What Does the Coffee Industry Make of Bring-Your-Own-Cup Discounts?

Chagee, the Chinese tea chain also known as Bawang Chaji, has started testing a bring-your-own-cup promotion that takes 5 yuan off a drink, but only in selected regions such as Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Liaoning. The rules differ by area: in Sichuan the discount applies between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and requires asking staff for a coupon, while Liaoning runs the offer from mid-July to the end of August.

The model is familiar in the coffee industry, where chains including Starbucks, Manner, and Peet's have long given money off to customers who bring their own cups; Manner has offered 5 yuan off for years. Some customers report that staff still pour the drink into a paper cup before transferring it, and with delivery subsidies intense, the real value of the discount is being questioned.

Recently, Bawang Chaji launched a "bring your own cup, get 5 yuan off" promotion at some stores, sparking heated discussion among consumers. This discount model has long been common in the coffee industry, especially since Manner has offered 5 yuan off for bring-your-own-cup for many years, leading many to speculate whether Bawang Chaji is imitating Manner. However, the promotion is not uniform nationwide but limited to regions such as Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Liaoning, with rules varying from place to place. Some consumers noticed that staff still use a paper cup first before pouring the drink into the customer's own cup, raising questions about whether this contradicts the environmental original intention. At the same time, amid the fierce delivery subsidy wars, the value of the bring-your-own-cup discount is being tested for cost-effectiveness. This article sorts out the details of the promotion and various viewpoints, and mentions related recommendations from the Front Street brand.

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Recently, some Bawang Chaji customers noticed a sign on the counter when ordering at stores, displaying information about the "bring your own cup, get 5 yuan off" promotion.

In fact, bring-your-own-cup discounts are more common in the coffee sector. Chain brands such as Starbucks, Manner, and Peet's have all offered money-off promotions for customers who bring their own cups. Among them, "5 yuan off for bringing your own cup" is a discount strategy Manner has continued for many years, so many people speculate whether Bawang Chaji is following Manner's lead.

However, some observant consumers have noticed that Bawang Chaji's "bring your own cup, get 5 yuan off" does not cover stores nationwide, but is limited to certain regions.

Judging from the posts and images published by the brand's official accounts in various regions, the regions currently covered by this bring-your-own-cup discount include Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Liaoning. Interestingly, comparing announcements from different accounts, the bring-your-own-cup rules Bawang Chaji implements in each region are not uniform.

Taking the Sichuan region as an example, bring-your-own-cup users must visit the stores mentioned in the announcement between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. every day this month and ask staff for a coupon to enjoy the 5 yuan discount on drinks. In the Liaoning region, the promotion runs from mid-July to the end of August, and the announcement also clearly states details such as a maximum of two discounts per person per day and money off large drinks.

Regarding the brand's quiet trial of the bring-your-own-cup discount in some regions, consumers in the covered areas naturally applaud it, and some fans quick to act immediately grabbed their own cups and headed downstairs to buy milk tea after learning about it. Users outside these regions, meanwhile, left comments under these posts hoping the bring-your-own-cup discount could be rolled out uniformly nationwide so more people could enjoy high-quality, affordable tea drinks.

However, netizens who have experienced the bring-your-own-cup discount in stores have some "confusion" about the promotion the brand is implementing. In public perception, one purpose of drink shops promoting bring-your-own-cups is to reduce the use of disposable takeaway cups and demonstrate the brand's emphasis on environmental protection.

But from netizens' check-in videos and the store production process revealed by employees, after making the drink, staff first pour it from the shaker into a paper cup, then into the customer's own cup placed on the counter. Although the extra step can be explained as avoiding "contamination" from direct contact with the drink, netizens see this practice as wasting a takeaway cup and contradicting the environmental meaning of bringing your own cup.

In addition, cost-conscious consumers say that under the delivery subsidy wars on various platforms, the 5 yuan bring-your-own-cup discount does not offer a clear advantage.

After comparing prices across several options, some pointed out that Bawang Chaji's "bring your own cup, get 5 yuan off" is less generous than delivery promotion prices, and requires consumers to carry their cups to the store and queue up to order. They feel that bringing a water bottle to buy milk tea seems like "a lot of effort for little reward," and the cost-effectiveness does not meet their expectations, saying bluntly that it is "not really worth it."

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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