If you’re doing some shopping for food or other groceries at local stores around the islands this holiday week, you’re probably used to dealing with people at checkout counters.
In many parts of Asia, that’s no longer part of the process.
South Koreaʻs bakery business is trying a new recipe.
The owner of Paris Baguette says itʻs the first bakery in the country with stores that are open 24 hours, but not always with staff.
Companies call it a “hybrid approach” — having employees on site during daytime hours, but not overnight.
This is already familiar territory for convenience stores across much of Asia.
To shop, in most cases, you need an app that can give you a QR code to just get into the store during overnight hours.
The app will link to a credit card or bank account or company point card — you canʻt just randomly enter the store without confirming your identity.
Self-check-outs have become very common in the United States, including here in Hawaiʻi.
Much less common: self-check-outs without any employees in the store.
The South Korean food conglomerate that owns Paris Baguette plans to expand its bakery hybrid model in the new year.
For now, itʻs just two stores in Seoul, but a company official tells the Korea Times that in 2026, the practice will spread to more of its approximately 3,400 stores in South Korea — “focusing on urban areas with high late-night foot traffic.”
