Introduction:As summer approaches, sales of Luckin’s iced drinks have surged, but complaints about "too much ice" have resurfaced. Since the official menu does not offer a "less ice" option, customers and staff have informally negotiated ice amounts through order notes. However, recently, some of these notes have evolved from polite requests into threatening language, putting pressure on store employees. This article delves into the reasons behind this phenomenon and explores how to meet consumer demands while ensuring a safe working environment for staff.
As the weather gets hotter, the number of consumers choosing iced drinks has noticeably increased, and sales of Luckin’s newly launched iced drink series have also risen. However, complaints about "too much ice at Luckin" have once again become a hot topic. Although many customers hope to adjust the amount of ice, Luckin has not yet provided options like "less ice" or "no ice" in its ordering system, meaning customers cannot directly adjust the ice ratio when placing an order.
To meet actual demand, some Luckin store employees suggest that customers specify "less ice" in their order notes, or even indicate a desired number of ice cubes, such as "8 ice cubes" or "5 or fewer." This informal communication method has gradually spread on social platforms, with many customers receiving drinks that better suit their preferences through notes, and employees also seeing fewer negative reviews due to excessive ice.
However, the situation has recently taken a turn. What were once common polite notes, such as "less ice please" or "please put 8 ice cubes," are now being replaced by extreme remarks, such as "only four or five ice cubes, complain if you give more," "less ice, less ice, too much ice gets a bad review," or even overtly threatening messages like "I’ll throw one extra cube in the waiter’s face" or "only five ice cubes, more than that and I’ll come to the store and kill you." These comments have made employees who receive them feel uneasy and have even affected their work mood.
Faced with such notes, some employees express confusion and stress. While blatantly inappropriate content may be ignored, most employees still try to meet ice-related requests to avoid negative reviews. However, when threats like "bad review if too much ice" or even personal threats become common, employees are compelled to plead, "please stop," hoping for more rational communication.
In fact, Luckin employees have repeatedly stated on social platforms that the "notes section is not a wishing well." According to company standard recipes, employees must strictly follow specified ingredient ratios when making drinks and, in principle, cannot alter them arbitrarily. In other words, if strictly adhering to the rules, employees could choose to ignore customers’ "less ice" requests. However, since many consumers have complained that Luckin drinks contain too much ice and some customers do indeed have a need for less or no ice, most employees will still reduce the ice amount at their discretion when they see a "less ice" note, gradually forming an unspoken understanding with customers.
This understanding was later tacitly permitted by Luckin’s official stance, allowing employees to adjust the ice amount according to the actual situation to meet customer needs. For consumers, adjusting ice through notes is a simple and effective solution; for employees, as long as the note is reasonable, they are usually happy to accommodate. However, when notes evolve from jokes into threats or involve personal safety, this balance is broken.
Many believe that these threatening notes may just be consumers joking and unlikely to be acted upon, advising employees not to overreact. But as netizens have pointed out, a degree of humor is acceptable, but once it crosses the line and makes people feel uneasy or even fearful, it is no longer harmless fun. How to meet consumers’ personalized needs while safeguarding employees’ working environments and mental health has become a challenge that Luckin and the entire industry must face together.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
