What happened in the street coffee pickup dispute?
A customer in Guizhou placed a self-pickup order, could not find the shop, and asked to switch to delivery. The barista, working alone, had already made and packed the drink and could not leave the store, so the request was refused. The customer then came to the counter, poured the coffee across it, and left, according to media reports.
Videos of the incident spread quickly online and drew wide discussion about coffee culture and customer behavior. Many commenters sided with the barista, who cleaned up alone after the customer also made harassing phone calls. The shop did not call police. Reports note self-pickup orders can be resolved through courier services and calm communication.
Recently, a customer in Guizhou, unable to find the store for a self-pickup order and denied a request to switch to delivery, went to the shop and poured coffee across the counter. The incident, reported by multiple media outlets, sparked widespread discussion. The barista, working alone, could not leave the store to deliver, while the customer vented frustration through harassing phone calls and pouring coffee. Netizens generally felt the barista's actions were understandable and the customer's behavior excessive. The shop did not call the police, and staff cleaned up themselves. Front Street Coffee reminds that self-pickup orders can be resolved through courier services, and civilized communication is the way to resolve conflicts.
▲
Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop
Yesterday, First Scene, Yangcheng Evening News and other media reported that a netizen in Guizhou posted a short video on social media, saying a customer deliberately knocked over coffee at the store to vent anger after the barista did not meet their request.
According to the video circulating online, an angry customer walked toward the store, picked up a cup of coffee from the pickup area, and while loudly shouting "You won't deliver, right? I don't want it anymore," poured the coffee across the counter. The barista who stepped forward was caught off guard by the sudden scene. Before they could speak, the customer poured the coffee and turned to leave, leaving a mess behind.
After the video was uploaded to social platforms, it immediately attracted a large number of netizens to watch and discuss. Many were curious why the consumer in the footage was so furious and speculated about the specific reason for the conflict between the customer and the barista.
However, the specific sequence of events reported by the media surprised the public. It is understood that the reporter contacted and interviewed the staff at the shop involved. The staff member said that the customer in the viral video had placed a self-pickup order that day, and not long after, called the store saying they could not find the shop and could not pick up the drink themselves, requesting to cancel the order and get a refund.
But because the barista had already made and packed the drink, they had no choice but to tell the consumer that a refund could not be given as requested. Upon hearing this explanation, the customer immediately proposed changing the pickup method from self-pickup to delivery, asking the barista to deliver the drink they had ordered. However, at that time only one employee was on duty in the store and could not leave the workstation, so the barista on duty refused the solution proposed by the customer.
Unexpectedly, after that, the customer repeatedly harassed the store by phone, disrupting the barista's normal work. Later, the customer suddenly appeared angrily on the store's surveillance camera and poured all the coffee they had purchased across the counter to vent dissatisfaction with the store.
In response, netizens who learned what happened expressed their views one after another: "What did the barista do to deserve this? Working alone is annoying enough already," "Self-pickup, but couldn't find the store. Found the store again just to pour coffee??" "Self-pickup means picking it up yourself," "Disrupting normal business operations—can't there be some punishment too?"
In most people's view, it was understandable that the store employee refused to deliver a self-pickup order because they could not leave their workstation without permission. On the other hand, if consumers cannot pick up their drinks at the store for personal reasons, they can actually solve the problem through third-party courier services.
But the person involved chose to vent dissatisfaction through phone harassment and going to the store to pour coffee, which the public opposed. They believed the customer's actions had affected the store's normal operations and caused trouble for the barista. Many even suggested the store call the police and make the customer apologize for their uncivilized behavior and clean up the mess.
However, according to media reports, the shop involved did not seek police help over this conflict, and the coffee spilled all over the store was cleaned up by the employee on duty.
The images and videos in this article are from the 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, some images and texts may not have been credited in time. Please forgive us. If the original author has any dispute, they may contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. 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.
