[Lotte Department Store Instagram]
A rare scene took place at department stores run by South Korea's retail giant Lotte with people braving a sub-zero temperature to wait overnight for "Pyeongchang" long padded down jackets.
The craze for an official Winter Olympic apparel, began last week when people desperately seeking to buy the jacket crashed Pyeongchang's official online shopping mall. Of 30,000 Pyeongchang jackets, 23,000 have been sold out online and offline.
[Online community]
After Lotte issued a prior notice about the additional and final sale of 7,000 jackets through its offline stores by order of arrival, enthusiastic consumers formed long lines at four Lotte department stores in Seoul. Order tickets were to be handed out at 9:00 am (0000 GMT).
At Lotte's department branch in southern Seoul, people with portable chairs, sleeping mats, snacks and drinks were seen staying overnight on the floor of the lobby.
Consumers were mainly attracted to the jacket priced at 149,000 won (136 US dollars), which is far cheaper than other brands. Also, long padded jackets are a hot item this winter in the fashion market, sparked by K-pop celebrities wearing them in public.
[Online community]
Lotte's Instagram showed some disappointed people turning back home even on Tuesday night because waiting lines were closed. Lotte will sell about 3,000 jackets on Wednesday and the rest later in other stores.
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