Businesses capitalizing on free time after CSAT

Today’s dreaded college entrance exam may be the most important day of the year for students, but it’s the days after the test that matter to retailers.

Preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test throughout high school can be so grueling that parents of 12th graders are willing to spend generously to please their stressed-out children after the test.

Plastic surgery clinics, online gaming websites, retail outlets and restaurants are ready to capitalize, launching special offers for test-takers.

From tomorrow through Sunday, Lotte Department Store will give discounts of up to 30 percent on fashion brands including Nice Claup, Tomboy and The Basic House exclusively for students who have a test slip.

Hyundai Department Store will also hold a sales event on 90 brands for students who completed the exam.

AK Plaza, a department store chain, will give free coffee and juice to students and will also have an artist on hand tomorrow to draw caricatures.

The post-exam period is also one of the busiest times for plastic surgery clinics in this beauty-conscious country, which has the world’s highest rate of plastic surgery.

Many high school girls choose to get surgery after sitting for their college entrance exams. Ahead of the test, plastic surgery clinics start aggressive advertising campaigns to attract customers, launching promotions such as “mother and daughter” surgery packages or two procedures for the price of one.

Male students might be more interested in offers from online gaming sites looking to bring in teenagers who now have free time.

World of Tanks, an online game developed by Belarusian-Cyprian company Wargaming, will let any test-taker play the game for free today at selected PC rooms in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon.

Movie theaters are also looking to draw in bored students. Lotte Cinema will let the exam-takers watch a movie for 6,000 won ($5.45) from tomorrow through Dec. 19 and Megabox will give 2,000 won off 2-D movies and 2,000 won off popcorn.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [ejpark@joongang.co.kr]