Refusal of sales and mobile app account bans to be implemented, following latest case of speculators spoiling fun for fans and upsetting regular customers.

Sort of like how the Pokémon multimedia franchise has multiple branches that partly, but not perfectly, overlap, McDonald’s Japan’s current Pokémon Happy Meal promotion is a little complicated. The Pokémon Happy Meals went on sale August 8, with a second batch of adorable Pokémon toys scheduled to replace the initial lineup on August 15 and be available through August 21. However, for three days out of the period, August 9-11, customers who bought a Pokémon Happy Meal got not just a toy, but also an exclusive Pokémon Trading Card Game card.

Needless to say, fans were excited, but unfortunately, so were resellers, who swarmed McDonald’s Japan branches and snatched up as many of the cards as they could in order to flip them for profit through online auctions and e-commerce sites. This prompted angry reactions from ordinary customers and genuine Pokémon fans who were upset by the displays of greed and associated litter and waste. In response, McDonald’s Japan has issued an official apology and warning through its website, which begins:

An important announcement about Happy Meal sales and McDonald’s response

During our Pokémon Happy Meal set Pokémon card promotion, we confirmed that a portion of customers bought large quantities with the intent of reselling the cards, causing congestion and confusion at McDonald’s branches and in their surrounding areas. In addition, there were instances of the associated food items being left behind at the restaurant or abandoned outside. McDonald’s deeply apologizes for the inconvenience and distress caused to our regular customers, the crews working at our restaurants, residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, and the owners of the buildings in which our restaurants operate as tenants.

Food waste in general is heavily frowned upon in well-mannered Japanese society, with shortages following World War II often regularly brought up as reminders of why food should be treated respectfully. And to clarify, the instances of Happy Meal food items being left behind aren’t referring to someone who didn’t finish each and every one of their French fries, but to resellers placing to-go orders for a half-dozen or more Happy Meals, extracting the cards and toys, and then just leaving the bags of untouched food sitting on counters or tables inside of McDonald’s restaurants or dumping them on the sidewalk outside.

McDonald’s statement continues with:

In the future, there may be instances in which we impose stricter purchase quantity limits for specific Happy Meal sets and time periods. In addition, while we acknowledge that this is an inconvenience for our regular customers, during such periods we may also place restrictions on mobile orders and deliveries. Details will be disclosed on a case-by-case basis.

In addition, during such sales restriction periods, we will refuse sales to those attempting to purchase amounts exceeding the limits, lining up repeatedly to make multiple purchases, attempting to intimidate restaurant staff, or otherwise failing to abide by the rules and behave politely. Moreover, customers whose actions have clearly interfered with the provision of the promotion’s services when purchasing Pokémon Happy Meals, or who have records of making bulk purchases, will have their accounts removed from the official McDonald’s app, as per its terms of service.

McDonald’s statement closes by saying that the company is also asking for e-commerce sites’ cooperation in “implementing more effective measures to inhibit malicious hoarding as reselling to the extent possible.” It’s unclear, though, how much clout is behind this request, though, as the act of reselling the cards isn’t illegal, so hopefully the other countermeasures McDonald’s mentions will help alleviate the problem.

Source: McDonald’s Japan
Photo: SoraNews24
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