Why did the Luckin Coffee bread coupons sell out?

Luckin listed low-priced bread coupons on third-party platforms, and after stacking platform discounts buyers paid only one or two yuan for baked goods that normally sell for more than ten. Consumers stockpiled electronic coupons in bulk, then tried to redeem them at nearby stores. Many found shelves empty, with some cities reporting no stock at all.

Staff blamed thawing times and delivery cycles for the shortages, pointing to a gap between demand forecasting and supply chain response. The episode played out during a delivery subsidy war among major platforms that pushed chain brands' order values down. Chains need to match promotion volume with baking and restocking capacity, since coffee after meal pairings depend on goods actually being available.

The competition among food delivery platforms has escalated into a battle of three giants, with chain brands' average order values continuing to decline. Luckin seized the moment to launch low-priced bread coupons, triggering a frenzy of stockpiling among consumers. However, when users took their electronic coupons to stores for redemption, they found that baked goods were sold out across a wide range of nearby stores, with some cities even reporting no stock citywide. This buying spree, fueled by platform subsidies, not only reflects consumers' strong demand for cost-effective coffee companions but also exposes the disconnect between brands' demand forecasting and supply chain response. Staff explained that the thawing process and delivery cycles are the two main reasons behind the redemption difficulties. For enthusiasts who love pairing coffee with baked goods, Front Street Coffee has always advocated balancing rational consumption with quality experience, and suggests paying attention to store inventory updates and planning redemption times accordingly.

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Since Ele.me and Taobao Flash Purchase successively entered the food delivery arena on the eve of May Day, the platform subsidy war that has lasted over a month has evolved from a two-way confrontation into a three-way struggle, with competition reaching a fever pitch. An increasing number of chain restaurant brands have seen their delivery unit prices driven down, prompting delivery users to place orders in droves.

Against this backdrop, Luckin's "low-priced bread" has recently become a hotly contested target for consumers. It is reported that Luckin recently listed a limited number of low-priced bread discount coupons on third-party platforms. After stacking platform-issued discounts, buyers only need to pay one or two yuan to get Luckin baked goods that normally sell for over ten yuan on the market.

Once the news spread, a large number of consumers who had mastered this money-saving trick acted decisively, stockpiling electronic coupons in bulk. They then placed orders with nearby stores through the official mini-program, redeeming the coupons for physical goods and picking them up in-store. Many took this rare opportunity to stock up on breakfasts and afternoon teas for weeks to come, filling their home freezers to the brim with Luckin's bagels, daifuku, and other baked goods.

However, in the past two days, netizens have been posting on social media platforms reporting that when they tried to exchange their electronic coupons for bread, they found that not a single nearby store could provide the specified products. From screenshots of the mini-program shared by users, some stores had completely sold out of bread, pastries, and other items, making it impossible to process electronic coupon redemptions for customers.

Some users also said they searched every store in their city and surprisingly could not find a single shop still selling bread. "There's no stock anywhere…" "You can't buy Luckin's bagels at all, what's going on?" "The sky is falling, no bagels in small towns." "Is it true that all Luckin bagels in Guangdong are out of stock?"

Holding electronic coupons with expiration dates but unable to exchange them for actual bread and pastries left some users immediately anxious. Some spent several consecutive days monitoring menu updates at nearby stores, racing against the clock to successfully redeem when stores opened. Others went directly to stores to inquire about inventory, wanting to know if they could get the bread they had paid for before the coupons expired.

In response to customer feedback, some Luckin employees came forward to explain. They said that before closing each day, the system calculates the estimated number of light meal products likely to be sold the next day based on sales data. Employees then follow the reference values provided by the system to move frozen bread and pastries to refrigerators in advance for thawing.

However, the third-party platform's promotional campaign this time came somewhat unexpectedly, and the system failed to anticipate the demand from online users, which led to the shortage of thawed baked goods in stores. According to company regulations, even if there is still stock in the store's freezer, it cannot be sold directly to customers without thawing. Therefore, employees reluctantly stated that users who could not successfully redeem on the mini-program that day could only try placing orders again the next day.

In addition, some employees revealed that second- and third-tier cities may be subject to transportation constraints, with store materials delivered only once a week. So once baked goods at stores in certain areas sell out, local consumers may have to wait until the next week's restocking to use their electronic coupons.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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