[One Thousand Characters a Day] Convenience Store Promoter’s ‘Eojjeoda Convenience Store’ <2>

Editor's Note＜Eojjeoda Convenience Store＞ is filled with 42 episodes ranging from the author's childhood experiences visiting a convenience store for the first time, anecdotes from the process of joining a convenience store company, the ups and downs with people met in the field of livelihood, to behind-the-scenes stories of products, marketing, and branding witnessed as a convenience store headquarters employee. The book not only offers humor, sincerity, enjoyment, emotion, empathy, and comfort through stories of various people encountered at convenience stores, but also reveals facets of modern consumer culture through hidden stories of various convenience store products. The excerpt today features distinctive convenience store branch names and the naming stories behind them. Word count: 1052 characters.

A name is the first means of introducing a person and symbolizes the existence and personality of the entity. Even in convenience stores, employees wear name tags on their chests. Revealing one's name as a service provider to precious customers who visit our store is an implicit promise to do one's best in fulfilling their duties.

(Omitted)

Perhaps for this reason, store owners who open convenience stores for the first time put considerable effort into naming their stores. For reference, the store name is at the discretion of the owner. The most common naming method is to use administrative district names, regional names, or landmark names. Examples include Yeoksam Branch, Jungmun Intersection Branch, Route 7 Branch, and 88 Gym Branch. Sometimes, owners add words they desire. There is a wide variety such as Daebak (Great Success), Seungri (Victory), Sarang (Love), Euddeum (Best), Good Morning, Smile, etc. For example, Hapjeong Yaongi Branch was named by the owner who liked cats, incorporating the sound of a cat's meow into the regional name. In the past, the company introduced unusual store names through internal broadcasts. Examples include Itaewon Freedom Branch, Mukdong Goblin Branch, Goejeong Choco Branch, Yongmun Like It Branch, Bundang Seohyeon IU Branch, Gyeyang Mammoth Branch, Yangjeong Hippo Branch, Eulwang Yeongsimi Branch, Gupo Superman Branch, Talent Show Branch, Jeonju Booking Branch, Busanjin Podori Branch, Sihwa Shampoo Branch, Goseong Dooly Branch, Ganseok Mansour Branch, Pocheon Life Turnaround Branch, Uijeongbu Pooh Uncle Branch, Daejeon Geumna Wara Ttukttak Branch, Yongin My Beautiful Love Branch, and so on.

Across the country, convenience stores with unique names were lined up, and the reasons for naming the stores were diverse. Yeoksam Emperor Penguin Branch was named because the owner resembled an emperor penguin; Gwangmyeong Consomm? Branch was named hoping sales would explode like the consomm?-flavored popcorn, the most popular product at opening; Geoje Very Handsome Branch was named because the store location was so good that the owner thought it looked very handsome. The PMK in Yeonnam PMK Branch are the English initials of the owner's name. The PMK owner operates multiple stores and includes PMK in all store names. They are like the JYP of the convenience store world.

Putting one's own name on the store is a sign of sincere commitment to operating the convenience store. It is a pledge for the owner and trust for the customers. The meaning of a name is much bigger and heavier than we think. This can be inferred from a poem once quoted in a TV commercial: There is no one who does business carelessly when their child's name is on the line.

－Yu Cheolhyun, ＜Eojjeoda Convenience Store＞, Dolbegae, 17,500 KRW