Average Age of Part-Time Workers '72 Years Old' Senior Convenience Store Opens... "We Also Offer Special Delivery"

Around 20 Seniors Take Turns Working at GS25 Dio Center Branch

There is a convenience store staffed by part-time workers with an average age of 72 on the first floor of Central Tower near Exit 4 of Chungjeongno Station on Subway Line 2. Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gilsung) officially opened the district's first senior convenience store, ‘GS25 Dio Center Branch,’ in Jungnim-dong on the 21st.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, is purchasing items at the Senior Store and exchanging kind words with the elderly. Provided by Jung-gu.

Jung-gu signed a business agreement with GS Retail in September to create and activate senior jobs for operating senior stores, and after two months of preparation, officially opened the store.

The convenience store is operated by the ‘Jung-gu Senior Club,’ an organization dedicated to senior employment, which acts as the store owner. The Jung-gu Senior Club manages overall store operations, oversees senior employment and strategic promotion, and successfully launched the first senior store. Since the 22nd of last month, the store has been operating on a trial basis to strengthen the seniors' practical skills and help them adapt to store management.

GS Retail also provided active support by waiving franchise and deposit fees, subsidizing store rent, and providing mutual growth support funds. Additionally, they offered customer service training and computer education, including POS system usage, to help seniors adapt to their tasks more conveniently.

The district plans to use approximately 35 million KRW in project funds secured through this month’s selection in the ‘Seoul Senior Employment Business Operation Support Contest’ to help the senior store stabilize in its early stages.

The store operates from Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with about 20 seniors working in shifts. Seniors work 5 hours per day, 1 to 2 times a week. The monthly salary is set at around 400,000 KRW. If the convenience store’s sales increase in the future, the salary level is expected to rise accordingly.

Since the convenience store is located inside a large office building in a business district, its main customers are office workers. Thanks to this, the store does not operate on weekends and nights when office workers are not commuting, making it an ideal job for seniors. Additionally, a special delivery service is provided for customers within the building, enhancing convenience and differentiation.

District Mayor Kim Gilsung stated, “As we enter an ultra-aged society, it is time to shift our approach to senior employment. We will strive to create quality jobs where seniors can feel fulfillment and value, and work in harmony with various generations.”

Jung-gu has the third highest elderly population among Seoul’s 25 districts, with seniors making up 21.1% of the total population. Considering this, Jung-gu spares no investment in its senior citizens. The district’s budget allocation ratio per senior for 2024 is 37.1%, the highest among Seoul’s 25 districts. The annual budget per senior is also the largest at 3.79 million KRW.

Furthermore, through the Senior Club, a senior-dedicated employment institution opened in April, Jung-gu supports seniors with job training and counseling, and has discovered about 470 jobs to connect seniors with employment opportunities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.