[Anchor]

It is time for Friendly Economy on Tuesday, and reporter Han Jiyeon is here with us. Han, I understand that gas stations will soon start letting drivers know the next day's fuel prices in advance?

[Reporter]

Starting in October, some gas stations will run a pilot program to preview their fuel prices for the following morning a day ahead.

Many of you have probably had the experience of pulling up to a gas station in the morning only to be surprised by a sharp jump in prices compared to the day before.

Situations like this are expected to decrease going forward.

It is an initiative called "Gas Station Price Display for a Better Tomorrow."

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority will run the pilot program starting in October across 40 gas stations in 10 cities and provinces nationwide.

Participating gas stations will disclose the fuel prices that will apply the next morning to consumers the day before.

To make this possible, 40 dedicated price boards are planned to be produced and distributed to each gas station.

These boards will display gasoline and diesel prices alongside "tomorrow's price."

However, that price will not stay the same all day long.

It will only remain in effect from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

This means prices could change again in the afternoon.

[Anchor]

Weren't there previous attempts to introduce something like this?

[Reporter]

It was pursued targeting highway gas stations last year, but the actual implementation fell through due to backlash from the industry.

At the time, the gas station industry pushed back, arguing that it was "impractical and placed a heavy burden on business operators."

In particular, even if consumers saw tomorrow's prices on price boards installed at highway locations, it would be difficult for them to visit again the next day.

As a result, critics pointed out that previewing prices a day in advance lacked practical effectiveness.

So this time, the approach has been completely redesigned.

The project was structured around urban gas stations where frequent, repetitive use in everyday life is common.

Instead of mandatory participation, the method was changed to voluntary participation through open recruitment.

To lower the burden on gas stations, the maintenance time for the pre-announced prices was also shortened.

While last year's plan intended to keep the pre-disclosed prices in effect all day long the next day, this time they are required to be maintained only from 7:00 AM to noon.

With international oil prices rising due to recent Middle East tensions and domestic fuel prices following suit, the intent is to reduce consumer burden and increase price transparency by allowing consumers to check next-day prices in advance and choose the right time to refuel.

The government plans to review whether to expand the program after analyzing its performance following operations at the 40 locations this year.

[Anchor]

What is the last topic about?

[Reporter]

It concerns the cost-effective, or recession-style budget strategies of food companies.

Since it is difficult to lower prices alone, they are reducing consumer prices together by shrinking portion sizes and the number of menu items.

With inflation continuing to rise, companies have little margin left if they simply lower prices as they are.

Therefore, strategies to lower the entry barrier perceived by consumers by streamlining product composition and operational methods are spreading instead.

First is Namyang Dairy Products.

In early August, the company newly introduced two types of 200ml cup coffee priced at 900 won.

Given that the existing 250ml product cost 1,300 won, this reduced the volume by 50ml while also lowering the price.

It hits home even more clearly when compared to iced Americanos sold at cafes.

Considering that a medium-sized Americano at a budget coffee franchise that recently raised its prices costs 1,800 won, this cup coffee is priced at exactly half that level purely in terms of price.

The response was also enthusiastic.

As orders poured in faster than expected, the initial batch sold out completely, leading to additional production.

In the dining-out industry, methods of lowering prices by reducing the number of menu items are being utilized.

One Korean-style buffet restaurant condensed its menu from about 100 items down to approximately 60, reconfiguring it around high-demand items like bossam (boiled pork wraps) and jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried spicy pork).

Prices were also lowered for both weekday lunch and dinner to 15,900 won, which is up to 10,000 won cheaper than before.

Prices for weekends and holidays were likewise reduced from the previous 27,900 won to 19,900 won.

A branch that applied the new menu reported that in about two months, sales increased by 11% and customer numbers rose by 50% compared to the same period last year.

A sandwich franchise where customers add various ingredients is similar.

In February, they introduced a fixed-recipe sandwich that reduced choices and lowered the price to 4,300 won.

It comes in a single 15cm size with designated ingredients only.

While adding ingredients is not allowed, removing unwanted ingredients is permitted.

Even when this sandwich franchise raised prices for other menu items in May, it kept the price of this specific sandwich unchanged.