McDonald’s Japan has apologised after a campaign giving away limited-edition Pokemon cards with “Happy Meals” triggered long queues and social media outrage.
Launched on Friday, the McDonald’s stunt soon went awry with some people flocking to buy meals in bulk to resell the attached cards at a higher price online.
Social media was awash with complaints about long queues at McDonald’s outlets, with unverified pictures of plastic bags full of uneaten burgers and fries.
Some dubbed it the “Unhappy Meals” campaign.
“I couldn’t buy a Happy Meal for my daughter because of these people”, one user posted on X.
“I’m sure there are adult Pokemon fans who genuinely want the cards, but these resellers are truly embarrassing,” another wrote.
Similar problems have hit other McDonald’s campaigns, including past collaborations with manga series such as Chiikawa.
Announcing the latest campaign, the firm stressed that each person could buy a maximum of five meals.
In a statement, McDonald’s conceded there were some instances of “resale-driven mass purchases by customers” that led to “our food being thrown away or discarded”.
It added that it was looking to “introduce a stricter cap” on future Happy Meals purchases.
“Any attempts to buy more than permitted, repeatedly stand in the line and behave intimidatingly toward our staff” will be met with a rejection, the firm said.
The fast food giant also vowed to ask e-commerce sites to take more effective measures against unscrupulous resale. — AFP
