3 out of 4 shops, restaurants plan to stay open during Chuseok: survey

People sit outside restaurants in downtown Seoul. (Korea Herald file)

With the Chuseok holiday period approaching, three out of four small business owners plan to keep their shops and restaurants open during the holiday break, a recent survey shows.

Alba Heaven, one of the largest part-time job portals, conducted a survey of 96 small business owners, and 85.4 percent said they would operate their businesses during the Chuseok holidays. This figure marks an increase of 5.7 percentage from the previous year.

This year, the Chuseok holiday period will stretch over five days, including the weekend, starting Sept. 14.

However, despite remaining open during the holiday period, only 47.6 percent of the owners said they expect their sales to grow compared to regular days -- a drop from last year’s 51.1 percent.

Owners cited the shorter holiday period this year -- five days compared to six last year --and the economic slump, which has dampened consumer sentiment, as possible reasons for these diminished expectations. Nonetheless, 39 percent of respondents said they decided to stay open during the holiday period “to make a little more profit,” while 31.7 percent said the "Chuseok holiday period is a peak season for their business."

In addition, 72 percent of owners operating during Chuseok said that they have hired or are in the process of recruiting new part-time workers.

By Ahn Sung-mi(sahn@heraldcorp.com)