Latest news with #HappySets
USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
McDonald's in Japan ends Pokémon Happy Meals after resellers dump food for cards
Pokémon cards have caused pandemonium among resellers globally, including in Japan, where McDonald's ended a promotion because thousands wanted a rare collectible, and not their meals. McDonald's canceled its campaign for its Happy Meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, due to resellers buying the meals simply for the coveted cards inside, but discarding the food, according to a statement posted on the company's website. The resellers would leave the food and trash outside the fast food restaurants, the company added. A toy, such as a mini plastic Pikachu, and a Pokémon card came inside the Happy Meals that resellers were clamoring for. The meals sold out in a day, according to the Associated Press, citing Japanese media. McDonald's has sold Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they typically sell for 510 yen ($3.40). Resellers are listing the McDonald's Japan Pokémon cards on eBay for roughly $28 each, USA TODAY found. In a statement, the company confirmed that customers had purchased large quantities of the Happy Sets to resell, which subsequently led to the abandonment and disposal of ordered food. The company added that it does not tolerate people buying Happy Meals to resell, while also apologizing to customers, store staff, local residents and tenant owners for the inconvenience. 'We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families.' We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate,' McDonald's said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. USA TODAY contacted McDonald's on Wednesday, Aug. 13, but has not received a response. 'We vow to return to the basics' To prevent this issue from happening again, McDonald's Japan said on its website that it may limit the number of meals each person can purchase, as well as end online ordering. Those who failed to abide by the new rules might be denied service, according to the company. 'We vow to return to the basics of what lies behind the Happy Set, which is about helping to bring smiles to families so we can contribute to the wholesome development of the hearts and bodies of children, who are our future,' McDonald's said in its statement, per the AP. Additionally, those who have a history of purchasing large quantities of the Pokémon Happy Meal will have their official app membership subject to cancellation, according to the restaurant's website in Japan. How valuable are Pokémon cards? While collecting Pokémon cards may have been a fun pastime decades ago, now it's become quite profitable with VintiCards, a card shop in Belgium, estimating that a Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10 (a card YouTuber Logan Paul owns) goes for around $5.5 million. The value of several Pokémon cards has even led to some committing crimes, including in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where a collectible shop is still recovering after between $110,000 and $130,000 worth of individual first edition and boxed Pokémon cards were stolen.
7NEWS
5 days ago
- Business
- 7NEWS
Gotta trash them all: McDonald's bins Pokemon promotion
McDonald's Japan has cancelled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologising after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving rubbish outside stores. The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports. Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores. 'We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families',' the company said. 'We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate.' McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules. Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $US1000 ($1500) or more. Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald's stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online. McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($5.30).
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
McDonald's Japan's Pokemon card Happy Meals promotion comes to an unhappy end
Fast-food chain McDonald's Japan has canceled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologizing after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving trash outside stores. The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports. Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores. 'We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families.' We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate,' the company said in a statement Monday. McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation from happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules. 'We vow to return to the basics of what lies behind the Happy Set, which is about helping to bring smiles to families so we can contribute to the wholesome development of the hearts and bodies of children, who are our future,' the company said. Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $1,000 or more. Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald's stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online. McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($3.40).
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Gotta trash them all: McDonald's bins Pokemon promotion
Fast-food chain McDonald's Japan has cancelled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologising after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving rubbish outside stores. The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports. Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores. "We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families'," the company said on Monday. "We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate." McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules. Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $US1000 ($A1500) or more. Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald's stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online. McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($A5.30). Fast-food chain McDonald's Japan has cancelled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologising after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving rubbish outside stores. The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports. Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores. "We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families'," the company said on Monday. "We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate." McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules. Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $US1000 ($A1500) or more. Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald's stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online. McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($A5.30). Fast-food chain McDonald's Japan has cancelled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologising after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving rubbish outside stores. The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports. Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores. "We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families'," the company said on Monday. "We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate." McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules. Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $US1000 ($A1500) or more. Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald's stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online. McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($A5.30). Fast-food chain McDonald's Japan has cancelled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologising after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving rubbish outside stores. The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports. Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores. "We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families'," the company said on Monday. "We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate." McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules. Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $US1000 ($A1500) or more. Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald's stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online. McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($A5.30).
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Gotta trash them all: McDonald's bins Pokemon promotion
Fast-food chain McDonald's Japan has cancelled a Happy Meal campaign that came with coveted Pokemon cards, apologising after resellers rushed to buy the meals and then discarded the food, leaving rubbish outside stores. The meals, called Happy Sets in Japan, were meant for children. They came with a toy, such as a tiny plastic Pikachu, and a Pokemon card. They sold out in a day, according to Japanese media reports. Mounds of wasted food were found near the stores. "We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our longtime philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families'," the company said on Monday. "We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate." McDonald's said it was working on ways to prevent such a situation happening again, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. It said it might deny service to customers who fail to abide by the rules. Collecting Pokemon cards is popular among adults and children in many places, with the most popular cards selling for $US1000 ($A1500) or more. Unusually large crowds were seen flocking to McDonald's stores when the meals with Pokemon cards went on sale. The cards were later being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of dollars) online. McDonald's has been selling Happy Meals for more than 40 years. In Japan, they usually sell for 510 yen ($A5.30).
