Shenzhen's "thousand-yuan juice" sparks widespread debate, with cost being the key factor.
[4] Compiled from: Red Star News
Recently, a milk tea shop in Shenzhen sparked heated discussion online because its olive juice is priced at 1,000 yuan per cup. Netizens exclaimed, 'Poverty limits our imagination.'
Case review
According to reports, the store involved is named 'Wild Extract Mountain · Molecular Juice.' In response to doubts about the high price, the store staff explained that the olives used for the olive juice are additive-free 'Jinyu Sannian' olives, which are relatively expensive, with an acquisition cost of more than 800 yuan per jin (500 grams). The preparation time is also longer; making a cup takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, with many steps involved, and revealing the recipe would result in penalties.
On a certain e-commerce platform, 'Ye Cui Shan · Molecular Juice' can be seen to have multiple branches in Shenzhen, and olive juice priced at 1,000 yuan is available in all stores. According to images released by the merchant, the 1,000-yuan olive juice has a capacity of about 450 ml, and the packaging is a plastic bottle similar to other drinks in the store priced at 20 to 30 yuan, except that the silver cap is replaced with a gold one, and the four large characters 'Treasure of the Store' are engraved on the bottle. In the comment section, netizens generally stated that it is 'not cost-effective.' Some netizens also posted pictures jokingly saying: 'With a golden cap and golden juice, it spells a big 'expensive.'
On November 22, the official Weibo of the Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Administration issued a notice: Recently, some short video platforms reported the situation of a certain beverage shop in Shenzhen selling "thousand-yuan beverages," which has attracted online attention. The Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Administration has quickly initiated on-site inspections, and relevant information will continue to be reported.
Price Law of the People's Republic of China
Article 6 The prices of goods and services, except for those subject to government guidance prices or government-fixed prices in accordance with the provisions of Article 18 of this Law, shall be determined by market regulation and independently set by operators in accordance with this Law.
Article 7 Operators shall set prices in accordance with the principles of fairness, legality, and good faith.
Article 8 The basic basis for an operator's pricing is the cost of production and operation and the supply and demand situation in the market.
Article 34 When the government price authorities conduct price supervision and inspection, they may exercise the following powers:
(1) Inquire of the parties involved or relevant personnel, and require them to provide supporting documents and other materials related to price violation activities;
(2) Inquire about and copy account books, bills, vouchers, documents, and other materials related to price violations, and verify bank information related to price violations;
(3) Examine the assets related to illegal pricing activities, and if necessary, order the parties involved to suspend the relevant business operations;
(4) In cases where evidence may be lost or difficult to obtain later, it can be legally registered and preserved in advance, and the parties or relevant personnel shall not transfer, conceal, or destroy it.
[1] The author's perspective
According to the provisions of the aforementioned "Price Law," it can be seen that the formulation of prices should conform to the law of value. Although Yecui Mountain, as an operator, has the right to set prices independently, it must also comply with the principles of fairness, legality, and integrity. On the other hand, value determines price, and the prices of most goods fluctuate around their value, which also reflects the function of market regulation. In other words, the basic basis for operators to set prices should be production and operating costs and market supply and demand, rather than arbitrarily setting high prices.
The author believes that although the price of this 1,000-yuan-per-cup drink exceeds ordinary imagination, since product pricing is a market-regulated behavior, businesses can set this price as long as the cost and price are aligned. It is worth noting that when explaining the 1,000-yuan pricing, Ye Cui Shan mentioned that the drink's ingredients include the 'Jin Yu San Nian' olives, which sell for seven to eight hundred yuan per jin. If the drink's cost is truly that high, then this pricing is somewhat understandable. However, if Ye Cui Shan is exaggerating in publicity or fabricating the price, then it would face legal risks, and the relevant authorities can punish it according to the law.
