"Working in the Fridge on Christmas with a Cold Coming"…Bakery Notice Controversy

Christmas Cake Reservation Surge
"Working Without Heating" Notice Posted at Bakery
"Accepted Too Many Reservations"... Flood of Criticism

As more people purchase cakes to celebrate the year-end, a controversy has arisen after a bakery posted a notice stating, "Due to a lack of refrigeration facilities to store Christmas cakes, employees are working without being able to turn on the heating."

On the 24th, a photo of a notice, presumed to have been written by the owner inside a bakery, was shared on X (formerly Twitter) along with the post titled "What exactly is a Christmas cake?"

A notice posted inside a bakery. X (formerly Twitter)

The notice reads, "Every year, Christmas brings many reservations causing operational confusion and numerous complaints," and "Including reserved cakes, the total expected sales quantity is 400 to 500, so refrigeration facilities are insufficient. Employees are working inside the refrigerators, braving illness without being able to turn on the heating." It also requests, "Please say a warm word to the young friends (employees) who are keeping the store open for your Christmas."

Netizens were shocked that employees had to work without heating due to the reserved cakes. They criticized the owner for taking excessive reservations, saying, "They should have only accepted orders within the capacity of the refrigeration facilities," "It seems cakes are more important than people," "The owner should compensate the employees instead of shifting the burden to customers," and "They are treating customers like potential troublemakers." On the other hand, some defended the bakery, commenting, "It's unavoidable during the Christmas season," "They probably did it because refusing reservations would cause customer dissatisfaction," and "It was written with good intentions, so why is everyone reacting this way?"

Meanwhile, hotels and famous bakeries are bustling with customers trying to purchase cakes to celebrate the year-end. Recently, at the famous Daejeon bakery 'Seongsimdang,' cakes available only for first-come, first-served on-site purchase have gained popularity, and on social media, there are reports of customers doing not just open runs (waiting in front of the store to rush in as soon as it opens to buy desired items) but also dawn runs (lining up from early morning before opening) to buy these cakes.