Where does coffee grow, and why did Chayan Yuese sell out on its Nanjing opening day?

Chayan Yuese closed its first Nanjing store at Xinjiekou on opening day after crowds overwhelmed the site, posting sold-out notices five minutes before the 9 a.m. opening. Scalpers resold cups for up to 200 yuan, and some buyers paid 10 to 200 yuan for proxy-buying and queue-standing services. Police were sent to keep order and turn people away, while the Jiangning Jingfeng store stayed open.

The rush started before dawn, with some customers lining up at 4:30 a.m., and the topic trended on Weibo. The Nanjing Market Supervision Bureau stated that scalping is illegal, and People's Daily Online urged consumers to treat viral brands rationally. The episode stands out because new-style tea drinks have been cutting prices, making a 50-yuan milk tea unusual.

Amid the wave of price cuts in new-style tea drinks, a cup of milk tea priced at 50 yuan is no longer common, but on the opening day of Chayan Yuese's first Nanjing store, scalpers' resale price soared to 200 yuan a cup, with people lining up as early as 4:30 a.m., and related topics quickly trended on Weibo. The Xinjiekou store, due to excessive crowds and chaotic order, posted a sold-out notice and closed its entrance 5 minutes before the official opening, while the Jiangning Jingfeng store continued operating; police dispatched officers to maintain order and persuade citizens to turn back. On some trading platforms, proxy-buying and queue-standing services appeared, charging anywhere from 10 yuan to 200 yuan, and the Nanjing Market Supervision Bureau made clear that scalping is illegal. People's Daily Online commented, urging consumers to treat internet-famous brands rationally and not be led by merchants and scalpers.

Against the backdrop of new-style tea drinks cutting prices one after another, a cup of milk tea priced at 50 yuan is already hard to find. However, this morning, Chayan Yuese officially opened its doors in Nanjing, and phenomena such as scalpers' reservation proxy-buying price reaching 200 yuan a cup and people rushing to line up before dawn played out once again, with related topics immediately trending on Weibo.

According to media reports, before dawn and before the store opened, a long line had already formed at the entrance, with some people starting to wait as early as 4:30 a.m. Searching for Nanjing Chayan Yuese-related content on Xiaohongshu, a blogger posted on-site photos near the Xinjiekou store at 8:32 a.m., reminding office workers in nearby office buildings that some entrances and exits had been closed and to plan their routes in advance.

Many netizens expressed their views on the long queues at the opening of Nanjing Chayan Yuese.

According to Yangtse Evening Post, 5 minutes before Chayan Yuese officially opened at 9 a.m., sold-out notices began to be posted at various entrances. Because it was sold out before the doors even opened, customers on site who could not get in line became dissatisfied, and some even came to blows after arguments. There were also scalpers reselling Chayan Yuese milk tea on the spot after the sold-out notices were posted, claiming 200 yuan a cup, ready to take and go.

A person familiar with the matter revealed that the Xinjiekou Chayan Yuese store sold out and closed its entrance not because the store had insufficient stock, but because of chaotic order on site and complaints from the public.

In addition, proxy-buying and queue-standing services for Nanjing Chayan Yuese milk tea appeared on some trading platforms, with fees ranging from 10 yuan to 200 yuan. The Nanjing Market Supervision Bureau responded that scalping is illegal and that people who encounter it can call 110 to report it. Chayan Yuese staff said they do not encourage buying from scalpers, that people can wait a little longer, and that Nanjing will open 5 stores in the future.

Nanjing's maximum temperature on August 18 could reach 38 degrees Celsius. After milk tea is made, the longer it sits in hot weather, the more likely bacteria are to grow, so it is not recommended to buy high-priced second-hand milk tea from scalpers.

Today, two Nanjing Chayan Yuese stores opened at the same time. The Xinjiekou store suspended business due to excessive queues, while the Jiangning Jingfeng store remained open normally. Although it was already noon, the public's enthusiasm for queuing had not faded, and some still persisted in lining up under the scorching heat. Jiangning Police Online dispatched officers at noon to assist the mall in maintaining order and posted a police reminder on Weibo, sincerely advising citizens not to go queue today, saying, "The money spent on water while queuing could buy many cups of drinks."

Regarding the matter of Nanjing Chayan Yuese reservation proxy-buying at 200 yuan for 1 cup, People's Daily Online published a commentary pointing out that milk tea is just a beverage and should not be overly "deified." With brand promotion everywhere and social media inducements penetrating every corner, it is indeed hard for consumers not to spend money. But a 200 yuan proxy-buying fee for a cup of milk tea, plus scalpers buying on behalf of others, seems a bit much no matter how you look at it. In recent years, we have seen too many scenes of long queues in front of internet-famous brands, and we have often sighed that they are "nothing special." When facing internet-famous brands, consumers should stay rational and also "act within their means," so as not to be led by the nose by merchants and scalpers.

Image source: Xiaohongshu, Weibo, internet

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