How the Start of Autumn Peak Tests the Coffee Industry

The Start of Autumn solar term brought the annual milk tea sales peak, and the coffee industry was pulled into it. Luckin order volumes rose against past years after the chain added a light milk tea line, and some stores limited water and ice because of staff shortages.

The strain turned visible at a Zhaoqing store in Guangdong, where two employees argued and then fought. Colleagues stopped the altercation and no one was injured, according to the New Express; the store manager confirmed the incident and reported it to public relations. Seasonal peaks put counter crews under sustained pressure.

As the Start of Autumn solar term arrives, the milk tea industry welcomes its annual sales peak, and coffee brands are also swept into this consumer frenzy. Luckin has seen order volumes rise significantly compared to the same period in previous years due to the addition of its light milk tea product line, and some stores have been forced to adopt flow-limiting measures such as suspending water and ice due to staff shortages. However, under high-intensity work pressure, a Luckin store in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, saw a physical altercation between employees. According to the New Express, two employees are suspected to have escalated a verbal argument into a physical fight, and other colleagues intervened in time to stop them. No one was injured in the incident. The store manager has now confirmed the matter and reported it to the public relations department. This "first internal fight of autumn" reflects the enormous pressure restaurant workers face during peak season.

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Yesterday was Start of Autumn among the twenty-four solar terms, marking the official beginning of autumn. According to recent years' consumer habits, this time point also means the marketing wave for "the first cup of milk tea in autumn" has begun.

To cope with the tea beverage sales peak brought by Start of Autumn, employees at many tea beverage stores worked overtime the night before to prepare all kinds of materials in advance, with takeaway cups and bags piled almost to the ceiling. On the day of Start of Autumn, employees arrived even earlier and had all the fruit, toppings, and other ingredients ready before official opening.

Although preparations were already quite thorough, the buying enthusiasm of young consumers still exceeded expectations. Tea beverage stores in many parts of the country fell into a chaotic state from the moment they opened. Receipt printers and label printers kept spitting out orders, and clerks ran at high speed under the dual urging of customers and delivery riders. Almost everyone wished they could grow more hands to make drinks.

The consumer frenzy of the "autumn cup" was like a typhoon passing through. It not only left tea beverage stores overwhelmed, but also dragged the coffee industry into this grand consumption carnival.

The neighboring Starbucks was the same. Orders for "the first cup of coffee in autumn" kept pouring in from the moment the stores opened, and many clerks reported that they did not have a moment to breathe all day.

The situation at Luckin stores was even busier. Because the brand recently launched a light milk tea series, this year Luckin can make both coffee and milk tea, and the number of "autumn cup" orders received by each store has increased noticeably compared with last year.

However, some stores apparently failed to accurately estimate the surge in orders and were understaffed, forcing clerks to limit the pace of taking orders by suspending water supply and stopping ice additions when orders flooded in. Only after all the backlogged orders on hand were completed did operations gradually return to normal.

Even so, coffee workers were still exhausted and lamented, "What does the first cup of milk tea in autumn have to do with our coffee shop?" And under such high-intensity work pressure, any tiny friction could become the trigger that sets off employees' negative emotions.

According to the New Express, yesterday a Luckin store in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, staged "the first internal fight of autumn." A video of more than ten seconds showed that a male employee and a female employee appeared to have a verbal conflict, and then both sides lost control of their emotions and escalated to physical contact. Two other colleagues immediately stepped in between them to stop them, and the scene was chaotic for a time.

However, the video did not record the dialogue when the conflict occurred, nor could it fully reconstruct the cause of the incident.

A New Express reporter contacted the store manager today to learn about the situation. The person confirmed that it happened yesterday, but said the specific cause of the conflict was not convenient to disclose to the public for the time being, and stated that the incident had been reported to Luckin's public relations department. At present, the two employees involved have been examined and confirmed to be in no serious condition, with no injuries.

Now that Start of Autumn has passed, the consumer heat of the "autumn cup" is gradually fading, but whether they make milk tea or brew coffee, workers in the industry do not dare to truly relax. Because right after that, another sales battle called "Qixi" is waiting for them.

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