日本麥當勞與寶可夢於2025年8月8日推出的聯名活動，原本的設計是讓購買快樂兒童餐的顧客能隨機獲得一張限量版寶可夢卡牌，作為給孩子們的驚喜。然而，這項活動卻被大量「黃牛」搶佔，徹底演變成食物浪費的災難。

在活動開始後，黃牛們連日連夜大肆掃貨，有人一次性購買25份甚至40份套餐，只拿走附送的卡牌，將整袋漢堡、薯條直接丟進垃圾桶。部分黃牛更利用線上訂餐重複下單後選擇棄餐，導致麥當勞門店內外、街頭巷尾堆滿無人取走的餐點。這樣的景象讓整個活動現場變得極為荒誕：本來是給小朋友的驚喜變成黃牛的「戰場」，許多孩子因為買不到卡牌而當場哭泣，而黃牛則在一旁數著現金、面露笑容。

由於卡牌稀缺且具收藏價值，在國內二手交易平台及「拆卡」直播間中迅速流通，一套原本價值約96至105元台幣的兒童餐附帶卡牌，被黃牛轉手賣出後價格翻四到五倍。雖然日本麥當勞在第一天中午就售罄卡牌，並緊急發公告呼籲理性消費，甚至與部分二手平台合作限制轉賣，但這些措施無法阻止黃牛，他們改以現金私下交易繞過監管。

網友們的怒火更大一部分來自於麥當勞對防倒賣的防範幾乎等於零：沒有進行身份驗證，也沒有將玩具與餐品分開販售。即便名義上設有每人限購5份的限制，黃牛依然能透過「人海戰術」輕鬆突破，結果造成餐廳和垃圾桶變成「食物墳場」。諷刺的是，麥當勞在2024年的企業報告中還聲稱其食物回收率超過70%，如今卻因這場活動讓成噸漢堡與薯條腐爛報廢，與官方宣稱形成鮮明對比。這起事件不僅揭露黃牛牟利的無情，也反映出企業在推出限量聯名活動時若缺乏有效的管控機制，最終受害的將是消費者、品牌形象以及被浪費的食物本身。

On August 8, 2025, McDonald’s Japan and Pokémon launched a joint promotion, originally designed so that customers purchasing a Happy Meal would randomly receive a limited-edition Pokémon card as a surprise for children. However, the event was quickly overrun by large numbers of scalpers, turning it into a food-waste disaster.

Once the promotion began, scalpers purchased meals in bulk day and night, with some buying 25 or even 40 sets at once, taking only the bonus cards and dumping entire bags of burgers and fries straight into the trash. Some even exploited online ordering systems, repeatedly placing orders and abandoning them, resulting in McDonald’s outlets and nearby streets piling up with untouched food. What was meant to be a joyful surprise for children became a scalpers’ battleground—many kids cried on the spot when they couldn’t get a card, while scalpers stood nearby counting cash with satisfied smiles.

Because the cards were rare and had collectible value, they quickly spread through domestic second-hand marketplaces and “card unboxing” livestreams. A Happy Meal with a card, originally priced at around NT$96–105, was resold by scalpers at four to five times its original price. Although McDonald’s Japan sold out of the cards by midday on the first day and issued an urgent appeal for rational purchasing—going so far as to cooperate with some second-hand platforms to restrict resales—these measures failed to stop scalpers, who simply switched to cash-based private transactions to bypass restrictions.

Much of the public anger stemmed from McDonald’s lack of effective anti-scalping measures: no identity verification was required, and toys were not sold separately from the meals. Even though there was an official limit of five sets per person, scalpers easily bypassed it using “human wave tactics,” leading to restaurants and trash bins turning into “food graveyards.” Ironically, McDonald’s 2024 corporate report claimed its food recycling rate exceeded 70%, yet this campaign resulted in tons of burgers and fries rotting in the trash, creating a stark contrast with the company’s public statements.

This incident not only exposed the ruthless profiteering of scalpers but also highlighted how, without effective control measures, limited-edition collaborations can harm consumers, tarnish brand reputation, and lead to large-scale food waste.