Why Is Luckin Coffee Rejecting Local Applicants?

Luckin Coffee has drawn widespread controversy after a Shanghai job seeker was rejected for a part-time barista role because her ID number began with 310. Staff told her that Luckin in Shanghai does not currently accept locals, and no interview was arranged. The rejection came as the chain faces store staff shortages following last month's employment system changes.

The case reflects assumptions that local job seekers cannot endure hardship or demand social security, alongside practical cost concerns such as high social security contribution bases. It lands during graduation job-hunting season, when some young applicants hope to work as baristas. The debate raises questions about whether the recruitment strategy is reasonable and how local applicants' rights should be protected, regardless of barista origin.

Recently, Luckin Coffee has sparked widespread controversy due to staff shortages in its stores caused by reforms to its employment system, while rejecting local job seekers in Shanghai during recruitment. A Shanghai netizen applied for a part-time barista position but was directly rejected because her ID number started with '310', with the reason given as 'currently Luckin in Shanghai does not accept locals'. This incident reflects companies' stereotypes about local job seekers being 'unable to endure hardship' and 'demanding social security', and also touches on practical considerations such as high social security contribution bases and labor cost control. Against the backdrop of coexisting labor shortages and employment difficulties, is Luckin's recruitment strategy reasonable? How should the rights and interests of local job seekers be protected? This article will delve into the multiple factors behind this phenomenon.

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Since Luckin Coffee implemented a new employment system last month, the problem of staff turnover in its stores has become increasingly prominent, leading to understaffing in many Luckin locations and an urgent need to recruit new employees. Recruitment information posted by Luckin stores can be seen everywhere on major job platforms.

Currently, it is graduation job-hunting season, and some young people with the dream of 'working while tasting coffee' have submitted resumes to Luckin, hoping to become part of it. Among them, a Shanghai netizen also longed to experience the work of a barista, so she applied for a part-time barista position at Luckin.

After submitting the application, she waited expectantly for several days, but what she received was not a job offer but a rejection. The applicant initially thought it was due to her lack of experience, but the reply she got after inquiring left her greatly shocked—Luckin staff stated that 'currently Luckin in Shanghai does not accept locals', so no interview was arranged and she was directly rejected.

This reason for rejection not only surprised the Shanghai job seeker but also sparked heated discussions among netizens. According to the applicant, the 'does not accept locals' mentioned by the staff specifically refers to Shanghai people whose ID numbers start with '310', including both native Shanghai residents born and raised there and non-natives who have settled in Shanghai.

After the post was published, netizens expressed their own views.

Some believe that influenced by novels, films, and other artistic works, Shanghai people are often labeled as 'petty bourgeois', 'refined', and 'elegant', which leads some employers to form preconceived impressions of Shanghai job seekers, thinking they are not like workers who can endure hardship.

Luckin stores have high work intensity, with baristas needing to stand at the counter for long periods and make hundreds of drinks daily. Luckin staff in Shanghai may worry that local job seekers cannot withstand such high-intensity work, which is why they chose to reject them.

On the other hand, some netizens pointed out that Shanghai's social security contribution base ranks among the highest in the country, so most Shanghai job seekers will require employers to pay local social security upon hiring. If too many Shanghai locals are hired, Luckin's social security expenses will increase significantly, which may be detrimental to controlling labor costs in its Shanghai stores.

Some Shanghai merchants believe that Luckin in Shanghai not recruiting local job seekers is understandable. In their view, compared with migrant workers, most local job seekers have some livelihood security, and are thus labeled as 'not very able to endure hardship', 'lacking ambition', and 'demanding that the employer pay social security, then goofing off all day'.

However, in the eyes of most job seekers, regardless of Luckin Shanghai's considerations, rejecting applicants on the grounds of 'not accepting locals' is unfair to local job seekers, and one should not judge job seekers with 'Shanghai household registration' based on fixed impressions. After all, not all 'Shanghai people' are the type the public perceives as 'not short of money and just muddling through'.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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