McDonald's in Japan tightens Happy Meal regulations to prevent further escalation
McDonald's Introduces Sanrio Happy Meal Amidst Strict Rules to Prevent Bulk Purchases and Food Waste
McDonald's Japan has launched a new Happy Meal promotion, featuring popular Sanrio characters such as 'My Melody', 'Kuromi', a train toy, and a picture book with 'Cinnamoroll'. However, the company has implemented strict rules to prevent bulk purchases for resale and food waste.
Last month, some buyers purchased up to 20 pieces of the Pokémon Happy Meal, costing 500 yen each. This chaos caused by the Pokémon Happy Meal in August prompted McDonald's to set a maximum limit of three Happy Meals per customer group. Multiple purchases by the same customer group are not allowed.
Purchases of the Sanrio Happy Meal can only be made directly in stores and cannot be ordered through mobile, drive-thru, or delivery services. The company strictly prohibits the reselling of the Sanrio Happy Meal and does not tolerate food waste.
The rules for the Sanrio Happy Meal are intended to 'prevent bulk purchases for resale and leaving food behind'. McDonald's Japan has also limited the number of meals per customer to prevent bulk purchases for resale.
The introduction of the Sanrio Happy Meal is not the first time a McDonald's promotion has caused a stir. In 2015, the BTS meals and Hello Kitty plush toys in Singapore were also highly sought after, leading to similar chaos.
Kieran Gibb, founder of Monogic, stated that the Pokémon Happy Meal chaos could leave a 'bitter taste' with Japanese consumers, especially in a society that values social etiquette and the avoidance of food waste.
Representatives of McDonald's did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
Despite the strict rules, at least two 'My Melody & Kuromi' toys from the Sanrio Happy Meal were listed on Mercari, Japan's largest online resale market, for up to 3000 yen each. Numerous Pokémon cards from the Pokémon Happy Meal were also listed on Mercari for similar prices.
The search results do not provide the name of the person overseeing the enforcement of rules to prevent multiple purchases and food waste at McDonald's Japan during the September 2022 Pokémon Happy Meal chaos.
Despite the controversy surrounding the Happy Meal promotions, McDonald's stock has risen by around six percent over the past year. It remains to be seen how the Sanrio Happy Meal will fare in the Japanese market.
