A year ago, HomePlus created “virtual stores" in the Subway. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch this video for more information. Pictured above is me checking out their competitor, E-Mart’s, version.

At first glance, it seems really convenient to be able to do your shopping while waiting for the subway. Yet, it’s not… First of all, it is required to download an app on your phone to buy the items. So, you download the app to your phone so you can put the virtual items in your shopping cart. I’m not sure where the convenience is, when I could shop using the app from anywhere.

I guess scanning the item from the virtual store in the subway is fun, but Seoul (and most of Korea) is packed with 24-hour convenience stores, so the novelty is pretty much lost on me.