McDonald’s Japan announced the early cancellation of its recent letter promotion Pokemon included in the Happy Meals. This happened after the enormous demand exceeded all expectations and sparked a series of problems in several restaurants. The campaign began on Saturday, August 9 and was scheduled to conclude on Monday, August 11. However, it was interrupted by the rapid exhaustion of the letters. The abuse in the purchase of Happy Meals and the controversy generated by the massive food waste at McDonalds.
McDonald’s faces strong criticism
From the first hours of the promotion, numerous customers bought large amounts of Happy Meals with the sole purpose of obtaining the coveted cards. They ignored the set limit of five boxes per person. This practice provoked confrontations and discussions inside and outside the premises. This was evidenced in photographs and videos shared on social networks.
In them, the frustration of both buyers and staff is observed. In addition, some people began to discard the hamburgers and other products that came with the cards. In this way, they left piles of food untouched in the streets or inside the restaurants of McDonalds.
Faced with this situation, McDonald’s was forced to issue an official statement. This was to report that the distribution of letters had ended before the scheduled date due to high demand and exhaustion of stock in many establishments.
In the text, the string stated:Thank you for your preference towards McDonald’s. We inform that the distribution of letters Pokemon, scheduled from August 9 to 11, ended up in many branches ahead of time due to higher than expected sales. We are sorry that we have not met the expectations of our clients and we ask not to contact the branches to consult availability.”
Pokémon reaffirms its enormous success
The impact of this promotion was not only limited to the shortage of cards. Resale began to proliferate rapidly on online platforms, with prices exaggeratedly inflated by people who purchased large quantities of boxes to profit from. This generated more disagreement among the fans who failed to get the original cards or at their legitimate price of McDonalds.
In addition, the situation escalated to the point of requiring police intervention. According to reports, an officer went to a restaurant after receiving a call. The call was for an argument provoked when a buyer realized that there were no cards left in existence, despite having acquired several Happy Meals of McDonalds.
This is not the first card delivery event Pokemon on McDonald’s, but one of the most conflictive. On social networks, users demand that more strict controls be established for future promotions. These include a single box purchase limit per person, in order to avoid excessive resale and food waste.
The promotion promised to attract collectors and fans of the popular franchise and McDonalds. However, it ended up leaving a bitter taste due to the disorder generated. It became one of the main focuses of criticism due to the large amount of wasted food.
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