Ordered 15 Chocolate Bars from Coupang, Received 15 Boxes... Suspicions Arise Over Delivery Count Manipulation

[Financial News] As Coupang faces nationwide outrage over a massive personal data leak, it is now embroiled in a controversy over excessive packaging. The issue surfaced online after a customer reported that a bundle of chocolate snacks was delivered with each item in its own box.

On the 5th, a post appeared on a social network thread titled, “15 Free Time bars + 15 boxes, Coupang, apologize to the planet,” accompanied by a photo showing numerous delivery boxes bearing the Coupang logo.
The poster, identified as A, explained that a friend had ordered the chocolates as office snacks. Although a set of 15 chocolates was purchased, each bar was shipped in its own box, resulting in a total of 15 boxes.
The photo shows each of the 15 boxes containing a single 60g chocolate bar. The post quickly went viral, surpassing 240,000 views and attracting nearly 300 comments in just one day.

Some online users questioned, “Didn’t you just order single bars multiple times?” and “Isn’t this staged?”
A responded, “Who would order 15 Free Time bars one by one?” and stressed, “Whether it’s packing 15 boxes or placing 15 separate orders, both are unreasonable.”

Coupang has faced ongoing criticism for excessive packaging.
Under the post, netizens shared similar experiences: “I ordered a set of six butter packs and received six boxes,” “Ordered four effervescent tablets and got one box per item,” and “I once ordered three pasta sauces for a trip, and each arrived separately—this is on another level.”
One user posted a photo of three boxes delivered to their doorstep after ordering three body washes of the same product but in different scents.
Last year, an online community post criticized Coupang for excessive use of 'Fresh Bags.' These containers, introduced as an eco-friendly solution for fresh food deliveries, are intended to reduce packaging waste.

A woman in her 50s, who identified herself as a housewife living in Seongbuk District, Seoul, wrote that she ordered a single carton of milk, a tray of eggs, a bag of apples, and a bottle of ketchup via Coupang’s Rocket Delivery. She was surprised to find three Fresh Bags at her door—more than enough to fit all four items.
She also posted a photo showing a total of five Fresh Bags stacked at her doorstep, including two that had not yet been collected.

Various interpretations and suspicions have emerged regarding Coupang’s over-packaging. In particular, speculative comments related to the recent data breach have caught attention.
One user wrote, “I heard that if each item is delivered separately, it counts as a separate delivery for the courier. With all the recent controversy, maybe they’re trying to help the drivers keep track.”
Another commented, “Maybe Coupang is trying to show extra care for customers these days, giving out chocolate bars one by one. It feels like they’re trying to prove how hard they’re working, but as a customer, it just feels overwhelming.”
Some suggested that packing 15 bars in one box could lead to complaints from so-called 'blacklist' customers claiming the quantity was incorrect, so the company might be trying to avoid such issues.
One comment pointed out, “From Coupang’s perspective, this kind of packaging might be easier than dealing with customer complaints.”
When another user countered, “Most online malls record the packaging process for this very reason. Why doesn’t Coupang just do that?” the original poster replied, “Would Coupang spend money on data management? This is the same company that let a data leak happen,” taking a jab at Coupang’s recent data breach.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter