DAISO is a Japanese dollar store and they have locations in Korea. But it’s almost a totally different store. First of all, not everything is a dollar. There are a lot of things that cost more. Second, they carry their own product line. There are a lot of things at Korean DAISO that I haven’t seen at Japanese DAISO and vice versa.
DAISO is kind of like the Korean version of Target. You go there to buy dental floss and you come out with a whole cartful of stuff. I think that the best way to deal with this is to go in with a plan! Make a list. I like to make a list on my phone of stuff that I need and try to stick to the list as much as possible when I shop! Of course, if you’re just visiting Korea, go ahead and go nuts!
I created this little guide to give you an idea of what you can find at DAISO Korea that’s unique and what to buy when you come to Korean DAISO.
[1] Stuff by DAISO Design Lab
In Korea, there’s a group called Daiso Design Lab comes up with the cutest things. At the moment it’s alpacas. Before this it was bread. Before that it was unicorns which I went totally nuts over. There’s always something new and super cute, so check it out and remember that it’s seasonal so it won’t be around forever.
[2] Beauty supplies
I always buy beauty supplies at Olive Young, which is one of my favorite stores in Korea. Then I go DAISO and see it for a fraction of the price. For instance – foot scrubbers, eyelash glue, and tweezers. Their selection of nail clippers is insane. They have a great selection of travel items like cute little shampoo bottles and small containers for lotions and creams. I used to buy this kind of stuff at the Muji store in Japan, but since Muji is so much more expensive here than it is in Japan, I’ve been able to find all my needs at DAISO.
[3] Gift wrap
DAISO is a great place to buy gift bags and clear plastic goodie bags for your kids class for Valentine’s Day, or goody bags for birthday parties. It’s usually less than $2 for this stuff. The Korean DAISO even has this gauze-y paper to wrap flowers in. There’s a great selection of boxes too. And this is a great place to get Christmas wrapping paper.
[4] Stationery
DAIRO has the best and cheapest stickers, notebooks, post-it notes, and envelopes. One of my favorite stores is the Alpha store for stationery items but a lot of times you can get it for a cheaper price at DAISO. I usually pick up stickers for my kids. They can go through a pack of stickers in 5 minutes so I don’t want to pay a ton for them. Also there are sticker books for kids which popular Korean kids characters like Kongsuni and Pororo. These ones aren’t cheap though but usually it takes my kids a while to use all these stickers.
[5] Housewares
If you just moved to Korea and you need things like dishes, bathroom accessories like a soap dish or toothbrush holder, pillows, slippers, or storage bins, Daiso is the best place to buy them at a cheap price.
[6] Korean Stainless Steel Dishes and Utensils
Unlike China and Japan which have a rich history of ceramics, Korean traditional dishes tend to be made out of metal. Metal dishes and utensils used to be reserved for the aristocracy, while the poor would use iron or wood, and later, aluminum. I read somewhere that the royals used silver chopsticks because the chopsticks would change color if there was poison in the food. At the food courts you’ll see tons of these stainless steel cups next to a water dispenser. They can be thrown in the dishwasher and they are not breakable. They make great cups for kids. So they even use these at schools. I think the best thing is that they’re dishwasher safe. You can also get other dishes and silverware as well.
[7] Stuff for your Teeth
Daiso has the cheapest toothbrushes!! I got a 5-pack of kids toothbrushes for $2. That’s like 50 cents each!! And I live and die by the SSS flossers that DAISO carries. Using one of these with a bit of toothpaste gets your teeth so clean and it feels so good. Also if you need a cute toothbrush cover, DAISO’s got you covered.
[8] Korean Snacks organized in RAINBOW COLOR ORDER!
Now not everything here is $1, but I think the most the snacks here will cost are about $3. And the best thing is they organize it in rainbow color. If you want to know what snacks to get check out my korean snacks video here. Sometimes it will be cheaper to buy things here than at the convenience store or supermarket.
[9] Dish scrubbies
These things are my favorite and I don’t believe I’ve seen these at Japanese DAISO. They scrub just enough to get the gunk off your dishes but not so much as to damage them. And they are not as gross as a sponge in my opinion because they are kind of a loose knit so they just seem a little cleaner. You can put them in your dishwasher to give them a little refresh (that’s a tip from Bonnie one of my patrons!)
[10] Seasonal decor
Sometimes it’s hard to find Halloween and Christmas decor when you’re overseas because it’s not as big as it is in the states, but Daiso has always been my go to place for this kinda stuff in both Korea and Japan.
So there you have it!! My favorite daiso is the one at Express Bus Terminal. They also recently opened a big Daiso in Itaewon and there’s another big 8 story Daiso near Myeongdong station. The one thing that I find sorely lacking at this Daiso when I compare it to Japanese Daiso is the craft section. In japan you could find so many different craft supplies and sewing supplies. In Korea there is just nothing in terms of needle felting, resin, coin purse frames, etc. I’m glad I bought a lot of stuff in Japan but I wish I bought more.