Ahead of Chuseok, controversy over the mandatory holiday days of hypermarkets is reigning.



According to the distribution industry, most of the nationwide hypermarkets are closed on Sunday the 27th of this month due to mandatory closure.



Compulsory holidays vary by region, but 90% of hypermarkets are closed on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.



Considering that demand for Chuseok supplies and last-minute gift sets are in demand on the weekend just before the holidays, hypermarkets requested local governments that have the right to designate mandatory holidays through the Korea Chain Store Association to change the mandatory holidays, but most of them were not accepted. .



One hypermarket official said, "About 10 to 20% of the holiday season's sales come out on the last weekend just before the holiday," and "It was closed twice on Sundays even during the companion sale in June to July. It’s a pity that it’s the situation.”



The Chain Store Association requested that the mandatory holiday of hypermarkets be changed to the day of Lunar New Year this year.



At the time, in Jinju City and Changwon City in Gyeongnam Province, some of the large supermarkets and semi-large stores allowed a temporary change of one of the mandatory holidays in January to New Year's Day.



Online order delivery based on hypermarkets is also not allowed on mandatory holidays, so SSG.com does not deliver E-Mart mall products on mandatory holidays on Sundays.



The mandatory holiday twice a month in accordance with the Distribution Industry Development Act is one of the representative distribution regulations that the hypermarket industry demands easing.



Whenever there is a compulsory holiday on weekends just before the holidays or holidays like this time, hypermarkets complain and request a change of the weekday.



Hypermarkets and business organizations are arguing that the mandatory holiday has no effect on the protection of alleys, and that the current law centered on hypermarket regulation should be improved, especially in a situation where the distribution environment is rapidly changing around online after the Corona 19 incident.



However, it is the position that small business owners and traditional markets should further strengthen regulations.



(Photo = Yonhap News)