“Even these born poor worry the warmth.” This slogan, printed on a lemonade from Mixue, a drinks-and-ice-cream chain, says rather a lot about Chinese language consumption. The beverage has been a wild success throughout a heatwave sweeping the nation, much less for its tart, refreshing properties than for its value. A cup sells for as little as 3.6 yuan ($0.50), in contrast with 15 yuan for milk tea. Its reputation, bloggers speculate, displays darkening shopper sentiment and rising stinginess. Customers are quickly buying and selling down, from higher-cost items to low-cost substitutes, and lots of wish to squeeze out each final drop of their spending energy.
