The Twist of a 20s 'Yakult Unni' Who Jumped In Saying "Even 300,000 Won a Month Is Fine"

3rd Year hy Fresh Manager Seodambi Interview

Entered through job site after business failure due to COVID-19
"Advantages include regular lifestyle, health maintenance, and time management"
Started as part-time job, satisfaction increased

Seodambi (30) is a Fresh Manager at the Gongdeok branch of hy (formerly Korea Yakult). Her workday begins at 7 a.m. After commuting from her home near Hongdae Entrance Station in Seoul to the branch, she loads fresh foods such as salads and dairy products and sets out to deliver to regular customers. Wearing an apricot-colored uniform and a helmet, she rides an electric vehicle called 'Coco' equipped with refrigeration and heads to her assigned work area.

Seodambi hy Gongdeok branch Fresh Manager is wearing work attire including a helmet and uniform, then heading to the delivery destination riding the electric vehicle 'Coco'.
[Photo by hy]

Manager Seo is the only member of the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) among the approximately 25 Fresh Managers working at the Gongdeok branch. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 27th, she said with a smile, "When I first started as a manager, my friends strongly discouraged me," adding, "Now, I am so accustomed to the job that I actively recommend it to acquaintances and those interested."

Working 3-4 Hours on Weekday Mornings... Independently Managing Routes and Schedules
Monthly Sales Income Around 25%... "No Difficulty Covering Living Expenses"

She delivers or sells about 300 products over approximately four hours until 11 a.m. on weekdays. Her regular customers are mainly offices near the Seoul Western District Prosecutor's Office, officetels in Gongdeok-dong, and small to medium-sized enterprises. After completing scheduled deliveries, she waits at high foot-traffic 'spots' such as the Seoul Western District Court, anticipating customers who want to purchase products on a one-off basis. Greeting the people she meets daily with a bright smile has become a habit. Once she finishes her morning duties, she immediately moves to a beauty shop operated in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, where she works until late afternoon.

Manager Seo said, "When I decided to become a Fresh Manager, I thought it would be fine to earn just 300,000 won a month as a part-time job," adding, "Although I cannot disclose exact earnings, the income is sufficient to cover the rent for my current home and the beauty shop." Fresh Managers are registered as individual business owners and earn about 25% of their monthly sales as profit.

Seodambi hy Gongdeok branch Fresh Manager is introducing their responsibilities in an interview with Asia Economy.
[Photo by hy]

Manager Seo once ambitiously expanded her beauty shop business to Southeast Asia but suffered a severe blow due to COVID-19 and fell into despair. Later, she became interested in the Fresh Manager role through a job search site and started working in 2021. Since the job is mainly performed by middle-aged and older adults in their 40s to 60s, she hesitated to enter the field in her late 20s but chose it as a way to stay active and avoid feeling lethargic.

Entering her third year as a Fresh Manager, she cited the advantages of no initial costs and the ability to maintain a regular and healthy lifestyle. She admitted that starting the day early and spending time outdoors regardless of the weather was not easy to adapt to. However, since regular delivery customers are assigned according to the area she manages, she is not forced into indiscriminate sales activities, and the high product recognition means there is almost no chance of conflict during face-to-face interactions.

Manager Seo recalled, "Being the youngest at the branch, other managers who are like mothers or older take good care of me," adding, "My mother passed away in January last year, and I was physically and emotionally exhausted, but I received a lot of comfort from my colleagues and felt a strong sense of belonging."

Increasing Number of MZ Generation Entrants... "Actively Recommending to Those Around"

Above all, the advantage of being able to set working hours independently allows her to combine this job with other work, self-development, childcare, or hobbies freely. The number of young people entering the job is also increasing. According to hy, the proportion of people in their 20s and 30s among newly registered Fresh Managers rose from 19.9% in 2018 to 27.7% this year. Among approximately 11,000 Fresh Managers active nationwide, 80 are in their 20s and 511 in their 30s, making up 5.4% of the total.

The scope of work handled by Fresh Managers is also expanding. In addition to Yakult and dairy products, they deliver fresh foods such as eggs, tofu, and kimchi handled by hy's online mall 'Predit,' as well as ready-to-eat meals, toilet paper, wet wipes, kitchen supplies, health supplements, and pet products. The delivery range is expected to expand in the future to include credit card and mail delivery, diversifying income sources.

Manager Seo once ran a YouTube channel where she vlogged her daily life as a Fresh Manager and answered questions from those interested in the job. She plans to resume this activity, which she had paused due to personal reasons. She said, "The title 'Yakult Auntie' is so firmly established that even when I recommend the job to acquaintances or friends, many hesitate to take it up," adding, "I want to help create an atmosphere where people who want to try the job can enter without hesitation or embarrassment, free from such perceptions."