On the afternoon of September 7th, the two leading bulk snack retailers, BUSYMING and Haoxianglai, issued formal responses and apologies to consumers regarding recent in-store weighing issues.
BUSYMING announced that its subsidiary brands "Snack Very Busy" and "Zhao Yiming Snacks" would establish a special fund for advance compensation. Starting September 7th, if weighing discrepancies occur at any store, customers will receive compensation equal to ten times the price difference of the incorrectly weighed items. The company also proposed multiple corrective measures for the weighing process, including equipping all stores with standard calibration weights and mandating daily scale checks before store opening.
Haoxianglai also declared that, effective September 7th, should any weighing or pricing errors be identified and verified, compensation to consumers would be raised from the industry-standard triple price difference to ten times the difference of the mis-weighed items. Furthermore, the company plans to implement stricter management of scale equipment, maintain tamper-proof order records, and enhance supervision and assessment protocols in its future operations.
The trigger for this controversy was a series of recent consumer complaints. According to public reports, a customer in Hebei purchased four pieces of beef jerky at a Zhao Yiming Snacks store, where the in-store scale displayed a weight of 0.299 kilograms, totaling 64.58 yuan. Upon re-weighing, the actual weight was found to be only 0.08 kilograms, with an owed amount of 17.29 yuan—the original reading was nearly four times the actual weight. In Henan, another consumer reported that a checkout at a Haoxianglai store totaled 111 yuan, but upon requesting a re-weigh, the amount changed to 64.8 yuan. Similar issues were reported at a Haoxianglai outlet in Wusheng County, Guang'an, Sichuan, where a bill of 111.71 yuan was reduced to just over 60 yuan after a re-weigh.
Following the exposure of these incidents, market regulation authorities in multiple regions, including Baotou in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang County in Yuncheng, Shanxi, and Funing County in Yancheng, Jiangsu, swiftly launched special inspections focused on electronic pricing scales at major bulk snack retailers such as Zhao Yiming and Haoxianglai. Some of the involved stores have already been placed under formal investigation.
The "weighing controversy" highlights the rapid and aggressive expansion the bulk snack industry has undergone in recent years. Industry research indicates that by 2025, the combined gross merchandise value (GMV) market share of BUSYMING and Wancheng Group (the parent company of Haoxianglai) had exceeded 75%, creating a significant gap between these leaders and mid-tier brands. In the first half of 2026, both companies continued to report high growth. BUSYMING achieved revenue of 45.0 billion yuan, a 60% year-on-year increase, and a net profit of 2.24 billion yuan, up 155.4%. Wancheng Group posted revenue of 34.836 billion yuan, a 54.26% rise, with attributable net profit of 1.21 billion yuan, surging 156.58%.
Their store networks are equally staggering. As of June 30, 2026, BUSYMING operated 26,405 stores, while Wancheng Group had 23,802, bringing their combined total to over 50,000 outlets. On July 20, 2026, BUSYMING announced that its signed store count had surpassed 30,000, making it the first leisure food and beverage chain in China to reach that milestone.
However, behind this rapid expansion lies the immense challenge of managing such a vast network. The bulk snack sector is deeply rooted in lower-tier cities, counties, and townships, relying predominantly on a franchise model and low-price strategies to capture market share. Yet, the average gross margin for individual stores is typically only 18% to 20%, leaving limited room for profitability. Analysts note that the industry's logic is straightforward—use capital for speed, franchising for scale, and low prices for traffic. As the number of store locations multiplies, foot traffic per store in the same region is diluted, and the payback period for some franchisees has stretched from the initial 12 to 18 months to over 24 months, significantly undermining profit expectations.
Given these thin margins, some franchisees, eager to recoup their investments, may resort to improper weighing practices. At the same time, the brand headquarters' management capacity has not kept pace with store expansion, making it difficult to establish a closed-loop control over weighing procedures, equipment management, and staff training across scattered franchise locations.
This incident serves as a stark warning for the industry. The rise of the bulk snack sector was fueled by consumers' expectations of affordability. But when even the most basic weighing process fails repeatedly, the promise of value for money becomes hollow. Whether the corrective measures announced by the two industry leaders can be effectively implemented will determine if this crisis of trust subsides or continues to escalate.