McDonald’s Japan cancels One Piece card giveaway following Pokémon TCG chaos
McDonald’s Japan has announced that it will be canceling the upcoming “Happy Meal” promotion that was set to feature exclusive cards for the One Piece Card Game.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, the 20th of August, just days before the promotion was due to start.
The company stated that the decision to cancel the giveaway, which was originally scheduled to begin on the 29th of August, was made as “part of a review of Happy Meal-related measures.”
This move is a direct response to the widespread problems and public backlash that occurred during the recent “Happy Meal Pokémon Card Campaign.”
That promotion, which began on the 8th of August, was intended to run for three days but was halted in less than 24 hours due to the chaos it created.
Stores were overwhelmed from the early morning hours by scalpers making mass purchases to obtain the exclusive promotional cards, leading to widespread congestion and disruption.
The situation was exacerbated by numerous, widely circulated reports of the purchased food being abandoned on tables, counters, and even dumped on the streets near the restaurants.
In a formal apology issued on the 11th of August, McDonald’s Japan acknowledged the issues, stating, “We have confirmed instances of large-volume purchases for the purpose of resale and the abandonment and disposal of ordered food.”
The company admitted that its preventative measures had been “inadequate” and that the situation “clearly contradicts our long-held philosophy of ‘providing a fun dining experience for children and their families’.”
To prevent a recurrence, McDonald’s announced that it will implement stricter purchase limits for future high-demand campaigns, which may also include suspending the availability of promotional items through mobile and delivery orders.
Despite the statements intended to reassure customers that matters were in hand, the cancellation of this new, highly anticipated promotion with another massive franchise, One Piece, indicates that McDonald’s Japan is not quite certain that it has measures in place to counteract any scalper activity just yet.
Fans who were looking forward to the McDonald’s Japan and One Piece Card Game collaboration will no doubt be waiting to hear from the fast food chain as to how and when they will distribute the cards, which, given the proximity of the start date of the promotion, must have already been produced.
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