Fruit stores are starting to spring up in subway stations all over Seoul, often selling smaller portions for the single commuter in a hurry.
According to Seoul Metro, fruit stores have opened in around 20 subway stations including Bangbae, Hapjeong, Nowon, Omokgyo, Sadang and Seongsu, usually in strategic spots near turnstiles or escalators where they can be easily spotted by commuters who want to pick up a pack of two bananas, a quarter slice of watermelon or other small portions for W3,000 to W5,000 (US1=W1,350).
Prices are discounted after 5 p.m. so their wares do not go off. Some are just vending machines.
One 31-year-old office worker said, “The fruit I see in the subway on my way home is fresh and adequately priced, so I may not need to go to a grocery store to buy fruit any more.”
A fruit store in a subway station in Seoul on Oct. 13
The owner of one underground fruit store said, “The rent for store space in subway stations is four to five times higher than at ground level, but you get a steady stream of pedestrian traffic regardless of the weather.”
The owner of another said, “Stores in big subway stations are much more profitable than ground-level shops in downtown Seoul. I plan to open more.”
But a major factor is that rents are declining. According to Seoul Metro, the average monthly rent per square meter of store space fell from W111,268 in 2019 to just W94,974 last month because a lot of shops closed in the pandemic.
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