"When I was young, delivery was free" Except for people in their 20s, "Delivery fee 0 won"

"Appropriate Delivery Fee" 20s: "1000~2000 Won"
30s and Older Generations Most Frequently Say "0 Won"

“Even 1,000 won for delivery is too much... Please offer free delivery”

As rider groups recently went as far as striking to demand an increase in the basic delivery fee, consumer dissatisfaction with the steadily rising delivery fees has also been growing.

However, opinions that a fair price should be paid for food delivery are also emerging, continuing the controversy surrounding delivery fees.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the industry on the 9th, SK Communications (SK Comms) current affairs poll service 'NateQ' recently surveyed 11,140 adult men and women asking, “What do you think is an appropriate delivery fee?”

As a result, 38% (4,241 respondents) answered that there is no need to pay a delivery fee, responding with ‘0 won’.

Among all respondents, 35% (3,984 respondents) said ‘1,000 to 2,000 won’ is an appropriate level, followed by 20% (2,284 respondents) who chose ‘2,000 to 3,000 won’.

Only 3% (389 respondents) answered that the current contentious increase level of the basic delivery fee, ‘3,000 to 4,000 won,’ is appropriate. The proportion who answered ‘5,000 won or more’ was also just 2% (242 respondents).

Differences by generation were also observed: 41% of people in their 20s selected ‘1,000 to 2,000 won’ as the appropriate delivery fee, while in all age groups over 30, the most common answer was that paying a delivery fee is unnecessary.

Various opinions about delivery fees also appeared in the survey comments. Complaints poured out about high and unreasonable delivery fee structures, such as “Food prices have increased compared to before, so why is the delivery fee also rising?”, “I no longer use delivery services because of the increased delivery fees,” “Ordering 9,500 won porridge from a restaurant 5 minutes away but the delivery fee is 4,500 won,” and “If you charge a delivery fee, shouldn’t the minimum order amount be abolished?”

On the other hand, there were also responses like “In an era where the hourly wage is 9,620 won, it is natural to pay for convenience,” and “If the delivery fee is zero, who would actually do delivery services?”

Earlier, Baedal Minjok riders (Baemin riders) took a day off from delivery on May 27th, demanding an increase in the basic delivery fee, which has been frozen for nine years, from 3,000 won to 4,000 won.

According to Statistics Korea, the online food service transaction amount in April was 2.107 trillion won, a 1.4% decrease compared to the same month last year. The online food service transaction amount refers to the transaction amount of food ordered online through delivery apps and websites and then delivered, and it has been continuously decreasing year-on-year since July last year.

In response, delivery apps are offering various discount benefits. Baedal Minjok issues a 12% discount coupon daily from 1 PM to 4 PM and continues to offer an unlimited 10% discount. Yogiyo is providing a 10% unconditional discount coupon for all orders in the Seoul area from the 5th to the 11th. Coupang Eats has launched a linked discount service for Coupang paid membership (Wow Membership) customers who pay 4,990 won per month.