McDonald’s Japan apologizes for chaotic 3-day Pokemon Happy Meal promo

Following a three day limited-edition Pokemon Happy Meal campaign, McDonald’s Japan has formally apologized after resellers flocked to stores to buy out the limited edition cards while discarding uneaten meals inside and around stores. 

Photos circulating online show customers clamoring to counters and bags of food sitting on tables and on sidewalks. 

“McDonald's does not tolerate the purchase of Happy Meals for the purpose of resale, or the abandonment or disposal of food,” McDonald’s Japan said in a press release published Monday. "This incident clearly violates our long-held philosophy of 'providing a fun dining experience for children and families' and our stance as a restaurant, and we sincerely acknowledge that our response was inadequate.”

McDonald’s Japan announced the collaboration with Pokemon last Monday. The fast food chain said in a release that when customers purchase a Happy Meal, they would get a limited-edition set of two Pokemon cards. The promo was meant to span three days from Saturday to Monday but was ended after the first day. 

The limited-edition set of cards included an original Pikachu card and one randomly selected card featuring the characters Pikachu, Meowth, Swinub, Ralts, or Riolu. The promo was part of a larger, three-week campaign between McDonald’s Japan and Pokemon, through which customers will receive a Pokemon toy in their Happy Meals. 

The original release had urged customers to only buy up to five sets and to not buy sets for the purpose of reselling. But most stores quickly sold out of the limited-edition cards. McDonald’s Japan issued a statement Saturday saying the promo had ended due to “higher-than-expected sales.” 

Customers were buying Happy Meals in bulk, with some reselling the cards for a price of about $25 to $40 per card. One reseller is selling 10 unopened cards for $255. The original Happy Meals cost about $3.50, or 510 yen. 

McDonald’s Japan said in its apology that moving forward it may restrict Happy Meal orders, as well as mobile ordering and delivery. 

“Furthermore, during this period, customers who do not follow the rules and manners, such as attempting to make bulk purchases exceeding the limit, lining up at the counter multiple times, or behaving in an intimidating manner toward staff, will be denied purchases,” the food chain said. 

“At the same time, we will request that all flea market app operators take more effective measures to curb malicious hoarding and resale activities by some users as much as possible,” it added.