“I Was a Regular, but I’ve Lost All Fondness for the Place” ... What Happened Over a Takeout Discount on Two Chickens?

[Financial News] A customer who ordered two chickens for takeout got into a dispute with the shop over a 2,000-won discount. The customer argued that they should have received a 2,000-won discount per chicken, for a total of 4,000 won, but the shop applied only 2,000 won per order, prompting a split in opinion online.
On the 30th, a post by a person identified as A, who said they had a dispute with a shop over a takeout discount on chicken, was shared on Threads, a social networking service (SNS). A said they had ordered two chickens for takeout from a chicken shop they regularly visited.
A realized during checkout that the discount was smaller than expected. A said, “I ordered two chickens from a place that gives you 2,000 won off when you pick up your order, but the bill showed only a 2,000-won discount,” adding, “I asked, ‘Wouldn’t it be 4,000 won for two?’ and they said that was just my opinion.”
A also said the shop’s response was unpleasant when A said they would place separate orders to get the discount applied to each chicken. A told netizens, “When I said I’d order one at a time, they muttered to themselves as if swearing,” and asked, “I used to be a regular, but I’ve completely lost all fondness for the place. Am I being unreasonable?”
Commenters expressed differing opinions on whether the takeout discount should be based on the number of orders or the number of chickens purchased.
Those who said the discount should be applied per order argued that the set amount should be taken off each takeout order, regardless of how many chickens are purchased. One commenter said, “Isn’t a takeout discount applied once per order? Whether you buy one chicken or ten, it’s 2,000 won off.”
Some commenters defended the shop’s approach by comparing it to free-shipping offers. One said, “If shipping is free on purchases of 50,000 won or more, you don’t get reimbursed for four shipping fees just because you bought 250,000 won worth of goods, do you?” They added, “If there was no notice saying the takeout discount was per chicken, then a 2,000-won discount is right.”
Some also argued that a takeout discount is a benefit given because no delivery charge is incurred. One commenter said, “I understand that they give you a discount because there’s no delivery fee when you pick it up,” and asked, “If you order two chickens for the same home through a delivery app, you don’t pay twice the delivery fee, do you?”
Others, however, felt that from the customer’s perspective, it was reasonable to apply the takeout discount to each chicken.
A commenter who identified as self-employed argued that giving takeout customers a discount for each item helps retain regulars. They said, “Customers don’t stop coming back over something trivial,” adding, “To begin with, customers go to the trouble of picking up their order to save money, and there’s no delivery commission to pay either. If you simply give them a discount per chicken, both sides feel good and you keep your regulars.”
Another self-employed commenter shared how they had changed their approach to takeout discounts. They said, “When I first started offering takeout discounts, I did it that way too (a discount per order). But when a customer said, ‘Then the two of us should come and place separate orders,’ I thought, ‘That makes sense from the customer’s perspective,’ so now I always apply a takeout discount to each menu item.”
Some commenters noted that discount policies vary by location, even within the same franchise. A self-employed person who applies the takeout discount to each chicken said, “It’s a franchise, but I heard other locations give discounts per order,” adding, “I also used to do it per order when I first started out, but a customer who ordered two chickens said exactly that, so ever since then I’ve always given the discount per chicken.”


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter