If There's No Employee at a Korean Store, Doesn't Everyone Just Steal?

One night while Timmy was visiting Korea, we were walking home after a late night of drinking. We were almost there when we both suddenly wanted ice cream.

Luckily, there was a convenience store right on the way, so we went in.

We were picking out ice cream when Timmy started glancing around the store.

He asked me:

"Huh? Where's the employee?"

I said it like it was no big deal.

"It's an unmanned convenience store."

I picked out my ice cream and took it to the checkout. I scanned the barcode and paid with my card, like I always do.

Beep.

Done.

Timmy had been watching the whole time.

"Wait. So you just pay for it yourself?"

"Yeah. You just scan the barcode and pay."

Timmy looked at the checkout, clearly amazed. Then he thought about it and asked:

"So what stops people from just stealing everything?"

I thought about it for a second.

"Well... honestly, some people do steal sometimes. But there are CCTV cameras, and most people just pay and leave."

Timmy nodded, but I could tell he was still thinking about it.

Unmanned stores are pretty common in Korea

I remember when convenience stores always had someone working behind the counter, even late at night.

But at some point, more and more unmanned stores started popping up in Korea. There are unmanned ice cream shops, unmanned cafes, and even convenience stores that run without employees. Some have staff during the day and go unmanned at night.

Personally, I still prefer stores with employees. If I need something, I can just ask someone.

But that night, when all we wanted was ice cream after drinking, an unmanned convenience store was pretty handy.

We walked out and started eating our ice cream right there.