스마트슈퍼 1호점 개점 ... '낮에는 유인 심야엔 무인'
South Korea now has its first so-called 'smart supermarket,' where at night there are no employees you let yourself in, shop and pay for things on your own.
It's located in Seoul's Dongjak-gu District.
From midnight to 9 AM, it's unmanned, so to get in, you have to swipe a credit or debit card.
On the way out, you scan your items and pay for them by card or smartphone.
They won't be selling alcohol or cigarettes during the self-checkout time, though.
The smart features are expected to benefit shop owners, who won't have to work the graveyard shift.
"With these stores being unmanned at night, we hope shop owners can enjoy their evenings and weekends. Also, we hope small and medium-sized businesses can better compete with the large retail stores."
There will be five such stores as part of a trial run, and by next year the government plans to authorize around 800, and then about 4-thousand by 2025.
