White Rabbit, the famous Shanghai-based milk candy brand, launched its first official bubble tea pop-up shop at LU-ONE Mall in Shanghai on May 29. It’s now the most popular store in the city with tons of customers queuing for hours for a beverage, reports Shanghai Morning Post.
Although the store has been open for less than a week, there are more and more people flocking to the shop after seeing the news on WeChat and Weibo. The shop sold 1,000 drinks on its first day and people are reportedly waiting in line for up to four hours.
“We came at around 1.30pm,” one customer in the line told Shanghai Morning Post. “Now it’s 2.30pm and we still have a long way to go to get our beverage.”
Image via Shanghai Morning Post
Customers can choose from five flavors, including original, tapioca, lemon, tiramisu and red bean. The prices of the beverages range from RMB19 (USD2.75) to RMB23 (USD3.33).
It’s no surprise that the popularity of the store attracts scalpers as well. To combat the improper behavior, law enforcement officials are on site to maintain order. Customers can only order a maximum of two drinks. Regardless, the scalpers still manage to purchase drinks and resell them at rather ridiculous prices on delivery platforms (and there are customers who would rather pay the extra money than queue up themselves).
Image via Shanghai Morning Post
Despite the frenzy surrounding the pop-up shop, many customers aren’t all that impressed with the bubble tea. “It is just the taste of any regular bubble tea out there,” one customer said with slight disappointment. “I thought it would taste like milk candy.”
To make things worse, some are reporting that the store has no license at all. Although the Market Supervision Bureau of Huangpu District has refuted the accusation, they advised that they would conduct a thorough inspection to ensure food safety.
Image via The Paper
The negative news also begs the question of whether or not it’s worth spending that much time queuing up for a cup of bubble tea.
“It’s just exploiting the classic brand,” stated another. “I don’t think it will still be this popular after two months.”
“Is their time really this cheap?” asked one netizen. “Don’t they have more meaningful things to do?”
Meanwhile, many netizens actually support White Rabbit’s venture, saying it breathes new life into the brand. This is not the first time the 60-year-old company has collaborated with other businesses. Over the years, it has also launched lipsticks, fragrances and clothes.
Image via The Paper
Image via The Paper
If you want to give White Rabbit bubble tea a try, the pop-up shop will be open until mid-August.
[Cover image via The Paper]
