'Jubu 10-dan' Shopping on Behalf of Customers... Between People and Innovation

Homeplus 'Fresh Food Picker' Headquarters Reporter Experience
Amid COVID-19 and e-shopping Trends
From Corn to Eggs... No Easy Products
People and Coexistence... Focus on Maximizing Offline Efficiency

On the morning of the 17th, reporter Cha Min-young is experiencing the 'fresh food picker' firsthand at Homeplus World Cup branch. The photo shows a customer scanning bananas ordered using an NPD terminal. Photo by Cha Min-young

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "Let's work hard and do our best."

On the morning of the 17th around 9:30 AM, I visited Homeplus World Cup Branch. Arriving about 30 minutes before the official opening time of 10 AM, in the basement of the store, over 650 employees wearing red uniforms and vests were busily moving around. Among them, veteran housewife employees with an average of 10 years of experience were busy pulling steel carts containing six blue trays (baskets). They belong to the e-commerce team and are 'fresh food pickers' who take online orders and shop on behalf of customers. With the expansion of the online fresh food market and the overlapping COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of goods this year has increased by about 20% based on perceived standards, making their role more important. The reporter, who took on the role of a 'daily picker,' also wore a uniform and safety gloves and completed a brief training on using the 'NPD (New Picking Device).' Temperature checks and hand sanitization are mandatory before entry.

'Grocery Shopping' Done by Expert Housewives

A momentarily placed set of six 2-liter water bottles on a cart for scanning

In front of me lay piles of over 100 ears of corn. The reporter, who had to select eight top-quality products from the green corn still in their husks, was momentarily speechless. I chose products with plump bodies, unrotten stalks, and clean surfaces, peeled off the surrounding husks, brushed off the dirt well, and put them into plastic bags. Magyuri, an 18-year veteran fresh picker and manager of the Homeplus World Cup Branch e-commerce team, hesitated and advised the reporter holding the corn, "Reporter, don't you think that's too thin?" After a brief moment of doubt, I hurried to the next corner with melons. For a reporter who buys most ingredients from convenience stores and e-commerce online malls, real corn was a challenge. There were no easy products like melons, potatoes, carrots, or tomatoes. I even picked up two sets of heavy 2-liter water bottles.

About 30 fresh pickers work daily at Homeplus World Cup Branch. They belong to the in-store e-commerce team and are mostly housewife employees with 7 to 10 years of experience. Holding order lists, they wander around shopping for about 40 minutes, though they usually finish within 15 to 20 minutes. Each round includes orders from 1 to 2 customers, with an average of around 10 products. Fresh pickers operate in three shifts daily from 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM, acting as a kind of mobile unit. Some young customers watch their movements closely. A couple in their 20s picked up a bag of melons that Manager Ma had just put down.

Homeplus has been considering a fresh food delivery system for over 20 years. The handheld devices that can read barcodes are equipped with systems that assist not only with order lists but also with product picking routes. Using the NPD, optimized routes are guided from fruits to vegetables, dairy products, and tofu. For products requiring detailed handling, such as meat and fish, dedicated pickers work to minimize air exposure. Afterwards, products are delivered to customers' homes via specialized vehicles divided into three compartments for refrigerated, frozen, and room temperature items. At the World Cup Branch, which delivers to some areas in Seoul and Gyeonggi, about 30 vehicles operate due to the large volume. Since deliveries are made twice a day, about 60 vehicle loads are dispatched daily from the World Cup Branch alone.

Finding Innovation Answers in People and Coexistence

Assistant Manager of the E-commerce Team at Magyuri Homeplus World Cup Branch explaining the work sequence related to loading and unloading operations. He has worked as a fresh food picker for 18 years.

Amid the massive shopping trend shift from offline to online, Homeplus has focused on utilizing fresh food pickers. The strategy maximizes offline store efficiency while maintaining existing employment. In fact, Manager Magyuri, who volunteered as a daily helper that day, has worked at four stores, from Homeplus's third branch in Ansan to the World Cup Branch. He said, "As Korean customers' culture toward service jobs has matured, I have personally felt a significant decrease in aggressive customers over the past few years. Even when picking a tray of eggs, we carefully check all 30 eggs, but since it's contactless delivery, it's unfortunate that the efforts on-site are not well conveyed." Homeplus CEO Lim Il-soon also conveyed a message of coexistence by converting 14,000 contract workers to regular employees last year, emphasizing 'going together.'

Homeplus is continuously strengthening its online and mobile sectors to keep up with emerging e-commerce fresh food delivery competitors. As of the 17th, online and mobile sales accounted for about 10% of total sales, up from the 9% range last year due to the impact of COVID-19. The cumulative downloads of the mobile shopping app reached about 1.7 million, with an average of 1.1 million orders placed by users. From February to April, orders even increased to an average of 1.2 million.

Homeplus also operates a fresh after-service (A/S) system that offers 100% exchange if customers are dissatisfied with fresh products, enhancing customer satisfaction. Since its establishment in March 2018, the return rate has been below 0.01%. A Homeplus official said, "The system also helps improve our employees' alertness more than customers'. Buyers who purchase products can know customer reactions in real time, allowing them to focus more on their work. Customer service (CS) staff do not have to worry about company losses due to returns, reducing stress from conflicts with customers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.