"Who Do You Think You Are to Tell Me What to Do!" Part-Time Worker Struggles with 'No Mask Tribe'

Convenience Stores, Cafes Still See Customers Without Masks
Part-Time Workers Express Anxiety Over 'No-Mask' Customers
Experts Say Customers Assaulting Staff Over Mask Requests Are a Form of 'Gapjil'

On the 15th, when social distancing level 2 was in effect, citizens were spending time at a cafe near Gwanghwamun, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I'm afraid of catching COVID-19.", "When I ask them to wear a mask, they curse at me... I can't even say anything."

Part-time workers (alba-saeng) at convenience stores and cafes are struggling due to 'no-mask' customers who enter without wearing masks.

During the process of checking out items for customers not wearing masks, there is close contact, which raises concerns about COVID-19 infection. Moreover, some customers show a completely defiant attitude toward part-timers who request mask-wearing.

They respond with verbal abuse and even physical assault, saying things like "Who are you to tell customers what to do?" Experts interpret this as clear power harassment against young part-timers, with some cases seen as expressions of anger due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation.

Recently, posts expressing difficulties caused by maskless customers have been continuously appearing on online communities where part-timers gather.

A netizen who identified themselves as a convenience store part-timer said, "I'm going crazy because customers come in without masks, speak loudly, and cough. Why don't convenience stores properly enforce the rules?" They raised their voice, saying, "Shouldn't customers be banned from entering the store if they don't wear masks?"

The situation is no different for cafe part-timers. Kim (25), a university student working part-time at a cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said, "Even if customers come wearing masks, many take them off while talking with acquaintances. Also, many customers take off their masks when ordering, even if they entered the store wearing one." She complained, "I want to ask them to wear masks, but since I work alone at the cafe, I'm too scared to do so."

Posts expressing frustrations caused by customers not wearing masks are being shared mainly on online communities. Photo by Naver screen capture.

The bigger problem is that failure to follow quarantine guidelines such as mask-wearing can lead to cluster infections.

In August, 66 people were infected in a cluster at a Starbucks store in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, and 16 people, including customers, were confirmed positive at Hollys Coffee Seolleung Station branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This means that simply drinking coffee and chatting inside a cafe can lead to COVID-19 infection.

As a result, part-timers are voicing their anxiety about customers not wearing masks. A convenience store part-timer in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, said, "At night, intoxicated customers come to buy alcohol without masks. There are many such customers." He added, "I want to ban customers who don't wear masks from entering."

He continued, "Other customers also put down their items and leave when they see someone without a mask," and "I also feel very uncomfortable when I see customers not wearing masks," he confessed.

Despite this situation, some part-timers are unable to actively demand compliance with quarantine guidelines such as mask-wearing from 'no-mask' customers.

Recently, there have been incidents where part-timers who asked 'no-mask' customers to wear masks were met with verbal abuse or physical assault. In July, at a cafe in Daegu, two male customers spat at an employee who asked them to wear masks and were arrested by the police. On the 9th, a man in his 30s was booked on charges of assaulting a convenience store owner who requested mask-wearing.

Recently, posts demanding stricter penalties for those not wearing masks have been continuously uploaded on the Cheongwadae National Petition Discussion Board. Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Discussion Board capture.

Because of this, there are calls to strengthen penalties for those not wearing masks. On the 11th, a post titled "Strengthening penalties for mask non-compliance and shortening the grace period" was uploaded on the Blue House National Petition discussion board.

The petitioner said, "Despite the mask mandate, when employees ask customers to wear masks, they face verbal abuse, insults, and even physical assault," and "They even receive threats to their personal safety just for asking to wear masks."

They added, "If the penalties become stronger, the safety of employees and owners might be guaranteed," and emphasized, "A safety net for workers is needed to protect self-employed people who cannot keep reporting customers who don't wear masks."

Meanwhile, experts pointed out that some customers are engaging in a kind of 'power harassment' by venting their stress on those they perceive as weaker than themselves.

Professor Kwak Geumju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University said, "As the COVID-19 pandemic prolongs, everyone is feeling fatigued," and explained, "'Asking to wear a mask' is a reasonable request. Rather than seeing customers' anger directed at those requesting mask-wearing, it can be seen as vague dissatisfaction, uncertainty, anxiety, and anger caused by the current situation."

She continued, "People suppress anger depending on conditions such as whether the person has power or if the situation requires politeness. When suppressed, stronger anger is expressed later, often directed at those weaker than themselves. This behavior can be seen as a form of power harassment." She analyzed, "Recently, incidents of venting frustration on weaker individuals are occurring everywhere, and as fatigue increases, these behaviors are becoming more severe and apparent than before."