Cup noodles are well-loved by Asians all over the world for their convenience and tastiness, with Nissin Cup Noodles being one of the most iconic brands around.
Thus, many people couldn’t resist when a supermarket in China launched a limited-edition giant cup noodles container.
Source: MAXINYU on Xiao Hong Shu
The ensuing frenzy on the first day of launch reportedly caused the hot items to be sold out in half a day.
The enticing product was sold at Sam’s Club, a membership warehouse club operated by global supermarket chain Walmart, reported Chinese news portal Sohu.
To mark the opening of their new flagship store in Shenzhen on Thursday (27 June), they decided to offer something that could be bought only at that particular outlet
Source: 飞~Hong Kong 山姆分享 on Xiao Hong Shu
The limited-edition item was a giant Nissin Cup Noodles container filled with regular-sized cup noodles for the price of 168 renminbi (S$31).
The giant cup noodles container may appear similar to normal ones in photos, but it’s actually much bigger.
Source: 36氪 on Weibo
Specifically, it has a height of 45cm, dwarfing regular cup noodles.
Source: 77 on Xiao Hong Shu
That means three to four of these containers placed on top of one another should equal the height of an average human adult.
Source: 象小鹿 on Xiao Hong Shu
Of course, what makes it extra worthwhile is that the container contains 24 regular cup noodles of various flavours.
Source: Weibo
Due to the unique reimagining of an iconic product, the container drew much attention online even before its first day of launch.
Unsurprisingly, this led to a buying frenzy on the launch day, with a large crowd descending on the supermarket.
As each customer was allowed only two containers, many rushed to get their hands on an item that would ensure bragging rights over others.
Source: 萱味佳 on Xiao Hong Shu
According to photos posted on Xiao Hong Shu, the store was so crowded that staff had to warn customers that it was “full house” and they could expect to wait up to 30 minutes in queue just to get in.
Source: 萱味佳 on Xiao Hong Shu
The demand was so great that the giant containers were sold out within half a day of the launch, reported Sohu.
A netizen who arrived at 10am noted that only those on the shelves were left.
Source: MAXINYU on Xiao Hong Shu
She almost didn’t manage to get one, she said, but was grateful to a woman who let her have one of hers.
Those lucky enough to buy the containers wasted no time in sharing the news of their acquisition on social media.
They also posted photos of the treasured commodity with their other loved ones.
Source: Dora KingKing on Xiao Hong Shu
Of course, when an item is sold out via official means, it doesn’t mean it’s totally unavailable.
Typically for popular items, there’s always someone online willing to let it go for a jacked-up price.
In the case of the giant cup noodles containers, they quickly turned up on various online reseller portals.
Source: 萱味佳 on Xiao Hong Shu
According to China National Radio, resellers were looking to sell one container for up to 500 renminbi (S$93) — about three times the original price.
For us in Singapore, we can probably dismiss thoughts of owning one unless we’re prepared to pay through our noses.
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Featured image adapted from 萱味佳 on Xiao Hong Shu and MAXINYU on Xiao Hong Shu.
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