Shops without customers’Soktan Christmas’… “Let’s go to step 3” Sigh

#. A bakery cafe near Haengjusanseong Fortress in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 25th of Christmas Day. In addition to the fireplace, this 20-pyeong store, decorated with a Christmas-like interior, has a sparse seat of 3 customers. If you order a sandwich, you can stay in the store. There were also customers who opened their laptops. Cafe owner A guides customers to “eat as slowly as possible.” There is no limit on the time of the meal, but after the meal, you have to pack the drink. Mr. A said, “Because our customers are mainly outgoers, there are few people who deliberately go to the store just for delivery or packaging. “The same Christmas tree as usual is unsettled.”

#. On Christmas Eve, on the afternoon of the 24th, Hyundai Premium Outlet Space One in Dasan New Town, Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do. The atmosphere of this place, which would have been crowded with people who came out to buy gifts, was calm. Far from the parking shortage, the flow was smoother than the usual weekend level. As dinner time came, there were a little crowd of visitors to eat at the food court, but most of the stores were barely visible. A clothing store official said, “I have been in the clothing industry for more than 10 years, and this is my first worst Christmas Eve like this year. It will record the worst sales.”

Christmas special has completely disappeared due to the re-proliferation of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). This is because consumption sentiment at the end of the year deteriorated as the number of people infected with Corona 19 recorded 1,000. Particularly, as outside activities such as outings and meetings were restricted due to the’banning of groups of more than 5 people’, which took place on the 23rd, shoppers and outgoers stopped stepping.

According to the distribution industry, sales of three department stores, including Lotte, Hyundai, and Shinsegae, decreased 8-14% from the same period last year on the 12th and 13th, the first weekend of the 2.5-step distance. In addition, the year-end sales decline continues to intensify due to the ban on groups of five or more.

An official at a department store said, “This year’s Christmas holiday sales are expected to be as low as ever,” and said, “As a result of the shutdown following the implementation of the 3rd step, there is growing anxiety that we will miss the end of the year. In the department store industry, if it closes at the end of the year due to the three-step increase in distance, it is expected that sales of 10 to 15 billion won per day will be damaged. This is because there are online shopping malls operated by three department stores, but the proportion of online sales is only 10%.

The situation in complex shopping malls is more serious. According to the distribution industry, after the Corona 19 incident, the number of customers visiting domestic complex shopping malls decreased by about 30% compared to last year. The number of visitors has declined by 40% since the 8th, which was upgraded to 2.5 steps of social distancing.

The situation of urban outlets is also challenging. E-Land Retail declared an emergency management system and began reorganizing stores with sluggish sales. Songdo NC Department Store Canal Walk Branch, Daegu Dong-A Outlet Head Office, 2001 Outlet Suwon Nammun Branch, etc. have already closed. New Core Outlet’s Moran branch and Ansan branch are also undergoing inventory clearance ahead of their closure.

The same goes for the restaurant industry that the end of the year has disappeared. As the ban on private gatherings with more than 5 people is imposed, the distress of self-employed catering businesses is deepening, where even the smallest hope of a special year-end disappeared.

Kim Mo, who runs a Korean restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, recently started delivery and packaging as the Corona 19 crisis prolonged. However, it is not possible to deliver/package the signature menu item on the side. Mr. Kim said, “We can only package a la carte menu because we cannot do delivery and packaging,” he said. “My house is based on freshness, but that is the biggest concern.” He said, “The proportion of sales in stores is as large as we are dealing with employees, but I don’t know how much more I can withstand in the third stage.” Only two teams were eating at this Korean restaurant with 40 seats for lunch on the 24th, when the Christmas holiday began.

On the 24th, as the daily number of confirmed patients exceeded 1,200, even voices that it would be better to upgrade to the third stage, the last bastion, came out. Jeong Mo, 54, who runs a meat restaurant in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, said, “It is open until 9 PM, but it is meaningless to open the door in the current quarantine stage, which has been banned from gathering. It would be better to close it altogether, and the government would come up with measures such as rent reduction or low-interest loan support.”

Meanwhile, the government will hold a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on the 27th, presided over by Prime Minister Chung Sye-gyun, to discuss whether or not to raise social distancing in three stages.

Reporters Kwak Jae-min and Chu In-young [email protected]