Recently, the franchise industry seems to be spreading ‘Dual Pricing,’ which sets different prices for in-store and app purchases. The reason for this is that we have not reached an agreement on the commission rate between the industry and the delivery platform. The successive promotions of free delivery by famous delivery directly damage the store owners who have signed up with the franchise. Their profit structure is constantly unstable, so many hamburger franchises are operating and implementing dual pricing in September 2024.
As a case in point, when ordering from a delivery app, Lotteria charges an additional 700–800 won for individual items and 1,300 won for set menus on delivery app orders. In addition, all the companies implementing the plan criticized the demand for a delivery app, which is raising fees without justifiable reasons. The formation of such a critical atmosphere helped to shift responsibilities between companies again. Ultimately, the result has been passed on to the rise in sales prices, contributing to the increase in consumer prices.
To check the responses of students who are consumers under these circumstances, The Yeungnam Observer interviewed Ko Jung-won, a Department of Business Administration student, and Ryu Seung-guk, a Department of Media and Communication student. First, Ko Jung-won expressed discomfort with dual pricing, noting that students may find it unfair to pay extra for the same menu simply due to delivery choice. Ryu Seung-guk is also puzzled about the situation, and he stressed that the rise in product prices behind the promotion of free delivery is not a way for both the self-employed and the consumers.
As of October 30, the consultative body entered the final meeting on the issue, but it has not been easy to reach an agreement on delivery apps and company delivery fees. The low likelihood of concessions either way is also cited as a significant reason why the mediation proposal for the meeting is not compulsory. If these measures eventually fail, the problem will be solved through government intervention.
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