What Happened in the Meizhou Coffee Shop Deposit Case?

Fourteen students in Meicheng, Meizhou, were charged deposits before starting summer jobs at a local coffee shop, with amounts from several hundred to over one thousand yuan. Most never worked a single day, and refunds proved difficult. Law enforcement stepped in after Guangdong Today's Focus reported the case. Under Chinese labor rules, employers may not collect work deposits from job seekers.

The students found the shop through a recruitment post on a social platform that welcomed short-term workers, then contacted the owner on WeChat. One sophomore, Xiao Chen, was told the deposit was 300 yuan for short-term staff and 500 yuan for long-term staff. When more applicants appeared, the owner raised the demand, and she eventually paid 1,500 yuan. The case highlights recruitment risks on social platforms, a recurring issue in coffee culture.

Summer jobs are supposed to be a way for students to earn pocket money and gain social experience, yet in Meicheng, Meizhou, 14 students encountered an absurd situation when applying for summer work at a coffee shop: before even starting the job, they were charged deposits ranging from several hundred to over a thousand yuan by the shop owner. What's even more frustrating is that most of them never worked a single day, yet getting their deposits back proved extremely difficult. This incident not only exposes the risks of recruitment information on social platforms, but also serves as another reminder to job seekers: it is illegal for employers to charge work deposits.

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According to a report by Guangdong Today's Focus, 14 students of varying ages in Meicheng, Meizhou went to apply for summer jobs at a local coffee shop, only to find that before the work even began, instead of earning pocket money, they had their deposits taken by the shop owner first.

The students told reporters that they had seen the recruitment advertisement posted by this coffee shop located in Jiangbei, Meicheng on a social platform. The working environment and benefits described in the ad were quite good, and it explicitly stated that short-term workers were welcome, so the students contacted the coffee shop owner via WeChat, hoping to secure the job.

Among the 14 people, the first to apply was sophomore student Xiao Chen. She mentioned that after further communication with the owner, she learned that there were two positions available at the shop: shop assistant and life assistant. Xiao Chen chose the shop assistant position, but what awaited her was not a work arrangement, but rather a mandatory condition set by the owner — a deposit had to be paid first.

Xiao Chen said that at first the owner told her the deposit standards for short-term and long-term workers were different, at 300 yuan and 500 yuan respectively. She said she could pay 300 yuan first, and the other party agreed at the time. But later, because more and more people wanted the job, the owner changed her tune, saying that if the 500 yuan deposit was not paid, she could not come to work. In the end, Xiao Chen paid a total of 1,500 yuan.

The other students who had recently applied at the coffee shop also said that they were all required to pay a deposit before officially starting work, with amounts ranging from 500 yuan to 1,500 yuan. Because they did not want to lose what seemed like a suitable job, the students all paid as the owner demanded. But unexpectedly, among the 14 students, only 3 briefly worked for two or three days, while most never worked even a single day.

Later, the students saw negative news about the coffee shop online and contacted the owner one after another to demand a refund of their deposits. But from the chat records and feedback they provided, the other party did not directly say she would not refund, but instead made various excuses to stall and repeatedly delayed the refund.

Having neither worked nor gotten their money back after paying first, the students felt their rights had been infringed, so they chose to call the police for help and went to the Meijiang District Labor Security Supervision Comprehensive Law Enforcement Brigade for assistance. The reporter covering the incident also visited the coffee shop the students mentioned and found that although the front door was open, there was no one inside and items were placed in disarray. The reporter tried calling the owner's phone number provided by the students but could not get through; a follow-up text message asking about the specific situation of the deposit refunds received a reply saying it was being handled.

Afterward, the reporter learned from the law enforcement brigade that as of the morning of July 11, more than 40 people had come forward to register unpaid deposits, involving amounts ranging from several hundred to over a thousand yuan. Among them were middle school students, high school students, university students, and also newly graduated young people in society.

After the incident occurred, the law enforcement brigade contacted the person in charge of the coffee shop, arranged for her to go to the police station for mediation, and educated her, requiring her to return the deposits to the applicants in the near future.

Staff reminded that whether students are looking for summer jobs or members of society are seeking employment, it is illegal for employers to charge work deposits. Once such a situation is encountered, applicants can leave directly. At the same time, job seekers are advised to find work through formal channels and not to readily trust recruitment information on social platforms.

Image source: Internet

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