How does the QR code ordering debate relate to coffee pot how to use questions?

A customer at a tea shop was refused counter service and told to scan a QR code, register as a member and order online, even though only one other customer was present. She had felt unwell from low blood sugar and wanted a sweet drink quickly. The post drew wide discussion about ordering methods.

Staff cited missing cash register systems, difficulty with change and short staffing as reasons QR code ordering became standard. Some customers find it efficient, while others question why on-site ordering is blocked when the store is quiet. The debate reflects the balance between speed and human service, much like learning how to use a coffee pot or how to work a coffee pot at home.

These days, walking into many tea shops, it seems to be getting harder and harder to simply order a drink directly from the staff — scanning a QR code, registering, and ordering online have become the standard process. Recently, a netizen shared an experience of being refused when trying to order directly at the counter due to feeling unwell, sparking widespread discussion. Some agree that QR code ordering is efficient and saves time, while others question why on-site ordering is still not allowed when there are no other customers. Tea shop employees revealed that factors such as not being equipped with a cash register system, difficulty making change with cash, and insufficient staffing make QR code ordering a helpless choice for most stores. This debate about ordering methods reflects the difficult balance between efficiency and humanized service.

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Recently, a netizen posted on social media complaining about her QR code ordering experience at a tea shop, and the post quickly attracted a large number of onlookers and discussions.

According to the poster, that day she suddenly felt unwell in a shopping mall, suspected it was caused by low blood sugar, and quickly found a nearby tea shop. When she entered, there was only one customer present, and the staff was packing a drink for that customer. Seeing this, the poster walked to the counter intending to order directly, but unexpectedly was explicitly refused by the staff.

With the staff repeatedly emphasizing that ordering must be done by scanning the QR code, the person had no choice but to follow the process: scan the code, register as a member, and order online. It took several minutes before she finally got a cup of sweetened drink that could relieve her discomfort. Looking back on this experience afterward, she could not help but ask: "I don't understand why some businesses now require customers to scan a QR code before they can place an order. When there are no customers, why can't we just order directly?"

After the post was published, it quickly drew many netizens to comment and discuss. In everyone's memory, buying milk tea in the past meant walking directly to the counter, telling the staff what you wanted, and after confirming, scanning to pay or giving cash. But no one knows when it started, yet the front desk of tea shops no longer provides manual ordering service. If you want a drink, you first have to scan a QR code, register an account, and only then can you choose a product from the menu.

Objectively speaking, QR code ordering is indeed more time-saving and efficient than manual ordering. Customers' needs can be conveyed directly through product options and notes, without the staff having to ask additional questions and then manually mark them.

But the problem is that this efficient ordering method is not suitable for everyone. Foreign users without online payment apps and consumers accustomed to paying in cash may all be unable to buy drinks because they cannot scan a QR code.

"After returning to China, I wanted to drink Luckin, but I had no domestic phone number and no internet, and it took me a full ten minutes to successfully place an order." "Now in many stores, as soon as you scan the code, it first leads to some official account, and then you have to go through a bunch of steps before you can start ordering." "I finally found a milk tea shop and thought I could just order quickly and be done with it, but they still ask you to take out your phone and do this and that." "I'm already standing right in front of them, so why can't I order on the spot and have to scan a QR code instead?"

Faced with these questions, some tea shop employees explained that the fundamental reason they repeatedly ask customers to order by scanning a QR code is that the store has not installed a cash register ordering system. They said that although there are machines in front of the counter, these devices are mainly used to print receipts and labels, not the ordering machines customers assume them to be.

In this situation, if customers cannot order by scanning a QR code, employees can only use their own phones to operate on the customer's behalf, which not only adds trouble for employees but also takes up time for making drinks. Therefore, most employees will suggest that customers scan the code themselves to reduce communication costs.

In addition, some employees also revealed that because fewer and fewer people pay in cash at stores, many tea shops may not have prepared enough change at all. Therefore, they prefer customers to pay online, so that the store does not need to specially keep banknotes on hand, and the person in charge does not need to make a special trip to the bank every month to deposit money.

Besides the above two points, some staff members also said helplessly that many chain stores are already understaffed. Employees are too busy serving food to spare anyone to receive customers at the front desk. The QR code ordering system happens to help stores eliminate the step of ordering and cashiering, allowing employees to focus more energy on making drinks.

However, if encountering special circumstances such as the poster's sudden physical discomfort, some warm-hearted employees said that as long as customers explain the situation clearly, then, on the premise of not violating store rules, most of them are willing to provide help, such as first giving a cup of sugar water to relieve symptoms, or making the drink first and having the customer pay afterward.

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