South Korean workers resort to shop-bought snacks as ‘lunch-flation’ starts to bite

Sales are surging at Korean convenience stores as office workers seek ways to cut costs amid the biggest jump in the price of restaurant dishes for 24 years

Convenience store lunches have not been immune from rising costs, but their much lower overall prices have helped them gain in popularity

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An office worker eats his lunch at a convenience store in Seoul earlier this month. Photo Reuters

Published: 2:03pm, 29 Jun 2022Updated: 7:56pm, 29 Jun 2022

Office worker Park Mi-won had never bought her lunch from a convenience store, until her favourite lunch buffet recently raised prices by more than 10 per cent to 9,000 won (US$7) as South Korean inflation soared to a 14-year high.

“After the price rise, I went to convenience stores instead, where I thought the prices were reasonable while food also tasted good,” the 62-year-old said. “So now I go there two to three times a week.”

Global food prices surged 23 per cent last month from a year before, according to United Nations statistics. The war in Ukraine has affected supplies of grains from that country and Russia, and caused energy and fertiliser prices to soar.

Office workers pick up lunchboxes at a convenience store in Seoul. Sales have surged amid soaring inflation and restaurant price rises. Photo: Reuters

Offering cheap instant noodles, sandwiches and kimbap for under US$5, convenience stores are gaining in popularity as salaried workers like Park seek ways to cut costs.

South Korean convenience shop chain GS25 posted more than 30 per cent increases in sales of instant meals in January-May versus a year ago.

Seeing increasing demand, GS25 has also launched a new meal subscription service for office workers, which comes with price discounts and deliveries directly to offices.

Peers including CU and 7-Eleven have seen similar surges in demand, while Emart24 saw a 50 per cent jump in lunchbox sales in areas with a large number of office blocks.