Shoppers browse the beauty section of a Daiso store in Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun District, Seoul, on April 8. Photo by Kim Hee-seo
A Daiso store in Sinchon, western Seoul, was crowded with college students on Wednesday evening.
“There’s something fun about shopping at Daiso,” said Song Seung-min, a 26-year-old college student who stopped by to browse the cosmetics section. “It makes me feel rich because I can buy all kinds of things without actually spending much.”
Thrift-driven spending grows amid high inflation
The rising popularity of Daiso shopping is part of an emerging consumer trend among Koreans in their 20s and 30s called “small indulgences.” Rather than cutting back on spending altogether, the trend refers to a selective pattern of consumption seeking enjoyment and satisfaction at a lower cost.
These consumption trends are driven by high inflation, which has persisted since 2022. According to Statistics Korea, the consumer price index rose 5.1 percent that year, marking the start of a sustained period of elevated inflation.
At the time, online communities and social media were flooded with content such as the “no-spend challenge,” in which people tried to avoid spending for a set period, and “beggar rooms,” where users shared their expenses and encouraged one another to save money.
Song recalled those days. “Back in 2022, my friends and I used to share our spending with one another and encourage each other to spend less,” she said.
A KakaoTalk Open Chat search for "beggar room," a chatroom trend that gained popularity among people in their 20s and 30s in 2022, when participants shared their spending records and encouraged one another to save money. Captured from KakaoTalk
Back then, not spending was widely seen as the key to saving money, but the trend has now shifted.
Source: Korea Times News
