Bunnings has been flooded with shoppers across the country trying to get their hands on the latest craze. Retailers have been trying to replicate the success of Labubu dolls by releasing a set of blind box items.
The hardware juggernaut jumped on the trend this week and there is “super” limited stock available. Bunnings is anticipating the boxes will fly off the shelves and, as a result, has introduced buying limits of five per customer.
Queensland mum Tyla told Yahoo Lifestyle she raced to her local Bunnings on Monday morning to be one of the first people to get the $12.50 item, which she dubbed the “bogan Labubu”.
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“I was like, I have to go immediately and beat some of the rush,” she said. “I was expecting them to be gone.”
Thankfully for her, there was a stand fully stocked with the brown boxes and she quickly chucked five in her pram.
There are five different bears to collect in this set: Team Member, Rain Poncho, High‑Vis, Straw Hat, plus a rare ‘Secret’ Bear.
The bears are designed to “celebrate the trades and the people who make our communities thrive”, with the secret bear “representing women in trade apprenticeships”.
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There are five blind box items to collect from Bunnings. Picture: Getty/Supplied
But the trick to the blind box craze is that shoppers won’t know which one they have until they take it out of the box.
Incredibly for Tyla, she managed to get every single bear in her first go.
“I just can’t believe our luck,” she said.
Despite this, she’s keen to keep buying them in the hope of having two completed sets.
“There is something so fun and addictive about it,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“I fear that they’re going to be the next craze, and they’re pretty affordable in the grand scheme of things at $12.50.”
For comparison, Labubus would normally retail at Pop Mart for as little as $30 each, but could fetch much higher prices when sold online.
Customers will be limited to five boxes each. Picture: TikTok/tylafoster
Bunnings blind boxes being sold for quadruple the price
Even though the Bunnings bears have been on sale for just one day, they too have wound up online with wild prices.
Some people on eBay are trying to offload singular bears for $25 to $50, which is double to quadruple the price if you bought it yourself in store.
One seller has four of the regular bears and is asking for $200 plus $20 delivery.
IKEA, McDonald’s and Kodak have all jumped on the trend in recent months and people have been quick to share their unboxing videos on social media.
Tyla isn’t wrong in thinking the blind boxes were addictive, with consumer expert Gary Mortimer telling Yahoo Lifestyle they elicit the same dopamine response that people get when they play the pokies.
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“We might have a couple of wins, and then we get a loss, and then that negative response encourages us to do it again,” Mortimer told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“So sometimes what you might get in surprise box may disappoint you, but that actually encourages you to try again to see if you get something better next time.
“Brands love this idea because it gives you an opportunity to put a very small, sort of sample size product inside one of these surprise boxes, and get your product out in the market.”
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