Introduction:The subsidy competition among delivery platforms has heated up again, with Meituan and Alibaba issuing a large number of bubble tea discount coupons, attracting a surge of consumers scrambling for free or low-priced drinks. This move led to an instant overload of orders at chain tea beverage outlets including Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, Cha Bai Dao, Gu Ming, and Uncle No Name Tea, with staff working overtime from evening shifts until the early hours, and even having to recall vacationing employees for emergency support. This article takes you on-site to witness the real situations and challenges faced by tea beverage industry workers amidst the platform subsidy battles.
The subsidy war among delivery platforms has reignited, this time stirring up the bubble tea market. Meituan and Alibaba quietly pushed a large number of bubble tea vouchers to users, allowing consumers to purchase popular drinks at extremely low or even zero prices. Well-known chain brands such as Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, Cha Bai Dao, Gu Ming, and Uncle No Name Tea were the first to bear the brunt.
On the night of July 5th, this wave of "zero-yuan bubble tea" quickly swept across multiple cities nationwide, with the order systems of many stores being instantly overwhelmed by a flood of incoming orders. Receipt printers operated at high speed, nearly reaching the point of paralysis. Staff, who had expected to finish their shifts after routine cleaning, were caught off guard by the sudden surge in orders.
Many tea beverage workers recalled the scene that night: the store was covered with "pending pickup" tags, the workstations were piled high with prepared drink cups, and the pickup area was packed solid with packed takeaway bags. They admitted that those few hours felt like being on a battlefield, with everyone functioning like non-stop rotating gears, leaving almost no room to catch their breath.
To handle the orders, some stores had to urgently contact off-duty employees to come back for support. However, even with additional manpower, facing the tidal wave of incoming orders, it was still difficult to complete all preparations before closing. By 11 p.m. to midnight, the areas outside many bubble tea stores were crowded with food delivery riders and customers waiting to pick up their orders, and the scene became chaotic at times.
Under long hours of high-intensity work, the emotions of the staff began to fluctuate, with complaints and sighs occasionally heard: "We’ve been busy from the afternoon until the early morning, and there’s just no way to finish everything," "My throat is hoarse from packing," "I’m really begging everyone to stop ordering." The exhaustion and pressure of frontline employees were laid bare in this subsidy battle.
Even more frustratingly, because some coupons could be redeemed for drinks on future days, many consumers chose to schedule pickups later, resulting in stores still facing a large number of pre-orders the next day. Many employees said that after just five or six hours of rest following their shifts, they had to return to work to deal with the backlog of scheduled and real-time orders, increasing the pressure even more.
Industry insiders pointed out that while the subsidy strategies of delivery platforms can stimulate consumption in the short term, they often shift the pressure onto frontline service personnel. Tea beverage workers, operating in high-intensity, fast-paced work environments, routinely experience both physical and mental exhaustion. Many grassroots employees are calling on platforms to take the endurance of frontline workers more into account when launching promotional activities, to avoid turning the "subsidy war" into a "staffing disaster."
This incident also serves as a reminder to consumers that while enjoying discounts, they should have more understanding and consideration for service workers. Every efficient drink preparation at a tea shop is backed by countless late nights and perseverance from the staff.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
