Earlier this month, McDonald’s Japan sparked controversy when it failed to control 買い占め (kaishime, excessive bulk purchases) by 転売ヤー (tenbaiyā, resellers/scalpers) after offering rare Pokemon trading cards with its ハッピーセット (happī setto, Happy Meals).
The result was a lot of upset children and a ton of discarded food.
The Japanese word for scalper, 転売ヤー, is a combination of the word 転売屋 (tenbaiya, reseller) with the “-er” of “buyer” added to stretch out the “a” sound at the end.
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