Starbucks China Driven Mad! Older Women Hog Seats Without Buying, Forcing Stores to Lock Them

Look at the Starbucks. It's hilarious. It's not a royal throne, but they've locked it up. I can't stop laughing. Seats at Starbucks have been locked up. A social media user in Sutran posted a video showing tables and chairs chained together outside a nearby store. A sign on the table read, for paying customers only. Staff said older visitors often occupied seats for long periods. Asking them to leave was difficult and could lead to arguments, so the store locked the furniture. Staff said they would unlock it immediately for anyone making a purchase. The incident quickly sparked debate online, with overwhelming support for Starbucks. Users said they often saw the same scene. Spacious, stylish stores filled with older men and women in heavy clothing. They arrived in groups and took nearly every available seat, without buying anything. They chatted, stared into space, or scrolled on their phones. Some crossed their legs and settled in to play cards. Many customers said the atmosphere made them want to turn around and leave. The relaxed upscale coffee house experience was gone. Users have shared other unusual scenes at Starbucks stores in China. One video showed a vlogger taking his father and grandmother, who live in the countryside, to Starbucks for the first time. The two picked up chopsticks and dug into their frappuccinos and a slice of matcha cake. The vlogger sat beside them, happily recording the family moment. The video amused viewers. One wrote, they made Starbucks look like a breakfast of rice porridge and pickled vegetables. Another said, I went to a cafe alone to look moody. I spent 60 yuan, saw this, and felt even more depressed. Another user joked, the first time I went to Starbucks, everyone had a laptop, so I asked the barista, where's mine? Another wrote, their table manners may look unusual, but at least they're not bothering anyone. If you don't like watching, just look away. Another video showed a more disruptive scene. An older man sat in Starbucks without ordering anything and talked loudly on his phone. None of his companions stopped him. Instead, they smiled defiantly at the person filming. Commenters said Starbucks was in a difficult position. Retirees filled the stores, bringing thermoses for free water and staying for the air conditioning, while talking loudly on their phones. Users urged them to consider others and take their loud conversations home. Others said Starbucks had become a gathering place for middle aged and older people, arranging dates and matchmaking. Many occupied seats for hours, sprawled out, removed their shoes, put their feet on the tables, and left litter behind. Users said this behavior disrupted a shared space intended for customers to relax. As the locked-seat story spread, Starbucks China confirmed to several Chinese news outlets on October 21 that stores nationwide would introduce a purchase-to-sit policy on October 22. Signs would encourage customers to buy something before using the seats. A reporter from Chinese outlet Jiopai News visited a Starbucks store as a customer. An employee confirmed that the store had received the new guidelines. The employee said customers were encouraged to buy something before sitting down, but exceptions would apply. They said delivery workers, people sheltering from the rain, people on duty, including nearby security guards, pregnant women and others who need a short break can come in and rest without buying anything. We also provide free hot water. The employee said stores would put up signs explaining the policy. We won't strictly require everyone to make a purchase. If someone's already seated, we'll give them a reminder. It also depends on the situation at each store. Taijing Magazine quoted a Starbucks employee as saying small table signs would go up within a few days. They would serve as reminders without requiring purchases. During busy periods, however, paying customers would get priorities for seats. Around 70% of that store's seats were occupied at 10 a.m. that day. By noon, it was essentially full. Starbucks said it would give store employees consistent service guidelines and the support they needed. Staff would be asked to communicate politely and respond appropriately to customers' reasonable unexpected needs and special circumstances. Staff would give priority assistance to customers who needed help, including those with limited mobility. Starbucks said the policy would remain flexible within clear service rules. it would also keep investing in the store experience and work with customers to maintain its third place. The third place is the long-standing part of Starbucks' branding. It means a place outside home and work where people can relax, socialize, and connect. Beyond buying drinks, many customers visit its cafes to read, work, or use their laptops. Complaints about older visitors' behavior at Starbucks have persisted for years. One vlogger offered an explanation for the timing of the new policy. You've seen the news. Starbucks started asking people to leave today. No purchase, no seat. It sounds reasonable, but it set off a huge debate online. It seems like a small issue, but behind those seats is the reason more than a billion people are afraid to spend. There are fewer places to get things free this year. Before, if you got tired shopping, you could sit in Starbucks and enjoy the air conditioning all afternoon. Nobody bothered you. You could watch short dramas, collect virtual coins, and cash them out for 0.8 yuan in pocket money. Now you have to buy something to sit down. The vlogger also explained why Starbucks had tolerated this before, but was changing course now. Many accused it of abandoning its original mission. It once promoted itself as a third place and an urban living room, but now seemed to be turning people away. The vlogger said that concept had originally helped Starbucks attract new customers. The purchase to sit policy was now a way to survive. At peak times, half the seats are occupied by people working on laptops. The other half are taken by people chatting or scrolling on their phones. Customers who buy coffee may leave if they cannot find a seat, but some of those staying for hours are dealing with unemployment. They leave home at 8.30 a.m. with a laptop and tell their families they're going to work, even though their company has already shut down. Afraid to tell their parents or children, they buy the cheapest Americano and sit in a corner submitting resumes and revising proposals. They keep up appearances, then head home at the usual time. Others are new entrepreneurs or freelancers who cannot afford several thousand yuan a month for an office desk. A coffee costing 20 to 30 yuan lets them use the cafe as a workspace. At 500 to 600 yuan a month, it is described as the cheapest desk rental in China, with air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and hot water included. For many adults, those seats provide a place to hide the hardship and embarrassment they're struggling with. The underlying problem goes beyond poor behavior by older visitors. The economic slowdown has made jobs harder to find, incomes less stable, and household budgets tighter. People want to spend, but they're afraid to. Then there are Starbucks' own finances. Its annual sales per square foot are only a little over 1,860 yuan. Luckin Coffee's figure is more than twice that. Luckin focuses on quick pickup orders and uses its space to generate sales. At Starbucks, large areas remain occupied for hours by customers spending just 20 to 30 yuan. Utilities, cleaning, and labor still have to be paid. Loud groups of older visitors who buy nothing add to the strain. Many people once went to Starbucks for the status it represented. Holding a green cup in a cafe corner or walking down the street seemed part of an upscale white collar lifestyle. Now, decent coffee costs 9.9 yuan, and many even consider 13 yuan expensive. They can afford it, but after reviewing their daily expenses, they no longer feel like paying to keep up appearances. Many are unwilling to spend 20 to 30 yuan for that image. As the brand loses its appeal, costs become harder to ignore. Visitors who bought nothing once helped stores look busy. Now they are simply an expense. The vlogger said Hongguo, a short drama app, announced that same day that it would discontinue its virtual rewards by year's end. He saw the same logic at work. Coffee shops and apps once offered freebies to attract users. Then they used those numbers to pitch investors, raise money, and expand. Now that user growth is slowing, they can no longer keep spending that way. People drawn by freebies and discounts may cost more to serve than they bring in. Businesses respond by trying to filter them out. He drew three conclusions. First, free perks will keep shrinking. Physical gathering spaces and online subsidies will gradually come with a price. The days of constantly chasing freebies are ending, and people should adjust their expectations. Second, spending heavily to attract users no longer works. Physical stores and online businesses alike must refocus on their products and services. Third, although consumers are being forced to trade down, that pressure is also pushing businesses to offer better products at more reasonable prices. The vlogger concluded that both Starbucks and their customers face difficulties. Businesses and customers alike have to watch their budgets. Businesses need to survive. Customers want a decent place to spend time without spending much money. Those competing needs have fueled the debate. More broadly, Starbucks' fading appeal, shrinking internet subsidies, and repeated cuts in consumer spending all reflect China's economic downturn. Businesses and individuals once relied on online traffic, premium pricing, and expectations of rising property values. As those supports weaken, they must focus on actual value and manage their finances more carefully. That adjustment will be difficult. Users broadly agreed with the vlogger's analysis. One wrote, I support Starbucks on this. People shouldn't take up seats without buying anything. Another said, they should have done this long ago. Every time I go for coffee, so many seats are taken by people who haven't bought anything. A third wrote, the most annoying ones bring drinks from Luckin, Mixue or Cotti and sit there all day. No wonder Starbucks is frustrated. Other users said Starbucks had tolerated older visitors because of the spending they could indirectly bring in. Even if the company disliked serving people who bought nothing, it worried that treating them too harshly could cause disputes and alienate their children and younger relatives. Another user said, the main customers have shifted from people seeking an upscale cafe experience to people pretending to go to work. Sales have not risen, but seats have become harder to find. Stores are nearly full at peak times. The small amounts of cold coffee left in customers' cups suggest they've been there for hours. Most order just one coffee and nothing else. In those circumstances, Starbucks can no longer afford to let non-paying older visitors occupy seats. A female delivery driver added another painful perspective. I'm trying something fancy today. Go ahead and laugh. I'm 28 and this is my first Starbucks. I only got it because I accidentally spilled it. Customer service refunded the order and the customer didn't want it anymore. This little bit is all that's left. It's basically just ice. More than 30 yuan for this little bit of ice. This ice is really expensive. One commenter wrote, go ahead and laugh. I'm almost 40 and I can't bring myself to spend two and a half yuan for a steamed bun for breakfast. Every week, I look for bread that's close to expiring. I buy the kind that costs eight yuan and lasts me a week. It tastes pretty good. You might laugh, but I don't know anything about Starbucks. I just know that lean meat at about 15 yuan a pound plus three yuan worth of green peppers makes a stir-fry that feeds my child and me for one meal. Ordinary people can live simply and still be happy. Another user joked, I was lucky enough to taste Starbucks once. A couple were arguing and threw down a drink. I happened to walk past and a drop splashed into my mouth. I still remember the taste. A less widely known fact is that Starbucks in China is now controlled by Chinese capital. According to The Guardian, Starbucks sold a controlling stake in its mainland Chinese retail business last year to Boyu Capital, an investment firm based in Hong Kong. Boyu is linked to the family of former CCP leader Jiang Zemin, who has been called the most corrupt man in China. The firm is headed by his grandson, Alvin Jiang. Jiang Zemin is viewed as a leading figure responsible for the persecution of Chinese people. Observers noted that Starbucks China had over 8,000 stores by the end of September this year, a net increase of 331 for the year. But its operations in China have struggled in recent years. It faces intense competition from domestic brands and consumers cutting back as their budget shrink. It has also faced scrutiny over human rights. Boyu Capital opened two stores in Xinjiang on September 29. Videos on Chinese social media showed long lines outside a Starbucks in a room key. Influencers also visited to showcase specialty drinks. John Molinar, chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on China, said the Chinese Communist Party has detained more than a million Uyghurs and stripped them of their faith, language, and culture. He said there was no justification for an American company to operate in such a region. Every drink it sold there would link it to the party's brutal human rights abuses against Uyghurs. He said opening new Starbucks stores there disregarded basic human morality and called for their immediate closure. The U.S. government, several other countries, and human rights groups have accused the CCP of committing genocide in Xinjiang. The United Nations has also warned of possible crimes against humanity there, including the detention of more than a million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities. Observers said Starbucks China's locked seats and purchase-to-sit policy had drawn little strong opposition and even won public support. Around the same time, it took a political risk by opening stores in Xinjiang. They said both moves reflected the same underlying pressure. Low-priced domestic rivals and consumers trading down have made its mainland business increasingly difficult. It is cutting its costs and expanding into a controversial region. Tighter seating rules, a focus on maximizing profit, and a retreat from its original brand ideals are described as predictable moves under Boyu Capital's control, though ordinary Chinese consumers may be unaware of that connection. The new policy and Xinjiang expansion may offer little chance of a turnaround. Neither can reverse China's continuing economic slowdown or weak consumer confidence.