Introduction:M Stand’s Black Gold Card members enjoy a 50% discount on beverages, but maintaining the membership requires accumulating a total of 6,000 yuan in purchases within a year, equivalent to approximately 316 drinks. Some members have discovered that reseller scalpers on second-hand platforms can offer the same products at as low as a 15% discount without being banned, sparking concerns among members about unfair management by the brand. This article analyzes the price differences between the membership program and the scalper market, and explores their impact on consumer loyalty.
Chain coffee brands attract consumers to make repeat purchases through membership programs, with M Stand’s Black Gold Card membership once offering a 50% discount as a major incentive for many customers to return. However, recently some members reported that to maintain the Black Gold Card tier, they must accumulate 6,000 yuan in purchases within 365 days, which equates to buying about 316 drinks at the original price of 38 yuan (or 19 yuan after the member discount).
According to one member’s calculations, when factoring in additional discounts such as member vouchers and prepaid promotions, the actual number of drinks needed may be even higher. Even if one buys one drink per day, along with purchasing merchandise or buying for friends, it might be possible to reach 6,000 yuan within a year, but many members found that they were banned by the system simply for placing a few orders on behalf of friends.
Even more baffling is that reseller scalpers on second-hand trading platforms not only remain unbanned, but can also offer discounts as low as 15%, far below the 50% benefit enjoyed by Black Gold Card members.This disparity has left many loyal members feeling unfairly treated, believing that the brand tacitly allows the existence of scalpers while imposing strict restrictions on regular members.
The original intention of M Stand’s membership program was to enhance consumer retention through benefits such as points and discounts. But when members find that official discounts are less favorable than those from scalper channels, many choose to stop tracking their membership tier and instead seek more cost-effective reseller options.Image source: Xiaohongshu
To date, the brand has not taken substantive measures against scalper behavior on second-hand platforms, yet it bans members for purchasing on behalf of friends. This approach has disappointed many long-time supporters. When the gap between official discounts and market reseller prices becomes too wide, the appeal of the membership program will face serious challenges, and may even lead to the loss of loyal users.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
