July 4, 2023
SINGAPORE – Would you pay 1,999 yuan (S$373) to purchase a “giant cup noodles bucket” online?
For some consumers in China, the answer seems to be “yes”, according to local media.
This comes after Sam’s Club, a membership warehouse club owned by US retail giant Walmart, sold out all of its limited edition “giant cup noodles buckets” at its Shenzhen store, which opened on Thursday.
Each bucket has a height of 45cm and contains 24 regular-sized cup noodles with different flavours.
Its price: 168 yuan.
The noodle buckets sold out within 15 minutes in the store, said local media, adding that 50 slots were made available for shoppers to buy the noodles that day.
Photos posted on social media showed that there were many people in the store waiting to get their hands on the bucket.
Xiao Chen, a Sam’s Club shopper, said there was a long queue at the store on Saturday morning.
“It was only 15 minutes after the sale was launched and (we) were suddenly told that (the products) were sold out,” said the shopper, who was quoted by Sohu, a Chinese internet portal.
The bucket is popular thanks to its design, and any netizens have posted unboxing videos on social media.
After the buckets were sold out at the store, some people began reselling online.
For example, there was a listing of an instant noodles bucket for as high as 1,999 yuan, according to local media.
“The price is 500 yuan, no free shipping, no bargaining, limited purchase, is not easy to buy, whoever takes the first shot,” said some resellers in Mandarin as quoted by local media.
The noodle buckets sold out within 15 minutes in the store. PHOTO: 77/XIAOHONGSHU
Some netizens commented on the exorbitant prices.
“People are stupid and have a lot of money, 500 yuan to buy a bucket of instant noodles?,” a netizen wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Another added: “I went there on Saturday and saw that every cart had (the instant noodles bucket).
“Am I the only one who thinks it’s not worth it? It is a cardboard bucket with 24 small instant noodles.”