Introduction:Luckin Coffee has launched a new series of prune-flavored products nationwide, including the classic return of Prune Latte and the newly introduced Prune Americano. To address potential stomach irritation caused by the combination of prunes and coffee, the brand has specially offered limited-edition paper napkins as a promotional item. However, some customers received an entire pack of pocket tissues, sparking online discussion and skepticism. What exactly are the campaign rules? Why is the distribution of giveaways inconsistent? How are the stores responding? This article provides a detailed breakdown of the incident and practical information.

Luckin Coffee has recently introduced a new series of prune-flavored drinks at its nationwide outlets, drawing significant attention from consumers. In addition to the return of the Prune Latte after two years, this launch also features an innovative flavor — the Prune Americano, offering prune lovers a new choice. Prunes are well known for their digestive benefits and ability to promote intestinal movement. Their combination with coffee has led many netizens to exclaim that it’s “quite the punch.”

It is understood that both the Prune Latte and the smaller-sized Prune Xiao Tie continue to use the classic formula from two years ago, still made with prune-flavored syrup. The newly launched Prune Americano, however, uses Xinjiang French prune juice. According to multiple customers, they could clearly taste the fruit pulp, and the flavor was more intense. This new drink has attracted many self-proclaimed “iron-stomached” consumers eager to personally experience the unique effects of combining prunes with coffee.

However, the most talked-about aspect of this product launch isn’t the drinks themselves, but the limited-edition promotional item — paper napkins. Given that prunes and coffee may cause gastrointestinal discomfort in some people, the brand has thoughtfully prepared napkins as a gift. Yet, some customers were pleasantly (or unpleasantly) surprised to find, when picking up their orders, that along with their drink, they also received an entire pack of pocket tissues. This caused an uproar among netizens, who took to social media to share and discuss the experience.

Some customers said that receiving so many napkins was extremely practical and that they wouldn’t need to buy any for a while. Others, however, questioned why some people only got one packet while others received an entire pack. Is such a distribution of giveaways fair? This quickly sparked online discussions about the campaign rules and the standards of execution at different stores.

In response, some Luckin employees quickly clarified the actual rules of the campaign on online platforms. It turns out that if you order a prune-flavored drink through the official Luckin mini-program, it falls under the “buy one, get one free” promotion — meaning you get one packet of napkins with each prune drink. However, if you order through third-party platforms, you must select a specific double-cup combo to receive the napkins. Therefore, under normal circumstances, each customer should only receive one drink paired with one packet of napkins, not an entire pack.

As for why some customers received an entire pack of pocket tissues, employees explained that it was very likely due to the surge in orders right after the campaign launched. Overwhelmed staff may have mistakenly given out an entire pack instead of a single packet. There’s also speculation that some staff may have overlooked the packaging unit and handed out the wrong quantity by mistake.

It’s worth noting that Luckin’s limited-edition promotional items are subject to strict inventory management. If an employee mistakenly gives out an entire pack of napkins, the system inventory will no longer match the actual stock. This could result in later customers seeing that a giveaway is available but being unable to receive it, ultimately affecting customer experience and store ratings.

In response to the incident, some Luckin store employees have pleaded on social media for customers who received extra napkins to voluntarily return the surplus to the store, to prevent staff from being held accountable or penalized due to inventory discrepancies. For consumers, while taking a few extra packets of napkins may seem harmless, it can actually create significant issues for store operations and service procedures.

Overall, while the intention behind Luckin’s new prune-flavored series and the accompanying napkin giveaway was thoughtful and humorous, execution details and communication issues have sparked considerable discussion. For consumers, understanding the correct rules and expectations of the campaign can help avoid misunderstandings. For stores, maintaining consistent service quality during high-demand promotions remains an important challenge.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.