Every time the season changes I make a point of heading out to an outlet mall to do some shopping. I’d been meaning to go again this year too, and then an opportunity suddenly came up, so off I went. Originally I was planning on the Shinsegae Chelsea outlet in Paju, but on the way there I saw that a LOTTE Premium Outlets had gone up on a huge scale, so I made a sharp turn and headed there instead.
The view
There’s a cinema, a supermarket, a solid restaurant floor — pretty much everything you could want. I’d thought Chelsea was big, but this is close to twice the size.
Rooftop cafe
I arrived right after the morning opening and there was hardly anyone around, but the crowd grew a lot through the afternoon.
There are plenty of facilities for kids too.
It looks like a good place for a family weekend outing.
The garden
It’s big.
The bridge
There are still rice paddies and fields around it.
The fountain
The kids loved it, of course…
Head-on shot
LOTTE’s outlet is certainly large, but rather than carrying more brands than other outlets, the individual stores are simply bigger. After walking around, the range of goods itself didn’t seem all that different. A few upscale brands have moved in, but outlet or not, they weren’t cheap enough to buy on a whim.
There’s a fountain over here too.
The place is big enough that you could walk around all day without getting bored. I did a bit of shopping that day and got gift vouchers on top of it, so it was enjoyable all round. There weren’t many clothes in my size, which soured my mood a little, but I managed to find shoes that fit, which cheered me right back up. It’s close to home too, and if you take the bus from Hapjeong Station you can get there incredibly fast, so I imagine I’ll be back next time around (probably sometime in the summer).