[News Today] Local market turns to dawn deliveries

[LEAD]
As online retailers tighten their grip, traditional markets are struggling to survive.

Some merchants are now turning to early-morning delivery, bringing fresh produce straight to customers' doors in a bid to stay afloat.

[REPORT]
This traditional market in Ulsan opens very early in the morning.

Customers are mainly owners of neighborhood stores and restaurants looking for wholesale food ingredients.

The best part about this market is that quality products are available at local producers' prices.

Shin Sun-deok / Ulsan resident
I come here because they are quite cheap. Fruits are fresh.

At one time, the market was thriving and merchants had to wait to open up a store here, but it's a totally different story now.

Stores closed down during the pandemic.

And online shopping became commonplace, causing concerns over falling sales among the merchants.

Lee Gyeong-bae / Market Merchant
Many customers prefer online shopping.
There's no foot traffic as people want to do everything from home.

To keep the market alive, the merchants opted for early morning delivery as a solution.

They deliver directly to customers just like online retailers.

Since the market's delivery personnel and vehicles are limited, the merchants plan to start early morning deliveries mainly to nearby large apartment complexes in the first half of this year.

Son Yeong-han / Hakseong Early Morning Market
I've been in early morning wholesale business for 52 years, but the market must do early morning deliveries to have a future.

Now, even traditional markets no longer wait for customers to come but instead make early morning door-to-door deliveries to survive.

■ 제보하기
▷ 전화 : 02-781-1234, 4444
▷ 이메일 : kbs1234@kbs.co.kr
▷ 카카오톡 : 'KBS제보' 검색, 채널 추가
▷ 카카오 '마이뷰', 유튜브에서 KBS뉴스를 구독해주세요!

KBS