What went wrong in this coffee culture merchandise tie-in?

Nayuki's second Cardcaptor Sakura collaboration launched a Domineering Snow Top drink series and themed items including cups, packaging bags, acrylic standees, and thermos bottles. Four packaging bags were offered free with designated drinks, but shoppers reported uneven treatment: some received several bags after one drink, while others spent thirty yuan and got none.

Some customers said staff told them the paper bags had run out, and delivery orders arrived without the themed cup. The case reflects how chain brands execute limited-edition materials with little consistency across stores. It also shows how strongly coffee culture merchandise drives visits, and how quickly disappointment spreads when the promised packaging is missing.

Nayuki has launched a limited-edition drink and merchandise collection in its second collaboration with the anime "Cardcaptor Sakura." Fans who expected to easily collect all four themed packaging bags instead encountered wildly different treatment at different stores. Some people got multiple paper bags after buying just one drink, while others spent thirty yuan and didn't see a single one—some even had delivery orders arrive without the themed cup. This collaboration has exposed inconsistent standards in how chain brands execute limited-edition materials, and left many consumers who ordered specifically for the merch feeling disappointed.

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Nayuki recently teamed up again with the Japanese anime "Cardcaptor Sakura," launching a new "Domineering Snow Top" drink series and multiple limited-edition merchandise items, attracting a large number of fans to visit stores and make purchases.

According to official information, the collaboration merch includes themed cups, packaging bags, acrylic standees, thermos bottles, and more. Among these, four packaging bags could be obtained for free simply by purchasing designated drinks, so many fans planned to collect all the paper bags with minimal spending.

Judging from shares on social media, many people said that when picking up their orders in-store, after friendly communication with staff, they could get several extra paper bags even after buying just one designated drink. Many netizens also encouraged merch enthusiasts to "trade one act of initiative for a small piece of happiness," suggesting that after buying a drink, they should proactively ask staff for the limited-edition paper bags.

However, one netizen, after seeing others' "guides," went to a nearby Nayuki store to bravely give it a try—only to find that their initiative did not get them the paper bag they wanted.

This netizen said that after buying the collaboration drink, they only received the most ordinary single-cup plastic bag, and when they asked staff, they were told the store's paper bags had already run out. The customer sighed helplessly, "Spent thirty yuan and couldn't even get two bags," feeling that they had spent money on a drink for the collaboration event, yet the store couldn't even provide the most basic limited-edition paper bag—truly disappointing. They bluntly said, "Nayuki, refund my money."

Customers with similar experiences also commented, "When my delivery order arrived, not only was there no bag, there wasn't even the themed cup. I only took the Sakura link down after I gave a bad review," "I also only got a plastic bag," "I spent over a hundred and didn't get a single bag," "I spent 30 yuan and couldn't even get a cup."

Every time a chain brand collaborates with a popular IP, it releases limited-edition materials to attract fan groups. And most people don't deny that when they order collaboration sets, they're really buying the box for the pearl—they care especially about whether their purchase will get them the collaboration merch and event experience they deserve.

Many people said that because what they want most is the limited-edition materials, when ordering through mini-programs and other channels, they pay attention to whether the interface mentions using themed cups, whether there are collaboration stickers, etc. Some even worry that busy employees might forget to include the materials, so they specifically write notes as reminders.

But in reality, Nayuki stores do not have a unified standard when executing event rules. Some stores place the collaboration paper bags somewhere within customers' reach, letting fans help themselves; other stores make up their own rules, only giving designated materials to in-store customers, or setting a limit on how many free merch items each customer can receive.

These various chaotic situations make users often sigh, "The drought-stricken die of drought, the flooded die of flood"—some people can get a full set of limited-edition merch after buying just one drink, while others spend dozens and get nothing. They believe that during limited-edition events, stores should stock enough materials so that fans who order specifically for the free gifts can have a good event experience.

If the materials have already run out, the store should promptly take the related products off the shelves. After all, fans who are buying the box for the pearl definitely don't want to spend money on a collaboration event only to end up with nothing but empty joy.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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