"Order of 300 Coffees" What Is a 'Seubeok Bag'... Concerns Over Resellers

Starbucks Korea Offers Travel Bag Giveaway
Some Consumers Order 300 Coffees to Receive 17 Gifts
Concerns Over Resellers Selling Giveaway Items

Starbucks Event Bag 'Summer Ready Bag'
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Some controversy has arisen over the giveaway event Starbucks Coffee Korea is holding this summer, as it shows signs of overheating.

One consumer even ordered 300 iced Americanos solely for the purpose of obtaining the giveaway items. Additionally, posts seeking the giveaways are continuously being uploaded in online cafes where local residents gather.

Meanwhile, there is a flood of posts on secondhand sites selling the giveaway items at a premium after securing them. As a result, some have pointed out that those who have secured a large quantity of these bags might be engaging in "reseller" activities (reselling giveaway items).

Experts say this phenomenon reflects a goods craze but warn that the overheating aspect is problematic.

Starbucks event phrase. Photo by Starbucks Korea website capture

Starbucks Korea has been running an "e-frequency event" from the 21st of last month until July 22, where customers receive one online sticker called an "e-frequency" each time they purchase a qualifying beverage, and upon collecting a total of 17 stickers, they receive a giveaway item.

The giveaways are the Summer Ready Bag and the "Summer Chair." The Summer Ready Bag is a sturdy multipurpose bag embossed with the Starbucks logo. The Summer Chair is a foldable chair designed specifically for summer picnics. It is easy to carry in the bag, making it convenient for anyone to use during the summer vacation season.

The problem lies in the overheating rush for the popular giveaway, the Summer Ready Bag. On the 22nd, at a Starbucks branch near Yeouido Park in Seoul, one consumer ordered a total of 300 beverages and paid approximately 1.3 million won in a lump sum.

This consumer drank only one of the beverages and left the rest at the store, taking 17 Summer Ready Bags and leaving the premises.

The store stated that after offering the leftover beverages to other customers for free, any remaining coffee was discarded.

A bulletin board filled with secondhand transaction posts for 'Summer Ready Bag'. Photo by an online secondhand trading site capture.

Meanwhile, on an online secondhand trading board, numerous posts are offering the "Starbucks Summer Ready Bag" for resale. Around 200 posts appeared over two days from the 24th to the 25th.

Another internet cafe posted that the Summer Ready Bag was being sold for 80,000 to 100,000 won.

On social networking services (SNS) such as Twitter, a kind of know-how on buying 17 beverages at the lowest price (68,700 won) all at once has been shared, along with certification shots of receiving the bag and information on stores where the bags are available.

In one local online cafe, residents are sharing information about Starbucks branches that are presumed to have giveaway stock in order to obtain the Summer Ready Bag.

An online community in a certain region. Members searching for the Starbucks Summer Ready Bag. Photo by Online Community Capture

Some have expressed growing concerns about possible reseller activities.

Just a few days after the "e-frequency event" began, posts selling the Summer Ready Bag for 80,000 to 170,000 won flooded online shopping malls and secondhand trading sites.

To get the bag, one must drink 17 Americanos priced at 4,100 won each, totaling about 70,000 won, but selling it on the secondhand market for 80,000 to 100,000 won can yield a profit of up to 30,000 won.

In response to this situation, Starbucks explained that they prepared a generous quantity of giveaways this year to prevent overheating and reseller activities.

Experts say this phenomenon is a kind of goods craze but warn that excessive enthusiasm can backfire.

Professor Kwak Geum-ju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology said in an interview with CBS Nocut News' "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on the 25th, "Nowadays, everything is fandom," adding, "When fandoms form like this, the biggest thing to be cautious about is the crowd psychology that compels people to buy and support unconditionally."

She continued, "Ordering 300 cups of coffee is excessive. I wonder if some kind of marketing activity is also taking place here."

She especially noted, "If Starbucks does not come up with some ideas or restrictions regarding these matters, this could become distorted and may lead to adverse effects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.