The leftover blind box product from a sushi chain store in Xicheng district, Beijing, on June 11, 2023. -- China Daily/ANN
BEIJING: In several Chinese cities, a new trend known as “leftover blind boxes” has emerged, offering discounted rates on randomly packed boxes of unsold food and beverages, Chinanews reported.
This trend has gained popularity among young people, who eagerly grab these deals at certain moments to buy the food at reduced prices.
Sushi, originally priced at over 100 yuan (RM64), or Chinese pastries and cooked food priced at over 30 yuan (RM46), can be purchased at around 70% off.
A Beijing resident who wanted to be known only as Chengzi enjoys buying blind boxes on WeChat, where three types of bread are available for 17.90 yuan (RM11.50) instead of their usual 40 yuan (RM92).
In her experience, the blind boxes are not leftovers, but unsold food from stores before closing time. Businesses randomly combine remaining items for sale to consumers.
There are quite a number of businesses launching the blind box promotion, and each order of the blind box results in a minimum loss of 10 yuan (RM6.40), said the manager of a sushi chain near Beijing’s Xizhimen.
Due to the losses associated with the blind box products, the sushi chain offers only seven to eight product combinations a day.
The concept of food blind boxes aligns with the goals of the anti-food waste movement in China, offering a solution to reduce wastage. The anti-food waste law has been implemented for over two years, and a three-month campaign to curb food waste in the catering industry has been launched by market regulators. — China Daily/ANN
