Tokyo – McDonald’s Japan canceled a Happy Meal campaign which came with coveted Pokémon cards, apologizing after the resellers rushed to buy meals, then thrown the food, leaving the garbage outside the shops.
Meals, called HAPPY goods in Japan, were intended for children. They came with a toy, like a tiny plastic pikachu and a Pokémon card. They sold in one day, according to Japanese media.
Mountains of wasted food have been found near stores.
Hiro Komae / AP
“We do not believe in abandoning and rejection of food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to “offer a funny restoration experience to children and families”. We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate, “said the company in a statement on Monday.
McDonald’s said that he was working on means of preventing such a situation from reproducing, as limiting the number of meals that each person can buy and end online. He said he could deny the service to customers who do not respect the rules.
“We join to return to the basics of what is hidden behind the happy whole, which consists in helping to make families smile so that we can contribute to the healthy development of the hearts and bodies of children, which are our future,” said society.
The collection of Pokémon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling $ 1,000 or more.
Unusual crowds have been seen flush in McDonald’s stores when meals with Pokémon cards were sold. The cards were then sold to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online.
According to the French press agency AFP, people flocked on social networks to complain about long lines in the McDonald’s outlets, with unaccisitive photos of plastic bags full of hamburgers and uninformed fries.
Some called it the campaign for “unhappy meals”.
“I couldn’t buy a good meal for my daughter because of these people,” said an article.
“I’m sure there are adult Pokémon fans who really want cards, but these resellers are really embarrassing,” said another.
McDonald’s has been selling happy meals for over 40 years. In Japan, they generally sell for 510 yen ($ 3.40).