"Can You Skip It Because It's Annoying?" ... Department Stores and Outlets Also Line Up for Entry Checks

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On the 30th, when mandatory visitor verification such as QR code scanning and Safe Call check-in was implemented at department stores and large marts, customers visiting the main branch of Lotte Department Store in Jung-gu, Seoul, went through the visitor verification process. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy reporters Jo In-kyung, Kim Yuri, Lim Chun-han] "Even after implementing level 4 social distancing, the number of confirmed cases isn't decreasing, so we're worried, but how much of a hassle can it really be not to comply?"

On the afternoon of the 1st, in front of the entrance connecting Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam Branch at the Seoul Express Bus Terminal station in Seocho-gu, about a dozen customers were lined up following staff guidance. It took less than a minute to measure body temperature and scan the QR code with their mobile phones, but they had to wait briefly as each person entered one by one. A department store employee explained, "Due to the nature of the store, there are many passages connecting to the outside on both the ground and basement floors, so even if you leave the department store and come back in, you must check in again."

On the first weekend after mandatory visitor verification was enforced at large retail stores, department stores and large marts were confirming visitors without significant confusion using QR code check-ins, safe call systems, and handwritten logs. Customers also paused briefly to complete the entry verification process, actively cooperating with the quarantine guidelines.

At the entrance to the parking lot of Lotte Department Store Main Branch in Sogong-dong, customers who completed the temperature check while still in their vehicles were handed a business card with the safe call check-in phone number. After parking, they registered their visit by making a phone call before heading into the store.

Visitor Lee said, "It takes some time to open the QR code on the phone and scan it, but since each customer can authenticate by phone, it's much more convenient," adding, "It seems the department store prepared a lot, even going so far as to distribute flyers."

At Paju Shinsegae Outlet, customers were only allowed entry after temperature checks, hand sanitizing, and confirmation of safe call phone verification at the entrance. Additionally, after entering the outlet, safe call verification was checked again when visiting each brand store. Some luxury brand stores with high customer volume operated by issuing waiting numbers and allowing only a certain number of customers inside at a time.

A customer met there said, "These days, everywhere you go, there are entry checks and capacity limits, so I don't particularly find it more inconvenient," and added, "If it's for safety, shouldn't we be cautious two or three times over?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, at some stores, long queues for parking and the inability to assign staff at every entrance led to problems where customers passing through without entry verification could not be individually identified.

A customer who visited a department store in Yeouido by private car said, "It took 15 minutes just to get down to the entrance of the underground third-floor customer parking lot. I thought it was a parking issue, but it was congestion caused by temperature checks," and criticized, "There was only guidance for safe call verification, but even without doing it, there was no problem entering the department store from the parking lot."

In front of the entrance to a large mart located in Mapo, QR code authentication devices and handwritten logs were placed, and the safe call number was posted, but no staff controlling entry could be found. A mart employee explained, "There are security guards at other entrances, but this passageway has never had staff assigned before," adding, "Except for very elderly customers, most customers voluntarily authenticate and enter."

Meanwhile, despite strengthened visitor management at large retail stores, concerns about cluster infections within department stores continue. At Busan Shinsegae Department Store Centum City Branch, after a luxury Chanel store employee tested positive for COVID-19 on the 28th of last month, a total of 12 people including colleagues and acquaintances have been infected so far. The store has been closed since the 29th, and Centum City Branch is temporarily closed for one day on the 2nd to conduct disinfection.