A series of photos and videos of envelopes containing happy meal sets were shared on social networking services (SNS) in front of McDonald’s stores. A netizen who posted the video testified that resellers only take out Pokémon cards and throw away hamburgers nearby.
Some photos showed signs of ordering several sets at a time for the purpose of getting a free gift, with five cola in one bag. An abandoned set full of plastic bags was also found in front of a building near a store in Tokyo.
Another witness criticized the man who walked to and from the store several times with envelopes containing dozens of Happy Meals in both hands, saying, “I trampled on the children’s dreams.” A netizen who identified himself as a McDonald’s clerk said, “Since the opening at 6 a.m., customers have been flocking to the store, and at 1 p.m., all the cards have been sold out,” adding, “Some customers got angry and threw food into the trash bin, saying they would buy more despite restrictions on purchasing up to five sets.”
On the official social media of McDonald’s in Japan, complaints such as “the reality that free gifts are only given to resellers,” “Stop producing food waste,” and “Anti-social enterprises that only follow short-term profits” followed one after another.
Some Internet users said, “Food that will be thrown away should be donated to children’s restaurants,” and “Let’s limit the sale to adults.” Some also called for foreigners, especially Chinese resellers.
The popularity of Pokemon trading cards is causing side effects not only in Japan but also in the world. Last month, an assault case occurred at a GameStop store in California due to a dispute over cutting in line during a rush of people. Rare cards and vintage boxes worth about 137 million won (17,400 U.S. dollars) were also stolen in Massachusetts.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
