Shanghai supermarkets become must-visit stops for South Korean tourists

(ECNS) -- Supermarkets in Shanghai have become must-visit stops on the itineraries of South Korean tourists.

A RT-Mart store located near downtown has unexpectedly gone viral on South Korean social media. To accommodate the growing number of international customers, the store has added Korean-language signage and even put up a "Most Popular Products Among Korean Shoppers" ranking on its walls, covering everything from snacks to daily necessities.

On Tuesday, a staff member at the Pingxingguan Road RT-Mart told media that South Korean customers tend to purchase food and beverages, especially small bottles of Jiangxiaobai Guolifang liquor, which are easy to carry while traveling. The staff member added that from Friday to Sunday, the number of Korean shoppers tends to be higher.

The branch manager previously told the media that as of May 2025, the store's visitors increased by 15% compared to the same period the previous year. The manager said that South Korean customers accounted for about 5 to 6% of total shoppers, with an average of 200 to 300 Koreans entering the premises each day.

South Korean shoppers also show remarkably similar preferences for snacks, with Hawaii nuts of the Three Squirrels and Little Yellow Duck egg rolls often purchased in quantities of three bags per person, it was noted.

(By Gong Weiwei)