies are located.

Emart usually has a large electronics store attached to it called Electromart. Emart's Sinchon branch was a little different since it was smaller. Instead of selling large appliances like refrigerators and washing machines, they sell small appliances like toasters and kettles. These are great options for any home, especially for 1-2 person households.

Here, you can get a toaster, egg boiler, microwave, and even a waffle-maker! The designs of the appliances are also very simple and cute! There were also many bathroom tools and living room appliances available as well. If you're new to living in Korea, I highly recommend getting a filtered shower head (11,280 KRW), as the tap water here can be a bit harsh if you have sensitive skin. You can buy filters separately (8,980 KRW) and replace them every so often!

Products & Prices

No Brand Egg Boiler 20,800 KRW
No Brand Waffle Maker 25,800 KRW
No Brand Electric Toaster 17,800 KRW
No Brand Filtered Shower Head 11,280 KRW

Instant Noodles/Rice Bowls

There is no way that a store catered to serving singles or couples can skip out on ramen. It is an absolute staple here in Korea, and of course, there were a myriad of options! Sometimes I just like to look up and down the aisles to see all the different types of ramen available. All of the popular Korean brands, like Shin Ramyun, Jin Ramyun, etc., are available!

If a whole pack of ramen is too much, or you're just craving a certain kind of ramen, individual cup noodles are available too! There are so many options that you might have trouble picking one!

They even have instant rice bowl dishes of all kinds available! All you have to do is microwave the rice and ingredients, then you have your very own rice bowl ready to eat! I personally like the Spam Kimchi Rice Bowl (4,980 KRW). 

Products & Prices

Nongshim Shin Ramen (5 pack): 4,100 KRW
Ottogi Sesame Ramen (4 pack): 4,680 KRW
CJ Cupban Spam Kimchi Rice Bowl (328g): 4,980 KRW

Coffee/Tea/Snacks

You can also get all kinds of popular Korean snacks, cereal, tea, and coffee! Emart has all the best, most popular brands available, so you can try all kinds of snacks! There's even a section filled with Starbucks coffee and tea!

Check Out

After you're done shopping, it's time to pay! At the Emart Sinchon branch, you can use a self-checkout counter! It's extremely convenient, especially if you're an introvert like me. It was also quick and simple with easy-to-follow instructions on the screen. 

Be sure to only place your items on the right side AFTER you've scanned it! It actually measures the items based on weight, so if the weight of the items does not match the number of items scanned, it will freeze the checkout process.

Don't worry if you're unfamiliar with it or come across any problems while paying at the self-checkout counter; there are friendly staff nearby to help when needed! They also have regular checkout with a cashier as well, if you prefer that!

Once you check out, there will be a customer service center on your left. Here, you can show your receipt and get a separate receipt for tax refunds! You can receive your tax refund at the airport with the receipt. Please note that your purchase must be over 30,000 KRW.

After the exhausting shopping experience, I noticed that there was also an area where you can buy hot food, like tteokbokki, or a refreshing drink. It's a great way to refuel after all that shopping!

Recommended Items For One to Two-person Households

Too many options? Not sure what to try first? These are my top recommendations!

1. Ildong Hudis Greek Yogurt [일동 후디스 그릭오거트] (8og x 4 pack): 5,400 KRW 

Thick, authentic greek yogurt at a reasonable price is very difficult to come across in Korea. It has been getting more popular, so it's more available than before, but still quite pricey! This brand is my favorite one as it is thicker than most Korean-style greek yogurts and affordable. It's super convenient to keep in your refrigerator and pull one out as a snack with some granola and honey on top!

2. Bibigo Beef Seaweed Soup [비비고 소고기미역국] (500 g): 5,480 KRW

Bibigo is a great brand that you can find in Emart. This seaweed soup is one of my favorites! All you have to do is pour the ingredients into a pot and boil it! It's not only simple to eat at home, but also perfect for people who may be too busy to cook! It's actually quite surprising how authentic and hearty it tastes despite it being instant food! I usually like to have this with white rice.

3. Pulmuone Black Bean Tofu Crumble [풀무원 식물성지구식당 직화짜장 두부크럼블] (160g): 2,900 KRW

If you're a tofu lover like me, or a vegetarian, you'll love this product! Finding vegetarian-friendly options can be really difficult in Korea, but Pulmuone has released this vegetarian-friendly line called "식물성 지구식당", meaning something along the lines of "Earthly Veggie Meal". This tofu crumble is also instant, so you can just throw it in the microwave (without opening it) and pour it over rice or noodles! It's delicious, easy to prepare, and vegetarian-friendly! There are many other vegetarian dishes made with tofu included in this line! 

4. Peacock Craft Tea Pearl Jasmine Tea (1.5 g x 15 tea bags): 6,286 KRW

If you enjoy drinking tea, I'm certain you'll love this tea! Peacock has a variety of different teas to choose from, but this Pearl Jasmine Tea is my absolute favorite! It has a deep floral fragrance and just feels comforting to drink. Definitely give this one a try! 

Did you enjoy our guide to Emart's Sinchon branch, Korea's first retail store aimed to serve the younger population? Since Sinchon is home to more than 50,000 college students, including Yonsei University, Sogang University, and Ewha Womans University, Emart Sinchon branch has been a hot place since its opening. 

If you are planning to travel nearby or live in Sinchon, remember the tips in this article and visit E-Mart's Sinchon branch! If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below or send us an email at help@creatrip.com! You can follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook to stay updated on all things Korea!