What can coffee for coffee shops do about repeated drink theft?

A Beijing coffee shop owner posted video of an elderly woman who repeatedly took prepared drinks from the counter without ordering. She visited the shop three times in one day in late September, and the owner says the most recent incident was on October 3. Staff report she claims the drink is hers when asked about an order, and similar behavior has been noted at other nearby beverage shops.

Because individual order values are small, shop owners say filing police cases is difficult, so some make their own warning posters instead. Netizens commenting on the video generally advise businesses to gather evidence, such as security footage and staff statements, and report the incidents to police rather than letting them slide. The discussion reflects a wider concern for coffee for coffee shops operating with open counters.

Recently, a coffee shop owner in Beijing exposed an elderly person who frequently came to the shop to steal coffee, and the video sparked widespread discussion among netizens. This elderly person not only brazenly took prepared drinks, but even exhibited similar behavior at other coffee shops. However, stealing coffee is not an isolated case; some passersby also quickly seize the opportunity when staff are not paying attention. Because the order amounts are small and difficult to file cases for, shop owners often have no choice but to create warning posters themselves to deal with it. In the face of such behavior, netizens generally suggest that businesses actively gather evidence and report to the police, rather than passively letting things slide. This article compiles the course of the incident and the current state of the industry, and includes related recommendations from the Front Street brand.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

According to China.com, a coffee shop owner in Beijing recently posted a video showing an elderly woman coming to the shop and trying to take coffee, which quickly attracted netizens' attention and heated discussion.

The video publisher explained that this elderly person often visited his coffee shop and repeatedly attempted to take drinks that had already been packed and placed on the counter. What was both amusing and exasperating was that whenever the staff asked whether she had an order, she answered without any guilt that she did not, and even, holding the drink, confidently claimed that the coffee in her hand was hers.

The shop owner felt very helpless about the elderly person's actions. He mentioned that at first, the elderly person would quietly steal coffee when the staff were not paying attention, but now it has almost become open taking. At the end of September, she passed by the shop three times in one day, trying to casually take drinks from the counter. The most recent time she took coffee from the shop was on October 3.

In addition, the manager also revealed that this elderly person had experiences at other beverage shops of entering, picking up drinks, and leaving, though it is unknown whether she succeeded specifically.

After the video spread, some netizens recognized the elderly person in the footage and said she was quite well known in nearby coffee shops. "When I was drinking coffee at Starbucks, I heard the manager and staff say, 'The old lady is here again, pay attention to the takeout items and cups.'"

In response, most people believe that businesses should collect relevant evidence, call the police, and contact the elderly person's family to inform them that she has been stealing coffee. Some netizens also expressed concern about the elderly person's mental condition, speculating whether she suffers from a mental illness that causes her to frequently act so unexpectedly.

At present, there is no further detailed information about the follow-up handling of the Beijing elderly person stealing coffee incident.

However, some industry practitioners pointed out that the phenomenon of taking coffee when staff are not paying attention does not occur only among elderly people. Recently, on social media, a coffee shop posted surveillance video from inside the store, in which a staff member was washing items with their back turned to the pickup window, and a passerby quickly took a packed drink from the counter while passing by. According to the publisher, this was already the second time that passerby had stolen coffee.

Such behavior made many netizens very angry, and they suggested that the shop owner report it to the police. But in fact, because coffee shop orders are relatively small in amount, it is difficult to file a case, and even if the person in the surveillance footage is found, most of the time the police only give a verbal warning, with quite limited deterrent effect.

Therefore, some shop owners can only "use magic to defeat magic" by making posters and putting them at the shop entrance as a warning to "scare" those with a guilty conscience. However, whether this method can actually discourage them is something even the operators themselves are not absolutely sure about.

Many netizens believe that although the amount for a cup of coffee is not large, when such petty theft occurs, the shop should collect evidence and report it to the police, rather than holding the mindset of "spending money to avert disaster and letting things slide." They said that a passive approach will only make thieves think there is an opportunity, frequently stealing and even openly seizing drinks that do not belong to them, causing greater economic losses to businesses.

Image source: Internet

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, there may be individual images or texts that have not yet been credited. Please understand. If the original author has any disputes, they can contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will immediately correct it. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop." Please indicate the source when reposting. If there is infringement, please inform us for deletion. Thank you~!

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