Why Did Luckin Coffee's Collaboration Set Price Change?
Luckin Coffee launched its Scribbly Dog collaboration with Korean illustrator YEYE as Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Buyers on the mini-program found the set priced at 60 to 70 yuan, well above the usual 20 to 40 yuan. Hours later the price fell to just over 30 yuan, prompting earlier buyers to demand refunds of the difference.
Employees speculated that a pricing error occurred when the product was listed. The episode highlighted recurring system bugs in Luckin's collaboration campaigns, which often run as limited two-cup sets with merchandise such as fridge magnets, stickers and cup sleeves. Buyers who ordered at the higher price were left frustrated by the sudden drop.
As Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Luckin Coffee's collaboration with Korean illustrator YEYE featuring the "Scribbly Dog" launched as scheduled, drawing a large number of fans to set early morning alarms to snatch the merchandise. However, many users discovered that the collaboration set on the mini-program was priced as high as 60 to 70 yuan, far exceeding the previous range of 20-40 yuan, sparking complaints that it was "too expensive." A few hours later, the same set's price suddenly dropped to just over 30 yuan, angering consumers who had already ordered and prompting them to demand a refund of the price difference. Some employees speculated that it was caused by a pricing error when the product was listed. Behind this price controversy, the long-standing problem of frequent system bugs in Luckin's collaboration campaigns has once again surfaced.
Today, Typhoon Bebinca made landfall along the coast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and many people chose to stay in safe places to shelter from the storm. However, some still set their alarms specially on such a harsh weather morning, just to be the first to grab Luckin Coffee's latest collaboration set.
This time, Luckin adopted the promotional theme "When the autumn wind rises, drink Velvet" and teamed up with Korean illustrator YEYE's "Scribbly Dog" series. The image of a white dog standing against the wind with messy fur is both cute and amusing, and coinciding with the typhoon weather, many fans joked that it was simply a true reflection of their recent lives.
According to the buying guide summarized by netizens, this round of themed fridge magnets, available in limited quantities while supplies last, came in a total of 4 designs, and the usual "three-piece merch set" of stickers, paper bags, and cup sleeves was also fully available. Notably, in addition to two limited two-cup bags, Luckin's single-cup paper bag was also given the new collaboration packaging, delighting consumers who are used to buying only one cup.
As a result, merch enthusiasts set their alarms in advance and placed orders on the mini-program as soon as the collaboration set went on sale. But users who acted a bit more slowly later noticed that the pricing of this set was somewhat off.
Luckin's collaboration campaigns usually take the form of limited two-cup drink sets. Although there are differences in discount levels between the mini-program and third-party platforms, causing the set price to fluctuate, the overall price generally remains between 20 and 40 yuan. However, this morning the Scribbly Dog collaboration set on the mini-program was priced at around 60 yuan, and in some regions even reached 70 yuan, prompting many users to exclaim that it was "too expensive" and pause their rush to buy the merch.
Meanwhile, customers who ordered on third-party platforms posted screenshots of their orders, saying that if they claimed coupons before checkout, the final price of this limited set was almost the same as previous collaboration sets. They suggested that fans who wanted the merch consider switching purchasing channels.
Fans who paid more saw money-saving tips constantly popping up on social platforms and felt annoyed but helpless, blaming themselves for not comparing prices across platforms before ordering and failing to buy at the lowest discount. But a few hours later, they found that the price of the same set on the mini-program had plummeted dramatically, from over 60 yuan to just over 30 yuan, and they immediately felt indignant. Many directly contacted customer service and firmly demanded a refund of the price difference.
A Luckin employee speculated that the nearly twofold price difference for the same product on the same platform within a short period was very likely due to a pricing error when the product was listed this morning, which caused customers who ordered early in the day to pay more.
The employee also said that although it was an official system error that caused rush-buying consumers to pay extra, their request for a refund of the price difference was completely reasonable. However, based on past handling practices, Luckin's customer service would most likely compensate these customers by issuing discount coupons.
Experienced rush-buying veterans revealed that Luckin often experiences system bugs on the first day of collaboration launches. Sometimes it is delayed coupon distribution, and sometimes it is pricing errors, such as the previously highly popular Black Myth collaboration, which experienced a system verification failure. Therefore, they suggested that merch fans might as well "let the bullet fly a little longer and not be the first to rush-buy."
Image source: Xiaohongshu
Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet. For some content on the website, such as images, we will respect the original author's copyright and indicate the source. However, due to the large volume, some images and texts may not have been credited in time. Please understand. If the original author has any disputes, they may contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop." Please indicate the source when reposting. If there is any infringement, please inform us for deletion. Thank you~!
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
