Why did a coffee store menu price not match the checkout?
A Häagen-Dazs coffee store in Suzhou listed an espresso at 20 yuan on its menu but charged 23 yuan at checkout, a consumer reported. The store said dine-in and takeout prices differ, yet the menu is labeled "Takeout Beverage Menu" and shows a single price with no extra-charge notice. The explanation has drawn skepticism.
Häagen-Dazs, a US ice cream brand developed by Reuben Mattus in 1921, opened its first coffee store in Shanghai in 2014 and now operates 482 stores in China. The brand has also faced EU notifications over food safety issues. Details like this matter to anyone comparing coffee prices before ordering.
For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style) For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex Recently, a consumer reported that a Häagen-Dazs store in Suzhou listed espresso on its menu at 20 yuan, but actually charged 23 yuan at checkout. The store explained that there is a price difference between dine-in and takeout, but the menu title clearly states "Takeout Beverage Menu," and only one price is shown, with no indication that takeout requires an additional charge, making this explanation difficult to believe. Since opening the world's first coffee store in Shanghai in 2014, Häagen-Dazs has continued to expand in China's coffee market, and its total number of stores has now reached 482. In addition to this pricing dispute, the brand had previously been notified by the EU over food safety issues.
For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style)
For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex
Recently, a netizen in Suzhou, Jiangsu, exposed on social media that a local Häagen-Dazs store had a discrepancy between the price listed on the menu and the actual charge. The "espresso" listed on the menu was priced at 20 yuan, but at checkout it became 23 yuan.
On January 15, a media outlet tried to contact the store involved online. A staff member at the store explained that dine-in and takeout prices are inherently different, and 23 yuan is the takeout price. However, according to the video screenshot, the top of the menu clearly bears the words "Takeout Beverage Menu," and only one price is listed below the drinks, with no notice whatsoever that takeout requires an extra charge. In the face of these details, the store's explanation appears rather unconvincing.
Public information shows that Häagen-Dazs is an ice cream brand originating in the United States, successfully developed by Reuben Mattus in 1921; the brand was listed in New York in 1962; in 1983, Häagen-Dazs was sold to Pillsbury, which was subsequently merged into General Mills.
In 2002, Nestlé acquired all registered trademark rights to Häagen-Dazs ice cream in the United States, with a total transaction value exceeding 1 billion Swiss francs (about 600 million US dollars). Even so, General Mills still holds the registered trademark rights to Häagen-Dazs in all regions outside the United States.
In 2014, Häagen-Dazs began its strategic layout in China's coffee market and opened the world's first coffee store in Shanghai on May 8 of that year.
Data from Narrow Door Restaurant Eye shows that as of January 3 this year, Häagen-Dazs had a total of 482 stores nationwide, covering 33 provinces and 86 cities, and its reputation score was also fairly good, reaching 85.4 points.
Regarding this incident of the listed price not matching the selling price, some netizens commented: "It's understandable that dine-in and delivery prices differ, but self-pickup and takeout are generally the same, right?", "The menu clearly says takeout is 20 yuan," "China does have law enforcement agencies, you know," "This is the first time I've heard that the price on a takeout menu is not the takeout price"...
In addition to this pricing controversy, several media outlets have previously reported that Häagen-Dazs was notified by the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed due to food safety issues. In July 2022, vanilla ice cream produced in France by Häagen-Dazs was found to contain ethylene oxide.
It is understood that ethylene oxide is a Group 1 carcinogen and was formerly often used to make fungicides. It is widely used in industries such as washing, pharmaceuticals, and printing and dyeing, and in the chemical industry it can also serve as a starting agent for cleaning agents. At that time, the related products had already been distributed to more than 80 countries and regions, including China, and after the incident was exposed, the manufacturer voluntarily recalled them.
According to Article 20 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, when operators provide consumers with information about the quality, performance, use, and validity period of relevant goods or services, they shall be truthful and comprehensive, and shall not conduct false or misleading publicity. For consumers' inquiries regarding the quality and methods of use of goods or services, operators shall give truthful and clear answers, and shall clearly mark prices when providing goods or services.
In other words, if the listed price of a product does not match the actual price, consumers can complain to the seller and claim compensation; if the two parties cannot reach an agreement through negotiation, they can also complain to the consumers association and request mediation and compensation.
Image source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
