Starbucks Anti-Police Incident Backlash? Starbucks Uses Delivery Service to Educate Customers Not to Judge Others

Starbucks Delivery Controversy: Customer Displeased with Unsolicited Messages

On February 25th, a netizen posted on social media about ordering delivery from a Starbucks in Beijing. Upon receiving the order, they found messages written on the bag: "Don't judge others hastily; you never know what others are going through" and "Tolerance, kindness, and generosity are worthy of your excellence." The netizen expressed that these messages made them feel uncomfortable, as if they were being criticized.

The posting netizen mentioned that they had been very polite during the ordering process, and when the delivery arrived via the app, they promptly answered the phone and asked the delivery person to place the order in the delivery locker. When seeing the messages on the bag, the netizen initially thought the order had been delivered to the wrong person, but after confirming the order information and phone number, they verified it was indeed their order.

The netizen also noted that this didn't seem like something the delivery person would add later, as the font thickness and handwriting resembled the type of pen Starbucks uses to write on cups. Therefore, they called the Starbucks store where they placed the order to inquire about this matter. The store involved stated: "We write messages on all delivery bags. These are positive messages, intended as blessings, not attacks."

Later, the netizen mentioned that in handling this incident, whether it was the Starbucks store involved, the delivery platform, or Starbucks headquarters, all considered these messages to be blessings, while also expressing apologies. After about 1-2 hours of back-and-forth communication between the three parties, the proposed solution was to redeliver the netizen's order, and this time the bag was completely clean, with no refund provided.

Employees from the involved store also saw the post and stated that they would make corrections and hoped the netizen would delete the post. The netizen did not delete the post and expressed that they didn't understand why Starbucks would alter packaging without notifying customers, and why the store would deliver without reviewing the messaging content.

Company Response and Public Reaction

After the incident occurred, other media outlets also contacted the involved store. The staff member who answered the phone stated: "The company is still handling this matter. We were all temporarily called in to help. People from our store (the involved store) have gone to the company to cooperate with the investigation. All involved employees will face consequences." Starbucks customer service also stated: "We are very sorry that the customer had a negative experience. The original intention of the messages was to send blessings to customers and create more connection with them."

In other words, Starbucks has admitted that these "inspirational quotes" were written by them. However, regarding whether the expression of these messages constitutes blessings, the posting netizen and other netizens do not share this view. Although interpretations of text may vary from person to person, and the original intention of these phrases might be positive, given that Starbucks has experienced other incidents that generated public controversy, providing customers with "inspirational quotes" that could have dual meanings while previous public opinion issues haven't subsided would likely increase the pressure of public criticism.

Image Credits and Additional Information

Image source: Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Internet

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