The government will provide 'livelihood recovery consumption coupons' ranging from 150,000 to 550,000 won to all citizens starting on the 21st. However, the government officially warned that these consumption coupons may not be usable at places that only have kiosks at the entrance or use 'table orders' where customers can sit and place their orders in restaurants or cafes.
The government allocated 13.9 trillion won through a supplementary budget to increase sales for small business owners and self-employed individuals. However, it could turn out that small business owners may not receive benefits due to their use of kiosks. This is said to involve 'technical issues.' There is confusion among small business owners who expected an increase in sales from the consumption coupons. ChosunBiz investigated the background on the 18th.
◇ There is no way to distinguish if stores using PG companies have annual sales of less than 3 billion won
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety noted in a press release regarding consumption coupons distributed on the 15th, "Kiosks and table ordering systems are often operated separately by payment gateway (PG) companies, which means the use of consumption coupons may be restricted." This suggests that at such restaurants and cafes, it could go either way regarding the use of consumption coupons.
As labor costs increased, small business owners operating restaurants and cafes have installed many kiosks and table order devices in recent years. There are two types of payment systems for these devices: through PG companies or via value-added networks (VAN). Consumption coupons cannot be used on devices using the 'PG method.'
PG (Payment Gateway) is a method where a payment agency collects payment information from hundreds of stores and transmits it to credit card companies all at once for settlement. From the perspective of the credit card companies, the structure only allows them to know the 'bulk information' sent by the payment agency. Therefore, it is impossible to distinguish whether an individual store has annual sales of less than 3 billion won or where the customers reside.
In contrast, VAN directly aggregates and settles payment details on a per store basis with credit card companies. This makes it easy to determine whether a store can accept consumption coupons.
◇ Self-employed individuals express confusion: 'We can't receive consumption coupons if we use kiosks?'
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the governing body for the execution of consumption coupons, recognized the issue and consulted with the related department, the Financial Services Commission, to allow the use of coupons on PG method kiosks. However, the conclusion was 'not possible.' A government official explained, "We considered the option of having PG companies enter the information of each store where payments are made, but it was judged to be too time-consuming and difficult."
The problem is that store owners cannot distinguish whether the devices they are using are PG or VAN method. This has caused confusion among small business owners. In the small business community, inquiries such as 'My store uses OO kiosks, so can we not use consumption coupons?' have been flooding in. Some store owners are directly contacting kiosk companies to inquire about usage.
Some operators of kiosks and table order systems have come forward to clarify, saying, "Our company has no issues." Representatives from t'order, Tossplace, and Payhere stated to ChosunBiz, "We use VAN methods, so we can accept consumption coupons."
◇ The government says, 'Just use a separate card terminal,' while self-employed individuals respond, 'When do I have time to enter the amount while making drinks?'
The government informed that stores equipped with PG method kiosks and table order devices can process payments using separate card terminals. However, a 30-something store owner, A, operating a cafe in Busan said, "While trying to reduce labor costs, if I have to enter each amount into the card terminal while making drinks, my hands won't be enough." Another self-employed person, B, stated, "I didn't have a card terminal apart from the kiosk, so I hurriedly bought one."
National users of consumption coupons are equally confused. A 33-year-old office worker, Yang, said, "These days, many stores take orders through kiosks or table orders, but I have no way of knowing which can accept the coupons and which cannot," adding, "I'm worried I might face embarrassment if my payment doesn't go through."
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained that they have no choice but to rely on the guidance and promotion of small business owners. A representative from the Ministry stated, "If a store can accept the coupons, the owners will likely try to inform customers that they can use them here," and added, "We have no choice but to determine whether the device is definitively usable through the businesses and to guide customers accordingly."