Introduction:On December 16, Tims celebrated the grand opening of its first store in Nanning, Guangxi, by launching promotions such as “buy one get one free” coffee, the option to add 1 RMB to purchase a Farmer’s Roll, and limited-edition city-exclusive coffee cups. These offers attracted large crowds of consumers who braved the cold and queued up. Despite the frigid weather, some arrived as early as 7 a.m. to secure a spot, with number cards being handed out in just 20 minutes, sparking online debates over whether the queues were “fake.” This article takes an in-depth look at the event details, on-site situation, the brand’s marketing strategies for non-tier-one cities, and explores the value for participating consumers.
On December 16, Tims made its first entry into Nanning, Guangxi, officially opening its first store. To celebrate the launch, the brand rolled out a series of opening promotions, including “buy one get one free” coffee, the chance to buy a Farmer’s Roll for just an additional 1 RMB, and the gifting of several exclusive merchandise items such as a Nanning-limited city cup, a red maple-engraved mug, refrigerator magnets, and tote bags. These successfully drew large numbers of consumers who, undeterred by the cold, started lining up outside the store early in the morning.
It is reported that although the store was originally scheduled to open at 10 a.m., the distribution of “number cards” for queuing to place orders and claim gifts only began at 9:40 a.m. However, many consumers had already arrived as early as 7 a.m. to stake out their spots, leading to quickly forming lines. By a little before 9:30 a.m., there were already four lines of people, and the number cards were all given out within just 20 minutes, triggering heated discussions both on-site and online.
According to official brand information, during this event:Consumers ranked 1st to 10th in the queue could receive a Nanning-limited city cup for any purchase.Meanwhile,those ranked 11th to 310th would be given Tims’ classic red maple-engraved mug.Since the cups could only be claimed after making a purchase and were limited to in-person queueing and redemption—no online reservations or pickups were allowed—many people were willing to wait for hours in the cold morning with an actual temperature of around 8°C.
However, this also led some netizens to question whether such a massive queue might have included “plants” (people paid or arranged to queue). Especially considering that Tims openings in other cities did not see such enthusiastic responses, and the brand’s coffee flavor is not particularly outstanding. Faced with the cold weather and the requirement of additional purchases to get the gifts, many netizens remarked that it was “not worth it.”
In response to these doubts, some local residents explained that when new brands first enter specific cities, they often attract large crowds out of curiosity and due to promotional activities—especially when there are incentives like “free gifts.” Such queuing is not uncommon. One student who insisted on staying in line responded that he was just an ordinary consumer willing to brave the cold winds for hours just to get the “limited edition cup,” and was definitely not a so-called “plant.”
In fact, this is not the first time Tims has caused a queuing craze during the opening of a new store in a non-tier-one city. As the brand expands into various Chinese cities, it often announces opening events in advance through its official social media channels and warms up the promotion on social platforms. By using “limited-edition giveaways” such as city-exclusive cups or mugs as attractions, it successfully draws large numbers of consumers to the stores on opening day. This not only creates buzz but also generates high initial foot traffic and social media visibility for the stores.
From a marketing perspective, such strategies can effectively boost a brand’s local visibility, especially in non-tier-one or second-tier cities where there aren’t yet many chain stores. Through limited physical giveaways and clear, straightforward queuing rules, Tims has successfully established the impression of “you must queue for the opening” among consumers, further driving both physical store traffic and social discussion.
For consumers interested in participating in similar opening events, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the event rules in advance—such as the order of gift distribution, whether consumption is required for redemption, and whether online reservations are available—to avoid blindly queuing or having unmet expectations. Additionally, if the main goal is to collect limited-edition merchandise, you might also consider whether it’s necessary to go on the first day of the event, or to visit later once the hype has died down to actually experience the products themselves.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
