US$1,600 on KFC? 'Blind box meals' blinding consumers across China
KFC is at the center of controversies over its latest toyline with blind box tycoon Pop Mart.
KFC's "blind box meal" craze has become a trending topic on social media platforms, stirring heated debates over food waste and commercial promotion schemes.
The fast food giant teamed up with China's leading blind box brand Pop Mart to launch KFC x Dimoo dolls on Tuesday to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the opening of its first outlet on the Chinese mainland.
There are seven styles altogether, in which, Dimoo, a round-face boy with hair like fairy floss, is dressed like Colonel Sanders, French fries, sweet corn and other classic food. A box with a random assortment is included in a 99-yuan (US$15.5) family set meal.
KFC claimed to provide a total of 263,880 sets in some of its outlets nationwide. Tags such as "blind box" and "limited edition" have become vogue.
A total of seven styles are provided.
Some rushed to buy as many of these meals as possible, though the set is meant to feed a family. Hence, in some outlets the toys were sold out in a flash as soon as they were put on shelves.
Checking KFC's WeChat mini program for online orders, Shanghai Daily found no inventory in popular locations, such as Réel Mall in Jing'an Temple area and Hubindao Shopping Mall in Xintiandi as of 5pm this afternoon.
A KFC worker at the outlet at 778 Huaihai Road M. said the meals were cleared out very quickly and the products will not be replenished.
It's said that to collect all the styles, a netizen spent 10,494 yuan on 106 meals. She showed off the bill on Weibo: "I just can't resist blind boxes," she said, stressing the meals are a treat for her staff after being accused of food waste.
One netizen bought 106 family sets in order to collect all the styles.
Last year, an online talent show was suspended following a "milk pouring" scandal. The show encouraged fans to buy bottled milk and scan QR codes on the caps to vote for their favorite participants. The more milk they bought, the more votes they got, resulting in many crazy fans pouring milk down the drain after scanning the codes.
So this time, an "eat-for-you" service has emerged as an alternative. People paid others, including scalpers and deliverymen, to buy and eat the meals while giving them the toys. Of course, there's no way to prove these "helpers" did finish the food.
And funny enough, to get a designated style, some even turned to computed tomography and X-rays, while some others posted tips on different weights of different styles.
As always, the panic buying has fueled the second-hand market price, with the cost of a set of seven styles reaching up to 1,300 yuan on the popular platform Xianyu.
A set of seven styles is priced at 1,300 yuan on the online second-hand market.
It just called to mind the recent LinaBell price-gouging scandal. The limited inventory of the popular Disney character turned some of its biggest fans to the second-hand market to pay premium prices, sometimes 20 times higher than the original price.
KFC has been bombarded with questions about food waste and commercial promotion schemes. It hasn't yet made a statement in response.
According to China's law on anti-food waste that was passed last April, catering service operators can be fined up to 10,000 yuan if they don't warn clients to refrain from wasting food or inducing clients to buy excessive food.
Early last year, the China Consumers Association reported major complaints against blind box, such as excessive marketing, false advertising, and poor quality and service.
Some people scan the blind box to get what they want.
Some offers tips on different weights of different styles.
Blind box is a popular trend cross the world where consumers pay a retailer to ship them a box with a random assortment of novelty items inside. The buyer doesn't know what they're getting until they open the boxes. Many young people, in particular the Gen Z, are addicted to blind box.
Pop Mart, with several popular toy series such as Molly, Dimoo and Pucky, has pioneered its early development in China, and estimated the market value at at least 10 billion yuan in 2021.
A popular Pop Mart toy series
Marketing expert Du Jiayi from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics compares blind box to a stamp collection that is popular among the elderly.
"Basically, they are the same. They just get into the habit of collecting. But blind box provides more, satisfying the hunt for novelty and curiosity of the unknown," Du said. "What's more, young people frequently share their lives on the Internet. Those who view the posts may be encouraged to make the purchase later."
The China Consumers Association pinpointed that teenagers usually buy blind boxes just to keep up with the Joneses.
