The Colonel wishes us a Kentucky New Year.

Ever since the pandemic put the squeeze on businesses, we’ve noticed a rise in shrinkflation, where customers are being offered less for more or as much as what they would’ve paid before. As a result, some of this year’s fukubukuro lucky bags are more expensive than they were in previous years, so we’ve been especially keen to see if we’re getting more or less for our money.

Over at KFC, their 2024 lucky bag costs 3,000 yen(US$21.06), which is 400 yen more than last year’s fukubukuro, so this was a good time to see if the value still held up, despite the price hike.

Opening the bag, we found the following four items:

・KFC Original Large Capacity Leisure Bag
・A KFC Coupon
・A book of Special Tickets worth 3,900 yen

The Leisure Bag was about the same size as the paper carry bag it came in, and adorned with gorgeous retro motifs harking back to the chain’s early years in the U.S.

Made of polypropylene, it had a texture similar to an Ikea bag, and despite its compact size, it could carry a heavy load of up to 20 kilos (44 pounds).

▼ That’s a lot of fried chicken.

While the bag was a nice gift, the coupons are where we aim to get our money’s worth in a KFC fukubukuro, so we checked the special coupon card, which goes by the name “Kenta Omikuji“.

“Omikuji” refers to the random fortunes you get at shrines and temples in Japan, and in keeping with this “luck of the gods” aspect, the front of the coupon card needs to be pulled back to reveal the fortune, or coupon, you’ve received.

Peeling the sticky cover away from the card revealed the word “ざんねん” (“zannen”), which expresses disappointment. Oh well, we may not have won a secret prize or free deal, but we could still use the card to receive a discount on the two sets pictured, up until 31 March.

The Special Tickets could also be used up until the end of March, but would they offer a better deal than the coupon?

Flicking through the booklet, we found three tickets offering two free pieces of original chicken…

▼…two tickets for a free biscuit…

▼…two tickets for a free small fries…

▼…and two tickets for a free Chicken Burger or Japanese-style Chicken Cutlet Burger.

The total value of the tickets came to 3,900 yen, which is 900 yen more than we paid for the bag. That meant we received the Leisure Bag and coupons for free and were still 900 yen ahead, making this an excellent purchase.

So if you’re looking for a lucky bag that won’t disappoint, be sure to put the KFC fukubukuro on your list of must-buys. It was just as good a deal as last year’s, and we have our fingers crossed the chain will resist the urge to skimp on its offerings next year too.

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