Public Home Shopping Supplies via Guerrilla Broadcasts but Stock Runs Out Quickly
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Although public mask supplies are being distributed nationwide through post offices and Nonghyup Hanaro Mart, supply and demand remain unstable.
On the 1st, the Ministry of Science and ICT's Postal Service Headquarters announced that starting from the 2nd of this month, the sales time for health masks will be moved forward from 2 p.m. to 11 a.m. In Jeju region, sales will start at 5 p.m., and in island areas, sales will begin according to the arrival time of masks. Part-time post offices working in the afternoon will start sales from 2 p.m.
Each post office plans to inform the daily sales quantity by posting notices at the entrance in advance. The price of masks sold at post offices on the 2nd will be 5,000 won (1,000 won per mask), and the nationwide daily sales volume is 650,000 masks. The sales quantity is limited to 5 masks per person. The daily sales volume and price may vary daily depending on consultations with manufacturers.
The post offices selling masks include 89 post offices in Daegu and Cheongdo areas and 1,406 locations in towns and townships nationwide. Detailed information about the selling post offices and related matters can be found on the Postal Service Headquarters website, Internet Post Office homepage, and Post Office Call Center.
Nonghyup has supplied about 1.1 million masks nationwide through Hanaro Mart on weekends since the 29th of last month. Previously, on the 27th, 174,000 masks were supplied to Hanaro Mart in Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, and on the 28th, 284,000 masks were supplied to Hanaro Mart in Daegu, Gyeongbuk, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions.
Expecting increased mask demand over the weekend, Nonghyup supplied 550,000 masks to 1,900 Hanaro Marts nationwide excluding Seoul and Gyeonggi regions on the 29th. On the 1st, 550,000 masks are being supplied to 319 Hanaro Marts in Seoul and Gyeonggi regions.
These masks are sold daily from 2 p.m., with a purchase limit of 5 masks per person. Nonghyup explained that as a result of efforts to secure supply so far, a more stable mask supply will be possible from next week. Detailed information such as locations of Hanaro Marts by region can be found on the Nonghyup Hanaro Distribution homepage and Nonghyup Mall homepage.
Masks are also partially supplied through Public Home Shopping, but there are increasing reports online that it is difficult to connect by phone. Broadcast times are hard to check in advance on the schedule, and guerrilla broadcasts are conducted as soon as supply is secured. Especially to accommodate middle-aged and older people who are not familiar with mobile ordering, purchases are only possible through automatic ordering or by phone consultation with a representative.
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