Rapid Rise in Dining Out Prices… Sharp Increase in ‘Elderly People’s Convenience Store Lunches’ [D Report]

According to a survey, the convenience store lunch consumption of the elderly has increased due to the burden of high dining costs. BC Card’s survey results show that from January to May this year, the sales proportion of convenience store lunches during lunchtime for those aged 70 and above increased from 19.9% to 22.9%. On the other hand, the sales proportion for customers in their 20s to 50s increased by less than 1 percentage point during the same period. While convenience store sales have held up relatively well, overall restaurant sales decreased by up to 11.2% compared to the same period last year. Customers feeling burdened by rising dining costs show a clear preference for convenience stores where they can solve a meal relatively cheaply. Meanwhile, domestic consumption has declined for five consecutive months due to high interest rates and high consumer prices, with sales in seven major sectors each month from January to May this year showing a decline compared to the same period last year. (Reporter: Son Seung-wook, Video Editing: Kim Jin-won, Production: Digital News Editing Department)