Seoul’s Namdaemun scarf seller, famous for ‘don’t buy’ pitch, launches online store - The Straits Times

The vendor shot to fame in late October after clips of his deadpan, sassy banter went viral on social media, racking up between one million and five million views per video.

SEOUL - A scarf seller at South Korea’s oldest and largest traditional market who has gone viral online for “discouraging” customers from buying his wares, has launched his own web store. And judging by the early traffic, shoppers are still ignoring his advice.

Known online as the “Namdaemun scarf ajeossi (uncle)”, the vendor runs a stall at Namdaemun Market, where he sells any six scarves for 10,000 won (S$9.66).

His online store, called Naver Smart Store, had logged 157,497 visits by 9.41am local time on Nov 12, with 85,782 visits made that morning alone, according to local media. All scarf sets have sold out.

Online shoppers pay 10,000 won for a bundle of six scarves, plus 3,000 won for shipping. Unlike at his physical stall, customers cannot pick their own designs; the vendor chooses all six himself.

True to form, the listing carries a blunt warning: “Absolutely no overspending.”

The vendor said he launched the online shop after receiving numerous requests from fans as crowds at his physical stall became unmanageable.

He shot to fame in late October after clips of his deadpan, sassy banter went viral on social media, racking up between one million and five million views per video.

In these videos, the vendor can be heard casually addressing his mostly middle-aged women customers as “mum” or “sis” and jokingly trying to talk them out of buying his scarves – saying the scarves are not worth their time and effort and that they probably would not wear them anyway.

In one video, he tells a shopper: “There’s a reason they’re so cheap.” In another, he quips: “If you get home and don’t like it, use it as bedding for your dog.”

His viral fame has turned the once-ordinary scarf shop into a bustling attraction, drawing large crowds and leaving him with little choice but to close early.

The vendor’s puzzled reactions to the sudden attention has only fuelled the hype, with his physical shop’s Instagram account amassing more than 32,000 followers just over a week after its Oct 25 launch.

On Nov 10, the police had to disperse crowds outside his stall and the shop shut early at 11.30am the next day.

To stop pre-opening queues from blocking market walkways and disrupting neighbouring businesses, the vendor recently announced on social media that he would vary his operating hours instead of opening at his usual starting time of 10am. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK