Recently, some KFC stores have been widely concerned about the collection of takeaway packaging fees, which has caused consumers to disagree with the standard of takeaway packaging fees.
1. Heated discussions on issues such as opaque fees. "For a meal of 5 yuan, the packaging fee will cost 3 yuan", "I ordered three skewers and was charged 6 yuan for the packaging fee", many netizens sighed: The takeaway packaging fee hidden on the payment page is not a kind of "assassin"?
Who sets the takeaway packaging fee**? Can uniform standards be established?
"Order 3 strings and spend 6 yuan for the packaging fee".
Recently, some netizens in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province discovered that KFC began to charge a 2 yuan packaging fee.
After checking the KFC home delivery app, mini program and takeaway platform on the 11th, Zhongxin Jingwei found that KFC has not started to charge packaging fees in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other regions.
KFC's official customer service responded to Zhongxin Jingwei on the 12th, saying that the takeaway packaging fee is currently only being piloted in Jiujiang City, and it is uncertain whether the scope will be expanded in the future.
KFC's charging of packaging fees caused heated discussions among netizens for a while, and the topic also caused a discussion about takeaway packaging fees.
Do takeaways now rely on packaging fees to make money? "I ordered 3 strings and charged me 6 yuan for the packing fee. ”
The point that many netizens complained about is that many takeaways are obviously delivered together in the end, but they have to charge a packaging fee for each point, which is not a small number.
Netizens complained about the problem of takeaway packaging fees**Social**Screenshot.
On social platforms, there are countless posts on how to make up for the full reduction of takeaways, how to receive platform red envelopes, coupons, etc., and there are also many discussions about the reduction and exemption of takeaway delivery fees, but takeaway packaging has been "playing steadily" without any room for negotiation.
The reason is that the packaging fee is not on the food detail page, but only displayed on the payment page, and many consumers tend to ignore this fee when purchasing food. Secondly, the standard of the packing fee is not.
1. The details of the charges are not transparent, such as lunch boxes, plastic bags, and small sauce boxes.
On social platforms, some big Vs have also recently shared the problem of encountering "assassins" in takeaway packaging. A blogger sighed: "Although the extra packaging fee is only a few dollars, this cost is not clear and should not be borne by consumers." ”
Zhu Danpeng, an analyst in China's food industry, told China-Singapore Jingwei that "the takeaway packaging fee is reasonable. The main function of the packaging box is to ensure that the food is protected from secondary contamination during the take-out process and to prevent food leakage. ”
At the same time, Zhu Danpeng also emphasized that there should be a defined scope for the pricing of merchant packaging fees, for example, the packaging box with a cost of one dollar can be charged for two or three for one piece, but the cost of two yuan cannot be charged for a packaging fee of five yuan, which is obviously unreasonable and unacceptable to consumers.
How much does it cost to pack?
In addition to the overlay charge of packing boxes, the issue of a single packing box** has also caused a lot of controversy.
Some netizens complained on social **, "Order a spicy fragrant pot, fry a few dishes together, and the packaging fee costs 5 yuan, what kind of high-end packaging box is so expensive?" ”
Netizens complained about a spicy hot packaging fee of more than 20 yuan**Social**Screenshot.
So, how much do most of the lunch boxes and packaging bags used for takeaway packaging cost?
Zhongxin Jingwei checked the e-commerce platform on the 11th and found that the wholesale disposable lunch boxes on different platforms are different, and the wholesale store of takeaway lunch boxes with a monthly sales volume of 600,000 shows that the disposable PP fast food square box with a capacity of 1000ml has a wholesale price of 45 yuan 100 pieces, and a single lunch box** is 045 yuan, 25ml sauce box, ** is 009 yuan.
On another e-commerce platform, the lunch box of the same material** is lower, and the wholesale price of a 1000ml rectangular lunch box is 98 yuan 300 pieces, which is 033 yuan. The food-grade plastic bags used to hold lunch boxes are 100 yuan for 10,000 wholesale, and the unit price is 001 yuan.
On the takeaway platform, Zhongxin Jingwei found that regardless of the capacity and material, most merchants' packaging boxes** start at 1 yuan, and there is no upper limit for superimposing.
Mr. Wang, from Beijing, told Zhongxin Jingwei that he often orders 8 dishes from a restaurant713 yuan, and the delivery fee is only 0$7. But compared with these amounts, the packaging fee of 8 yuan seems "out of place". "Although it seems reasonable, 8 dishes and 8 packing boxes cost 8 yuan, but a shredded potato discount is only 7 yuan 9, and the packaging fee is more expensive than the dishes. ”
Mr. Wang said that due to the small volume of dishes in the store, a packing box has a capacity of about 500ml. On the e-commerce platform, the wholesale price of a 500ml capacity packing box of the same material is less than 05 yuan.
*: Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
However, some netizens said that most lunch boxes and plastic bags have a serious premium, and many bubble tea shops will use very thick thermal insulation bags, which can be recycled, and it is understandable to charge a little more packaging fees.
So, is there a premium for insulated bags in bubble tea shops?
Zhongxin Jingwei placed an order for a milk tea brand takeaway on the 11th, and the packaging fee for two cups of milk tea was 2 yuan.
Subsequently, Zhongxin Jingwei inquired about an e-commerce platform, and the size of 26*21*12 (can hold 2 cups) of milk tea insulated bag** is about 05 yuan, there are discounts for large quantities, and custom patterns can be supported.
In other words, bubble tea shop insulated bags** are more than four times the wholesale price.
Zhongxin Jingwei inquired about a complaint platform, and there were hundreds of complaints about takeaway packaging fees, most of which were complaints about merchants charging and overcharging packaging fees, and some consumers even complained that "packaging fees can sometimes reach half of the total amount of the order".
However, for the issue of packaging fees, some merchants also "have bitter words".
Previously, according to ** report, a takeaway merchant revealed: "The platform generally has a lot of full discounts, discounts, etc., and the advantage of packaging fees is that they can offset preferential fees." Some merchants even reported that due to factors such as platform commissions, mandatory participation in activities, and high distribution costs on the platform, they had to charge packaging fees to make ends meet.
Zhu Danpeng said that many merchants calculate the packaging cost into the entire operating cost, in order to increase the profit point, if the takeaway platform is required to supervise the merchant to reduce the packaging fee, it may in turn cause the merchant to be dissatisfied with the platform's commission.
Is there a standard for takeaway takeaway fees? All sides have their voices heard
Who has the power to set the takeaway packaging fee? Will the platform get involved?
On the 11th, Zhongxin Jingwei consulted Meituan Takeaway in the name of consumers, and the customer service staff said that the packaging fees for meals are set by the merchants, and based on the actual level of the first level in each place, they are set independently within the specified upper limit, and there is no unified standard.
Meituan's customer service also said, "Meituan Takeaway strictly prohibits merchants from charging fees without consumers' consent, and cannot charge unmarked fees in addition to the marked price, and continues to strengthen the governance of packaging fees to protect the rights and interests of consumers. ”
Ele.me customer service said that the platform has clear commodity management specifications for merchants, and merchants should set meal box fees truly and reasonably. If you encounter problems such as overcharging lunch box fees, you can keep the voucher and give feedback to the platform, and the platform will verify and deal with it. "We will also severely punish merchants who overcharge lunch box fees, deducting the credit score of the merchant, etc., which will directly affect the business situation of the merchant's store, and the follow-up platform will also strengthen the management and supervision of the restaurant. ”
So, is it difficult to achieve unified pricing and unified management of takeaway packaging fees?
At present, there is no corresponding regulation on the standard of takeaway packaging fees, because different restaurants have different packaging standards, and different food packaging standards are also different. Zhu Danphong said.
In addition, for issues such as unreasonable takeaway packaging fees, consumer protection committees in many places have also issued appeals, hoping that all parties will formulate detailed rules to protect the rights and interests of consumers.
On June 7 this year, the Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee announced the "Special Research Results on Takeaway Packaging Charges". The results show that the lack of specific charging rules for takeaway packaging has caused three pain points: expensive takeaway packaging charges, merchants charge packaging fees per piece, and merchants charge different prices for packaging fees on different platforms. The reason is that there are currently only reasons for charging for takeaway packaging, and there are no detailed rules for charging.
The Shanghai Municipal Consumer Protection Commission called for more detailed rules for the collection of takeaway packaging, including the name, material, specification, unit price, packaging methods of different types of food, and the rules for collecting packaging fees, whether through legislation or platform guidelines.
The Jiangsu Consumer Protection Committee also said in August this year that platforms, merchants, and consumers should "achieve" each other instead of "calculate". Merchants should reasonably charge takeaway packaging fees, and platforms should also scientifically set up a "sharing" mechanism to reduce the operating pressure of merchants. Let consumers consume clearly and further enhance the "stickiness" of users. Clarify the scope, method, and pricing standard of the packaging fee to ensure transparency and fairness. Strengthen the regulation and guidance of merchants, put an end to the opaque and unreasonable behavior of takeaway packaging fees, strictly restrict merchants who collect fees in violation of regulations, further protect the legitimate rights of consumers, and provide consumers with a fairer and more transparent consumption environment.
In response to the indiscriminate collection of takeaway packaging fees, the platform also took action. In August 2023, Meituan Takeaway set up a special management team for packaging fees to increase the random inspection and processing speed of merchants' takeaway packaging fees.
The person in charge of Meituan Takeaway said that if consumers encounter similar problems, they can call customer service ** to complain, and once verified, the platform will rectify and deal with it according to the degree of violation of the merchant. Since April of this year, there have been more than 160,000 merchants were removed from the platform or taken offline for rectification due to packaging fees.
According to China News Network.