A employee fills a bag with bread for an end-of-day low cost sale at a bakery café in Seoul’s Seogyo-dong neighborhood. Every bag accommodates six baked items and sells for 8,000 gained ($5.64), half its common value of 16,000 gained. Korea Occasions photograph by Woo Tae-kyung
As night settled over Seoul’s western Seogyo-dong neighborhood and shutting time approached, clients streamed out of a bakery café carrying luggage full of bread.
The bakery sells its unsold bread and pastries at half value on the finish of every day to clients who reserve them prematurely. Proprietor Lee Yoo-jin, 35, has provided the end-of-day low cost for 2 years and says demand has lately surged.
“We provide eight luggage for reservation every day, and currently they’ve at all times been absolutely booked,” Lee mentioned. “Generally we obtain extra reservations than the variety of luggage we’ve ready, so we’ve to cancel a few of them.”
Shoppers go further mile for offers
The bakery isn’t alone in seeing a flurry of shoppers as closing time approaches. The late rush is slowly changing into a pattern in Korea as customers search to benefit from end-of-day reductions to purchase meals at decrease costs.
It contrasts with the “open-run” rush seen in Korea through the COVID-19 pandemic, when customers lined up outdoors luxurious boutiques earlier than opening to safe coveted objects. Low cost searching was beforehand seen primarily for comfort retailer meals, however excessive inflation over the previous two years has pushed customers to grow to be savvier of their spending.
Shopping for meals at a reduction typically entails extra cumbersome steps than paying full value. Clients should set up an app that reveals close by shops providing the reductions and arrive at an actual time for pickup. The meals they obtain is random, relying totally on what’s left on the finish of the day, and cancellations are frequent even after a reservation has been made.
Nonetheless, customers flock to discounted meals as a result of the financial savings outweigh the inconvenience. Meals is often offered at half the unique value. Bread is in notably excessive demand, as its value has risen so steeply in current months that the rise has been dubbed “breadflation.”
Park Ha-eun, 30, mentioned she buys bread as soon as every week by profiting from end-of-day reductions.
“I don’t often purchase bread or desserts as a result of the costs are a burden. However utilizing the app, I can generally purchase them at half value and even much less.”
A buyer bought a bundle of 5 baked items for 7,000 gained by means of an end-of-day low cost app, half the common value of 14,000 gained listed by the bakery. Korea Occasions photograph by Woo Tae-kyung
The resurgence of low cost searching has been fueled by the notion that the follow is eco-friendly, in addition to the introduction of apps which have made discounted meals extra accessible and handy to purchase. Native bakeries and eating places have been joined by supply platforms and huge bakery chains in providing end-of-day reductions, increasing the vary of meals customers can purchase at inexpensive costs.
For retailer house owners, it’s a win-win technique, as low cost gross sales relieve them of the burden of discarding unsold meals whereas additionally serving as a promotional device.
“It’s useful for sellers as nicely as a result of it leaves us with no leftovers whereas additionally serving to defend the setting,” mentioned Yook Na-yoon, 23, who works at a bakery in Seoul’s Mangwon-dong neighborhood.
Lee additionally pointed to the promotional impact of the reductions. “First-time clients who go to within the night typically come again,” she mentioned.
A seek for end-of-day low cost apps on Apple’s App Retailer, left, and the Google Play Retailer, proper, reveals a spread of accessible choices. Korea Occasions photograph by Woo Tae-kyung
Taking maintain as a brand new shopper pattern
With excessive inflation persisting, observers say the frenzy for closing-time reductions might not find yourself being only a non permanent phenomenon however as an alternative grow to be a brand new sample of consumption.
“Extended excessive inflation and stagnant progress have pushed customers to suppose twice earlier than spending and to spend extra properly,” mentioned Lee Eun-hee, a professor in shopper science at Inha College.
“Closing-time reductions will proceed to draw customers and grow to be a longtime consumption sample.”
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Occasions, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Occasions.
