What does exam-week coffee demand reveal about ordering?

Every year at the end of June, exam season turns campus coffee shops into energy stations. Orders surge at university locations of Luckin, Cotti and other chains, pickup areas fill with drinks, and a cup can take nearly an hour. One Luckin near a university closed its pickup window at noon, with staff who had not rested properly for two months unable to handle the pressure.

A Gu Ming milk tea shop on the same campus also closed temporarily. The surge reflects students' preference for cost-effective brands, but it also exposes how store staffing is allocated. Empty cups and Luckin packaging piled up in teaching building corridors and libraries. Knowing how to drink coffee properly during long study sessions matters less than the fact that campus stores were not staffed for the rush.

Every year at the end of June, during final exam season, coffee shops on university campuses become students' life-saving energy stations. Orders surge at campus locations of Luckin, Cotti, and other chains, with pickup areas piled high with drinks, and waiting for a cup of coffee often taking nearly an hour. However, a Luckin near a university was surprisingly empty at noon, with its pickup window blocked off and a closure notice posted—the staff, who hadn't had a proper rest for two consecutive months, simply couldn't withstand the order pressure of exam week. The Gu Ming milk tea shop on the same campus also temporarily closed. Behind this campus coffee order explosion is both students' preference for cost-effective brands and the exposed dilemma of store staffing allocation.

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Every year at the end of June, major universities gradually enter the final exam period. To achieve ideal grades, college students stay up late reviewing, and invigorating coffee naturally becomes a necessity. For this reason, during exam weeks, coffee shops on campus transform into students' energy supply stations.

Chain brands like Luckin and Cotti located on school grounds have recently been generally overwhelmed with orders. A cup of coffee that usually takes just a few minutes to get now requires waiting nearly an hour during peak times, and the pickup area is filled with prepared meals and drinks. Students rushing to review can't wait for staff to pack each order individually, so they simply search through dozens of drinks at the counter and take the one they ordered themselves.

From photos posted by students on social media, during exam week, empty cups can be seen everywhere in trash bins in public areas such as teaching building corridors and libraries. Among the garbage cleaned up by janitors, a large number of Luckin packaging bags are prominently visible. It can be said that college students' exam week is not only a test for the students themselves but also a huge challenge for campus store employees.

And just yesterday at noon, a university student walked to a nearby Luckin store after placing an order, only to find that the usually bustling Luckin was completely empty. Upon closer inspection, the pickup window was already blocked, and the notice posted on it was both frustrating and somewhat amusing. This Luckin store was severely understaffed, and the employees, who hadn't had a proper rest for two consecutive months, ultimately couldn't withstand the order pressure of exam week and had to close the store for recuperation.

The Gu Ming milk tea shop on the same campus also struggled to cope with students' order demands and could only temporarily close, letting employees catch their breath and rest properly while also leaving enough time to prepare materials.

According to students, this Luckin store had only two full-time employees, and student part-timers would usually come to help. But during exam week, the part-timers all needed to focus on reviewing and preparing for exams, so the work pressure fell entirely on the two full-time employees. However, the students hadn't expected that this Luckin store would not assign additional staff to share the pressure, but instead choose to close the store to give employees time to rest.

In fact, this is not the only coffee shop that was drunk to the point of having to close for recuperation by college students during exam week. Many people say that although the number of coffee shops on campuses is gradually increasing, for the student group, brands like Luckin and Cotti offer better value for money and are deeply favored by students. Therefore, even during normal times, campus coffee shops are often overwhelmed with orders.

For example, a certain school's Luckin store previously ran out of ice machine supply frequently by mid-morning due to too many cold drink orders, resulting in only hot drinks being available in the afternoon. Until recently, someone spotted brand-new unopened ice-making equipment in the store, suspected to be a solution to the problem of ice running out after 2 PM by replacing the equipment, and this news delighted the students.

Faced with the phenomenon of beverage shops like Luckin being overwhelmed by orders and having to close for recuperation, most people express understanding, believing that during exam week, students' demand for caffeine increases significantly, and staff indeed need proper rest. However, some also point out that stores should consider the surging order pressure during final season and arrange more staff in advance to improve store service efficiency.

After all, some college students, in order to review well and ensure they don't fail their finals, really do drink invigorating coffee like water～

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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