"Chronic Theft and Illegal Dumping"... Unmanned Store Turns into a Lawless Zone

Man Habitually Dumping 'Food Waste' at Local Unmanned Ice Cream Shop
Theft at Unmanned Stores Nearly 8 Times Higher in 2 Years
Expert: "Strengthen Security in Unmanned Stores and Notify Consumers for Awareness"

A CCTV photo capturing a man disposing of food waste at an unmanned ice cream store and a warning sign / Photo by Online Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] "We left it to conscience... but it was blatantly robbed."

Since the spread of COVID-19, the number of unmanned stores that can operate contactlessly has been increasing. However, because there is no one guarding the store, various crimes such as theft have also been occurring one after another. Some people have thrown food waste directly into the store’s refrigerator and fled, and recently, there was even a case where a locked safe was broken into and millions of won were stolen. Experts emphasize that through management that can prevent crimes, consumers visiting unmanned stores should be made aware and vigilant.

On the 4th, a post titled "The current state of the neighborhood unmanned ice cream store" was uploaded on an online community, revealing that a man illegally dumped food waste into the ice cream store’s refrigerator. The post included a warning notice presumed to be written by the store owner, along with CCTV photos capturing the act.

The CCTV photos show the man placing a plastic bag full of items into the ice cream freezer inside the store. According to the owner, the bag contained chicken breast, sweet potatoes, cola, and other items. They are presumed to be past their expiration date.

The owner pointed out that this man habitually dumped food waste in the store and did so without wearing a mask. He warned, "I reported it to the district office and police station, but if he comes to apologize now, I will let it go."

Recently, crimes such as stealing phone chargers, disposable gloves, chairs, and even washing machine rubber belts have been frequently occurring inside unmanned stores.

In the domestic self-employed online community "Apeunikka Sajangida" ("Because It Hurts, I’m the Boss"), which has about 830,000 members, unmanned store owners continuously report incidents such as "customers deliberately making calculation mistakes" and "a student entering and stealing snacks after removing the memory chip built into the CCTV installed above the kiosk." In one unmanned photo studio, a bizarre incident occurred where a customer brought a personal belongings basket and urinated inside it.

Last month, a man in his 30s who committed thefts at convenience stores around the metropolitan area was caught by the police. This man targeted only unmanned convenience stores and stole goods worth about 7.7 million won in a total of 28 incidents. It was revealed that he understood the characteristics of unmanned stores and used a Phillips screwdriver to pick the safe’s lock and take the money.

According to data from the National Police Agency, thefts at unmanned stores increased nearly eightfold from 203 cases in 2019 to 1,604 cases recorded by September this year. Given this situation, police stations nationwide have recently implemented preventive measures such as focused patrols of unmanned stores and installing conscience mirrors to prevent theft. However, overcoming the limitation of having no staff permanently stationed at the stores has proven difficult.

Reference photo. Access authentication system of GS25 unmanned convenience store. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Unmanned store operators are also trying to reduce blind spots by introducing new technologies such as AI systems that detect suspicious criminal behavior through sensors and send alerts, as well as collaborating with security companies. However, the difficulties faced by unmanned store owners have not yet been resolved. Especially for small-scale stores, it is difficult to introduce separate facilities for enhanced security, making them more vulnerable.

A, who operates an unmanned board game cafe near Gwanghwamun Station in Seoul, said, "The unmanned security system is still incomplete and often disconnects," adding, "Not only for safety, but when customers complain about difficulties entering and exiting related to this, it is inconvenient to resolve the issues directly without being present in the store."

Experts suggest that efforts are needed to strengthen crime prevention inside unmanned stores and to notify consumers so they can recognize these measures.

Professor Eunhee Lee of the Department of Consumer Studies at Inha University said, "Considering the trend of reducing labor costs and the further development of kiosks, unmanned stores will increase even faster than now," adding, "Therefore, efforts to thoroughly secure the stores to prevent visitors from having bad intentions are necessary."

She continued, "Not only CCTV but also connecting with security companies to strengthen security is essential. And consumers should be intuitively informed that such security systems exist, so they develop the perception that crimes will be detected and punished," emphasizing this point. She also added, "It would be good to conduct campaigns that can raise consumer awareness."