UNMANNED STORES INCREASE AMID PANDEMIC

[Anchor Lead]

It’s become more commonplace to see an increasing number of unmanned stores where robots work instead of human employees. The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing have compelled businesses to find ways to save at least labor cost.

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A coffee shop in Busan. A customer orders coffee at the automatic kiosk. A robot fills up a cup with ice and brews coffee before handing it over to the customer. The entire process is automated. No human is involved.

[Soundbite] Byeon Hee-yun(Customer) : "I feel uncomfortable talking to people these days even when I’m wearing a mask. It’s nice that robots do all the work and I don’t have to face people."

Although purchasing two robots and a smart vending machine cost money upfront, the store owner saved a considerable amount in payroll.

[Soundbite] Lee Ji-su(Owner of Unmanned Robot Cafe) : "I can focus on customers and provide quality coffee at affordable prices by cutting labor cost."

At this five-star hotel in Busan a guest can order food with his smartphone and a robot delivers the food to the room and notifies the guest by phone. The guest receives the food without coming in contact with anyone. Meanwhile, the robot gets on the elevator by itself and recharges itself on the first floor. A robot waiter serves food in the restaurant and even cleans the floor.

[Soundbite] Kim Tae-hwan(00 Hotel Housekeeping Team Chief) : "We realized social demands for no-contact services and public interest in hygiene were growing. So we brought the robot to make the work more efficient."

Unmanned stores are sprouting up fast to survive the pandemic, which inevitably takes jobs away from unskilled workers. According to the BOK, compared to three years ago, 10.8% fewer people were employed in face-to-face service jobs that are likely to go unmanned.