McDonald's Japan held an event offering toys from the animation "Pokémon" when purchasing the children's meal "Happy Meal," but ultimately issued an official apology. This came in response to widespread citizen protests after some resellers made bulk purchases, leading to the 'hamburger trash' situation where hamburgers were thrown away.
On the 11th, McDonald's Japan officially apologized through its website, noting, "We confirmed that congestion around the stores and the abandonment and disposal of hamburgers occurred after some resellers made bulk purchases during the event period."
McDonald's stated, "We apologize for causing significant inconvenience not only to our regular customers but also to store employees and nearby residents," adding, "McDonald's does not tolerate purchases of Happy Meals for resale or the abandonment and disposal of food."
It further stated, "This situation clearly contradicts the ideology we have cherished for many years of providing enjoyable dining experiences for children and families," and added, "We solemnly accept that our response was insufficient."
McDonald's also announced measures to prevent recurrence, including limits on the number of Happy Meals sold, a ban on bulk purchases, and the removal of customers who interfere with store operations from the official app.
Earlier, photos of bags containing hamburgers piled up outside McDonald's stores in Japan became controversial on social media. Resellers, targeting the Pokémon toys and trading cards, took only the toys from the Happy Meals while discarding the hamburgers.
Another internet user uploaded a photo showing a large number of Happy Meals thrown away outside a McDonald's store in Tokyo, saying, "Resellers only take out the Pokémon cards and throw away the hamburgers in nearby buildings."
Complaints from netizens also flooded in on McDonald's official SNS. Negative reactions included statements like, "We must stop producing food waste. This is not just a problem for the buyers," and, "McDonald's is a socially irresponsible corporation focused solely on short-term revenue while ignoring the reseller issue."
As the popularity of Pokémon cards grows, related side effects are also following. Last month, a violent incident occurred at a GameStop store in California when fans and resellers crowded around the restocking of Pokémon cards.