Many merchants say that March is the cold winter for the entire catering industry. Why do they say that? I have a friend who runs a Japanese restaurant. He specifically opened his shop during the New Year period because he said not many shops are open during the New Year, so he planned to take advantage of this business opportunity. When I passed by his shop during the New Year and chatted with him, he said business was a bit better than usual, but not as much as he had expected, though he was still somewhat satisfied. However, after the New Year, business immediately became worse than usual, and the most obvious reason is that everyone has no money.

Many people say that Guangzhou during the New Year is a ghost town. This is because most of the transient population in Guangzhou are from other places, and during the New Year, they all return to their hometowns. However, many people look forward to the return of outsiders to Guangzhou after the New Year. This year, surprisingly, the number of outsiders returning to Guangzhou is quite low. Friends who often go shopping can easily notice that since March and April, there have been significantly fewer people on the streets. Even during the recent Qingming Festival holiday, many popular spots have lost their former prosperity. It may really be due to the poor economy, but the rising cost of living has discouraged many people.

Many people's New Year expectation is that business will be better this year, but (not to pour cold water) it has turned out the opposite. Many restaurants have closed down, and on the streets, many shops are posting signs for lease. Some might say it's because big capitalists have forced them into a corner. In fact, that's not the case. I work at Luckin Coffee, a large enterprise, and also at a private coffee shop. Luckin has surpassed Starbucks to become the leader in China's coffee industry, but it's also not doing well. Luckin's actions in March have also hurt many workers' hearts.

At the end of February, Luckin held a meeting for many store managers to announce the direction for the next month. Besides reminders about food safety, the biggest move was to increase efficiency by reducing staff. To put it bluntly, it means shortening the number of employees. Usually, the number of people assigned to a store depends on the order volume and peak periods. So, during peak times, more staff are scheduled, and during low periods, staff are reduced. This month's drastic measure was to significantly cut the number of staff scheduled throughout the day. In our store's case, it basically means having one person on duty, and only two during peak times.

However, in Luckin's scheduling, there is a priority order. Full-time staff are scheduled first, followed by part-time staff, which are further divided into two types. My type of part-time job is scheduled last, so basically, I couldn't get any shifts in March. My other part-time colleagues also couldn't get shifts because our store has three full-time and three part-time staff, so it would be a long time before it would be my turn. Therefore, in March, my shifts at Luckin were really pitifully few, and there were no working hours at my own store, but Luckin, being such a large company, has its unique aspects.

In Luckin's software workstation, there is something called store support. One reason why Luckin can be the number one in China's coffee industry is its standardized management. No matter which Luckin store you go to, the products are the same. So, when a store is short-staffed, they can ask for help from staff at other stores. The usual procedure is for the store manager to find a colleague and send out a support request. Once the colleague accepts the invitation, they can go to work at that store. This is helpful for some newly opened stores or those with temporary needs.

Since many part-timers at our store couldn't get shifts, the store manager couldn't just sit and wait, as many colleagues also need to make a living. So, some store managers will contact other store managers to see if they can provide some working hours for their colleagues. At the same time, they will also add us to some part-time groups, where many store managers and part-timers are present. When there is a need, the store manager will post the store address and available shifts in the group. If a colleague finds a store that needs help, they can add the store manager's WeChat for further inquiries.

One night, I saw a store looking for support, so I tried to add the store manager's WeChat. The store is in Luoxi, which is quite far from my home, but it's okay to ride an electric bike, about forty minutes. This was also my first time working at an unfamiliar store, which made me a bit nervous. After all, I didn't know anyone at this store and wasn't clear about where things were placed, so I needed some time to adapt. Therefore, I arrived there about ten minutes early to familiarize myself with the environment.

When I arrived, the store manager and the assistant manager were there, and they were quite friendly. They introduced me to the placement of different items and explained the order of different positions to make it easier for me to get started. Besides getting familiar with a new environment, there was another challenge: the order volume at different stores varies. From stores with low order volumes to those with high volumes, it can be overwhelming because it tests the speed of order processing. So, when the orders started coming in, I felt a bit flustered, especially since I hadn't worked for a while and was a bit rusty with the recipes.

However, the store manager was understanding and tried to help me, so after a tense period, we finished a peak time. I looked at the backend data, and the order volume for half a day was more than what we usually do in a day. So, it felt quite tough for me, and there was some pressure, but it also trained my speed in processing orders. By the next day, I had already started to get the hang of it. The store manager was also quite tolerant of the supporting part-timers and would kindly remind me of the areas where I wasn't doing well, so going to a good store allowed me to learn some good techniques.

Besides going to Luoxi, I have supported four stores in total. The store in Huijiang is the one with the highest order volume among the stores I have been to, and it is known as the "thousand-cup store." It is basically busy all day long, and only in the evening can we catch a breath. I also witnessed how high-volume stores collaborate and improve efficiency. At that time, there were four people on duty, and each person had a specific responsibility. As long as we focused our thoughts and paid a little attention, everything was fine. Moreover, it felt like time passed very quickly. I worked for eleven hours, but it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Of course, now that April has started and the weather is getting warmer, beverage-related restaurants are slowly recovering, and Luckin's order volume is also gradually increasing. So, there may be more opportunities to work in the future. However, right now, I feel a bit displaced because I have to go to many different places and adapt to different stores. It feels a bit like a wanderer being taken in by different families. This may also be the reality for many part-timers at Luckin, where their own store cannot provide working hours, and they have to go far to support, which increases the time cost, making it quite helpless.