{"id":4733,"date":"2025-08-12T13:11:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T13:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/mcdonalds-japans-pokemon-card-promo-ends-abruptly-after-scalpers-bypass-purchase-limit-crowd-stores\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T13:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T13:11:10","slug":"mcdonalds-japans-pokemon-card-promo-ends-abruptly-after-scalpers-bypass-purchase-limit-crowd-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/mcdonalds-japans-pokemon-card-promo-ends-abruptly-after-scalpers-bypass-purchase-limit-crowd-stores\/","title":{"rendered":"McDonald\u2019s Japan\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon card promo ends abruptly after scalpers bypass purchase limit &amp; crowd stores"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<h2>McDonald&rsquo;s Pok&eacute;mon card promo in Japan ends on first day after scalpers crowd stores &amp; waste meals<\/h2>\n<p>A McDonald&rsquo;s Japan promotion meant to delight Pok&eacute;mon fans ended in disaster within hours of launch, with long queues, rampant scalping, and piles of untouched food littering the streets.<\/p>\n<p>The limited-time campaign, running from 9 to 11 Aug, bundled six exclusive collectable Pok&eacute;mon cards with Pok&eacute;mon-themed Happy Meals, priced at &yen;500 (S$4.30) each.<\/p>\n<p>But demand was so intense that many outlets pulled the plug on distribution before the first day was even over.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_642951\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><noscript><\/noscript>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-642951\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: PokeGuardian on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Scalpers bypass purchase limit of promotion<\/h3>\n<p>To curb scalping, McDonald&rsquo;s Japan imposed a five-meal limit per customer, Campaign Asia reported.<\/p>\n<p>But determined buyers simply bypassed the rule by placing multiple mobile orders, sometimes while still in the queue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/12-weeks-jail-for-school-it-support-technician-who-took-upskirt-videos-of-teachers\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">&lt;div&gt;12 weeks' jail for school IT support technician who took upskirt videos of teachers&lt;\/div&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>The cards &mdash; and even the meals &mdash; were soon listed online for up to &yen;2,000 (S$17.30), nearly four times the original price.<\/p>\n<p>Photos and videos on X showed snaking queues outside outlets, with some customers clutching multiple takeaway bags stuffed with meals they had no intention of eating.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_642984\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642984\" class=\"size-large wp-image-642984 lazyload\" alt width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-450x600.jpg 450w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-768x1024.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642984\" class=\"size-large wp-image-642984\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-768x1024.jpg\" alt width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-450x600.jpg 450w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><\/noscript>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-642984\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: houjosouun on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Food wastage from Pok&eacute;mon card promo in Japan sparks outrage<\/h3>\n<p>Perhaps most shocking were the mountains of discarded Happy Meals spotted outside McDonald&rsquo;s outlets and on nearby streets.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_642989\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642989\" class=\"wp-image-642989 size-large lazyload\" alt=\"mcdonalds-pok&eacute;mon-card-promo-japan\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16.jpg 1920w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-1024x576.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642989\" class=\"wp-image-642989 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"mcdonalds-pok&eacute;mon-card-promo-japan\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/noscript>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-642989\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: sikasika1122 on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Several social media users posted pictures of pigeons feasting on abandoned fries and burgers, while McDonald&rsquo;s bags and boxes piled up beside bins or left behind at the stores.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_642992\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642992\" class=\"wp-image-642992 size-large lazyload\" alt=\"mcdonalds-pok&eacute;mon-card-promo-japan\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17.jpg 2048w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-1024x577.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642992\" class=\"wp-image-642992 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"mcdonalds-pok&eacute;mon-card-promo-japan\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-17.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/noscript>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/migrant-acquitted-in-first-trial-over-us-border-military-zones\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">Migrant acquitted in first trial over US border military zones<\/span><\/a><\/div><p id=\"caption-attachment-642992\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: SHIBARONI_TV on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>One user on X even posted a video showing flocks of pigeons pecking at food scraps next to more discarded McDonald&rsquo;s bags.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_642998\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642998\" class=\"size-full wp-image-642998 lazyload\" alt width=\"404\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0xEPmGMXiyzMfH2x-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-642998\" class=\"size-full wp-image-642998\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0xEPmGMXiyzMfH2x-ezgif.com-optimize.gif\" alt width=\"404\" height=\"360\"><\/noscript>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-642998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: iijNWqUQ7i41630 on Twitter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Outraged netizens slammed the scalpers for wasting food just to grab the rare cards, calling the scenes &ldquo;disgraceful&rdquo; and &ldquo;embarrassing for fans&rdquo;.<\/p>\n<h3>Not the first Pok&eacute;mon product launch to go wrong<\/h3>\n<p>This isn&rsquo;t the first time a Pok&eacute;mon promotion has spiralled out of control.<\/p>\n<p>In Singapore, a highly anticipated card launch at Jewel Changi Airport last year was cancelled for safety reasons after massive crowds became unmanageable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also read: Pok&eacute;mon Center S&rsquo;pore sees large crowd for release of new card series, launch gets cancelled due to safety reasons<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7i9dKUgvzQ\" readability=\"0\">\n<p>Pok&eacute;mon Center S&rsquo;pore sees large crowd for release of new card series, launch gets cancelled due to safety reasons<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at&nbsp;news@mustsharenews.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Featured image adapted from houjosouun on X.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><sub><\/sub><\/p>\n<div>McDonald&rsquo;s Japan&rsquo;s Pok&eacute;mon card promo ends abruptly after scalpers bypass purchase limit &amp; crowd stores<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>McDonald&rsquo;s Pok&eacute;mon card promo in Japan ends on first day after scalpers crowd stores &amp; waste meals A McDonald&rsquo;s Japan promotion meant to delight Pok&eacute;mon fans ended in disaster within hours of launch, with long queues, rampant scalping, and piles of untouched food littering the streets. The limited-time campaign, running from 9 to 11 Aug,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/mcdonalds-japans-pokemon-card-promo-ends-abruptly-after-scalpers-bypass-purchase-limit-crowd-stores\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;McDonald\u2019s Japan\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon card promo ends abruptly after scalpers bypass purchase limit &amp; crowd stores&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}