[One Thousand Characters a Day] Convenience Store Promoter's 'Eojjeoda Convenience Store' <1>

Editor's NoteDo you remember the first day you went to a convenience store? In 1989, the first convenience store opened in South Korea, and three years later, in 1992, triangular kimbap was introduced for the first time. Triangular kimbap gained popularity among students with light pockets and busy office workers, and after experiencing the 1998 International Monetary Fund (IMF) financial crisis, it firmly established itself as an affordable meal for the common people. Today, convenience stores have become the most frequently used consumer channel and a community of daily life, with about 50,000 stores nationwide, approximately 16 million daily users, and 300,000 industry workers. This week’s ＜One Thousand Characters a Day＞ column introduces ＜Accidental Convenience Store＞, written by Cheolhyun Yoo, a senior staff member of BGF Retail’s convenience store PR team for 12 years, who warmly and humorously unfolds the world of convenience stores. Word count: 1,041.

Of course, wearing uniforms remains essential for employees working at service sites such as stores. There is something called the uniform effect. According to the theory, a person’s psychology and behavior are influenced by what they wear, and others also evaluate that person based on their attire. In franchise service industries that emphasize standardization and uniformity, uniforms represent responsibility for employees and trust and confidence for customers.

The person who best showed me this was the owner of store L. She ran a convenience store in front of a women’s university and was a former nutritionist. Following her previous profession’s habits, she always worked with her hair neatly tied up like a flight attendant and wore a uniform over a blouse suit. She did this to present the neatest and friendliest appearance possible to customers. First-time visitors were sometimes confused, wondering if the place was a convenience store or an airplane after seeing her attire. She said wearing a uniform is the start of service and the minimum courtesy to customers. Store L’s owner even spoke politely to elementary school students and provided touching service by lending her umbrella to customers on rainy days. Customers did not simply see her as a neighborhood convenience store lady. Everyone treated her with respect and dignity. It was true that clothes make manners and people. Store L’s owner knew how to elevate her own and her store’s dignity with just one uniform. Sometimes, a convenience store uniform shines and looks more special than luxury department store brands. That happens when a person’s sincerity is reflected in it.

Every morning, we wonder, “What should I wear today?” Clothes are an element that expresses a person’s personality and identity. However, many people think of clothes merely as a means to decorate their appearance and do not realize that their attire actually helps organize their inner selves. Wearing clothes is a matter of “how I define myself” before “how I want others to see me.” Style should be for oneself, not for others. Depending on what clothes you wear, your mindset changes, and your day and life can change too. Isn’t it true that dressing well means that the image reflected to yourself, rather than through others’ eyes, looks great?

－Cheolhyun Yoo, ＜Accidental Convenience Store＞, Dolbegae, 17,500 KRW