K-Herald

Convenience Stores Are Young Koreans' Favorite Haunts

by 조선편집국 posted Nov 23, 2016

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A growing number of young Koreans in their 20s and 30s wrap up their work day with a stop at a convenience store on their way home.

Sales from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. accounted for 32.1 percent of convenience stores' revenues over the past three years, according to the CU convenience store chain.

Lunchtime sales from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. or late at night from 11p.m.-2 a.m. are declining slightly.

Younger workers seem to feel refreshed by these stops.

Kim Yu-jin, a 29-year-old woman in Seoul, stops in a convenience store on her way home from work every day, even though she does not enjoy late night snacks. She browses the shelves and buys just one or two small products like jellybeans or coffee.

"I like going to the convenience store not to buy necessities but to comfort myself by just browsing cheap products," she said.

The main reason for many is that convenience stores sell things in smaller packages for singles, but they are also attracted to the dazzling bright light and sterile anonymous atmosphere.

"In a convenience store, you can go shopping freely late at night and nobody minds if you pay by credit card for small purchases," one said.

Staff leave them alone because they are constantly rotated and work different shifts, so there is no pressure to establish any kind of relationship.

Devoted fans even swap information online about their favorite convenience stores.

"Convenience stores are more accessible than any other place and your anonymity is guaranteed there. Shopping in convenience stores is quite a new way for singles to seek comfort," said sociologist Hyun Taek-soo.