Why Were Seoul Shoppers So Happy to See Homeplus Reopen?

On August 13, something happened in Seoul that might seem ordinary at first.

A supermarket opened its doors.

But this was not an ordinary opening.

After a temporary shutdown, Homeplus officially reopened 67 stores across South Korea. In Seoul, shoppers began lining up before the doors opened. Carts filled the aisles, checkout lines grew longer, and some of the first discounted products disappeared almost immediately.

So why were so many people happy to see a supermarket come back?

The answer may have less to do with shopping than you might think.

“It’s Good to Have It Back”

At the Homeplus Gangseo store, one shopper summed up the feeling simply:

“It was inconvenient when it wasn't operating properly. It’s really good to see it open again.”

That reaction says something about everyday life in Seoul.

For many residents, a large supermarket is not just somewhere to buy groceries. It is part of the weekly routine.

You might stop by after work to buy vegetables and fruit. You might pick up meat for dinner, snacks for the weekend, bottled water, household supplies, or something for the children.

It is practical, familiar, and close to everyday life.

When that familiar place suddenly disappears, the inconvenience can be surprisingly noticeable.

Seoul Shoppers Came Back Quickly

The reopening showed just how quickly people were willing to return.

At the Gangseo store, shoppers arrived before opening time, with some waiting in line for the reopening-day promotions. At another Seoul location, Homeplus Yeongdeungpo, residents began returning during the soft opening on August 7. Watermelons greeted customers at the entrance, and the previously quiet store gradually became busy again.

The strongest excitement was around food.

On reopening day, discounted Korean beef attracted particularly long lines. At some stores, the first supply sold out within minutes, while shoppers continued looking for other discounted products.

It was a familiar Seoul scene: people comparing prices, pushing shopping carts, waiting patiently in line, and talking about what was worth buying.

The supermarket had become lively again.

A Supermarket Is Part of the Neighborhood

There is another reason the reopening felt important.

Seoul is a city filled with convenience stores, cafés, restaurants, delivery services, and online shopping. It is easy to imagine that people no longer need large physical stores.

But the Homeplus reopening offered a reminder that physical shopping still matters.

Fresh food is something people often want to see for themselves.

A watermelon is easier to choose when you can look at it.
Meat is easier to compare when you can see it.
And sometimes, you simply want to walk through a store and discover something you did not plan to buy.

That experience is difficult to replace completely with a screen.

For neighborhood residents, a supermarket can also be a familiar landmark—a place that has been part of their routine for years.

The Numbers Tell Part of the Story

The response was not only emotional.

Homeplus reported that its 67 reopened stores generated 43.7 billion won in sales during the first five days, from August 13 to 17. Average daily customer numbers rose to about 240,000, compared with about 138,000 before the temporary shutdown.

Those numbers show how strongly customers responded to the reopening.

But numbers alone do not show what it felt like inside the stores.

For that, you have to picture Seoul shoppers returning with their carts.

A parent looking for groceries.

Someone buying dinner after work.

A customer searching for a good deal on beef.

Neighbors seeing familiar shelves filled again.

And people simply feeling relieved that a place they used regularly was open.

More Than a Reopening

Homeplus is still facing a difficult road ahead. The company remains under court-led rehabilitation, and its ability to maintain stable sales will be important as it works toward the next stage of its recovery. A creditors’ meeting is scheduled for September 2, with September 4 an important deadline for the rehabilitation plan.

But for shoppers, those complicated financial questions can feel very far away.

On reopening day, the immediate question was much simpler:

“Can I go shopping here again?”

And the answer was yes.

That may be why the reopening created such a strong reaction in Seoul.

A supermarket reopening may not sound like a major city event.

But cities are made up of ordinary places that become important because people use them every day.

Homeplus is one of those places.

For Seoul shoppers, its return was not simply about buying groceries.

It was about getting part of everyday life back.