[Report] "Long Checkout Lines Around the Store" SSG Sale First Day, Nationwide Emart 'Packed with People'

Shinsegae Group SSG Landers Victory Celebration 'SSG Day' Begins
Up to 50% Off Sale from 18th to 20th, Emart Customers 'Open Run'
Carts Sold Out, Popular Meats Sold Out... Checkout Lines Circle Stores
Emart "Entry Limited to 100 People at Yeonsu Branch, Safety First"

On the afternoon of the 18th, a long queue formed at the Emart Mapo store in Mapo-gu, Seoul, waiting to check out items.

[Asia Economy Reporters Yuri Kim and Jinyoung Jeon] "Wow, there are more people than products." "Let's check this place out first."

On the afternoon of the 18th, at the Emart Mapo branch in Mapo-gu, Seoul, the area near the store was bustling with people carrying full shopping bags in both hands. Some were seen loading packaged home appliances onto carts. The entrance to the store was crowded with people even before opening. Customers were waiting because there were no empty carts available to enter the store. The line at the checkout counter stretched around the entire store. Some grumbled to the safety staff managing the scene, asking, "How much longer do we have to wait?"

Emart announced a "generous sale" offering up to 50% off on major products from that day until the 20th to celebrate SSG Landers' integrated championship win in the Korea Professional Baseball League. This news caused major Emart stores nationwide to be packed from the morning. Earlier, at the Emart Yeongdeungpo branch in Yeongdeungpo-gu, a remarkable scene unfolded with long lines of customers waiting to enter the store before it opened, known as "open run."

Customers entering the store targeted the '1+1' sections while holding flyers. By the afternoon at the Mapo branch, popular sale items like pork belly and neck meat were already sold out. A store official explained, "They were sold out around 1 p.m." Customers shopped around the meat section, looking at other products with some disappointment.

On the afternoon of the 18th, some promotional items at Emart Mapo branch had sold-out notices posted.

Not only housewives but also nearby office workers and single residents stopped by to purchase daily necessities. Items like cooking oil and toilet paper, which were part of the 1+1 promotion, were packed two per cart. Each section was crowded, and employees were busy restocking items that had sold out. One clerk filling up household goods sets said, "There has never been a day when sales were this good," adding, "I'm busy restocking items nonstop." Park, a person in their 20s living alone, said, "I came in the morning because of the sale, but it was too crowded, so I came back again," and added, "I heard a lot of buzz on social media, so I was curious and came to check it out."

Emart stated, "Before the Ssuk Sale, we issued safety guidelines to all stores and thoroughly prepared to create a safe shopping environment." When excessive customer inflow occurs, they temporarily restrict entry and use announcements and megaphones to alleviate crowding. Safety personnel are also assigned to busy areas like checkout counters. In fact, on this day, the Incheon Yeonsu branch temporarily restricted customer entry due to the overwhelming crowd. An Emart official explained, "At Yeonsu branch, many customers visited, so for safety, entry was restricted around noon. Entry resumed in 100-person increments starting at 1:20 p.m., and normal operations resumed from 2 p.m."

On the morning of the 18th, many customers are waiting to enter before the opening of the Emart Yeongdeungpo store.

Shinsegae Group planned the Ssuk Sale to celebrate SSG Landers' first-ever 'wire-to-wire' integrated championship win. The Ssuk Sale event includes participation from 19 Shinsegae Group online and offline affiliates, including Emart, Shinsegae Department Store, and SSG.com.

Emart offers the largest discount benefits of the year until the 20th, including 1+1 on all popular categories and up to 50% off. Eggs (30 pieces × 2 trays) are sold in the high 9,000 won range, and pork belly and neck meat are sold at around 1,500 won per 100g. With Shinsegae Points accumulation, major food items are discounted up to 50%. The 1+1 promotion also applies to all frozen dumplings, all Sajo and Ottogi tuna products, cereals, tofu, and other popular food categories. Essential household items such as laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dish detergent are sold at 50% off when purchasing two. Four types of 'G7' wine are also sold at 50% off each. Additionally, until the 23rd, the Emart application offers coupons for 10,000 won off purchases over 200,000 won and 5,000 won off purchases over 100,000 won made with Samsung Card.

On the first day of the SSG Sale on the 18th, Emart Yeongdeungpo Branch is bustling with customers.

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