Shelves bare, staff apologize — inside Homeplus's World Cup store

"This is aisle five, but I'm not sure we have the product. I'm sorry."

At the Homeplus World Cup store in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Monday, customers asked staff where to find everyday essentials such as milk and toilet paper. Employees pointed them in the right direction but preemptively apologized, warning that items might be out of stock. In a roughly 10-minute conversation with a reporter, one employee said "I'm sorry" three times.

Even with shelves stripped bare, staff remained at their posts — a requirement handed down from headquarters. Employee A said the pressure was compounding. "At the morning briefing we're told our service scores are low," the employee said. "We have no choice but to apologize to customers because there's nothing to sell, and on top of that we have to absorb all that stress on the floor."

Workers moved without pause, repeatedly pulling the store's remaining private-brand products to the front of shelves to disguise the gaps. Employees said headquarters had instructed them to ensure empty shelves were not visible to shoppers. "We keep rearranging displays even when there's nothing to display," one employee said. "More and more of our time is going into putting on a show."

Most of the employees encountered on the floor that day had worked at Homeplus for well over 20 years. Some had joined to pay for their children's tutoring; others had stayed to support their families. A few had started as contractor staff before becoming direct employees. Their stories differed, but their situation was the same.

Employee B, who has worked at Homeplus for 23 years, said age made it hard to look elsewhere. "My monthly pay is 2 million won ($1,290), and it doesn't come on time," the employee said. "I don't know when the store will close, and that uncertainty wears on you." A colleague surnamed Kim, with 22 years at the company, said retirement was just a year away but the finish line felt uncertain. "I've come this far, but I don't know if I'll make it to the end," Kim said.

About 12,000 workers remain at Homeplus, down from nearly 20,000 before the company entered court receivership, according to the Homeplus Mart Industry Labor Union. Voluntary redundancy programs and store closures have steadily reduced the headcount. Contractor staff have also been leaving as product displays and promotional events have dwindled.

The burden on in-store vendors has grown heavier. One vendor that had operated a concession at the World Cup store for 11 years closed on Monday. "We haven't received payment for five months," a representative of the business said. "The store is gone and now we're unemployed." Some vendors had installed their own point-of-sale systems rather than use Homeplus's, fearing further delays in payment settlement.

Homeplus, which is undergoing court receivership, submitted a revised rehabilitation plan on Monday — three days before a court-imposed deadline for creditor approval. But the company has yet to present a concrete plan to raise the 200 billion won ($144 million) the court requires. Homeplus has asked its largest creditor, Meritz Financial Group, for a 200 billion won debtor-in-possession loan to cover urgent operating costs. Meritz has countered that it will provide 100 billion won on the condition that MBK Partners arranges the remainder, and the standoff continues.

The Homeplus General Labor Union urged the court to hold off on any decision to terminate the receivership process so that the livelihoods of workers and small-business owners would not collapse, and called on MBK and Meritz Financial to stop trading blame and act as responsible parties.

Homeplus submitted a revised rehabilitation plan to the Seoul Rehabilitation Court on Sunday, one day before a court deadline, as the retailer under court receivership made a last-ditch bid for more time. The court is now weighing whether to grant another extension.