FamilyMart is placing discount stickers with teary-eyed characters and the plea "Please help me" on near-expiration rice balls, sandwiches and bento boxes as part of a pilot program that began on Wednesday to tackle food waste.
The Tokyo-based convenience store chain hopes the emotional appeal will tug on customers’ heartstrings and encourage them to purchase items nearing their expiration dates. The trial will continue until Nov. 26 at select stores in Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures. Posters with the characters will also be displayed at participating retailers.
The stickers feature seven designs with discounts ranging from ¥10 to ¥150. FamilyMart will compare the results with stores using traditional discount stickers to determine if the character-based labels improve the sales of marked-down products.
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