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 Sunday.

This trend has gained popularity among young people who purchase the food at reduced prices.

Sushi, for example, originally priced at over 100 yuan (US$13.99) or Chinese pastries and cooked food priced at over 30 yuan can now be purchased at around 70% discounts.

Chengzi (pseudonym), living in Beijing, enjoys buying blind boxes on WeChat’s mini program, where three types of bread are available for 17.9 yuan instead of their usual price of 40 yuan, likening the experience to the thrill of buying lottery tickets.

Based on her experience, she added that the blind boxes sold on the mini program are not leftovers, but unsold food from stores before closing time. Businesses randomly combine remaining items for sale to consumers.

The number of businesses launching the blind box promotion is quite a few and each order of the blind box results in a minimum loss of 10 yuan, said the manager of a sushi chain near Beijing’s Xizhimen.

A set of sushi blind boxes were purchased for 19.9 yuan, while the original prices were 29 yuan, 15 yuan and 9.9 yuan respectively, totaling 53.9 yuan, according to Chinanews.

The blind box products are mainly available in first-tier and new first-tier cities. For instance, WeChat’s leftover blind box mini program Xishi Magic Bag covers Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Nanjing, Kunshan and other cities.

(China Daily)