Comparing two Starbucks fukubukuro shows just how different lucky bags can be

Proof that lucky bags really are the luck of the draw.

Just the other day, we unpacked a Starbucks lucky bag which arrived in a box on New Year’s day, after one of our reporters won the lottery to purchase one for 7,800 yen (US$59.56).

As always, these lucky bags proved incredibly difficult to get, with only two of our 18 reporters winning the lottery to buy them. That wasn’t a great result, but at least that meant we had two to compare, so we could see just how much the random contents would differ from bag to bag.

Starting with the bags that held the mystery contents, they were exactly the same so no point of difference there.

To recap, the lucky bag we reviewed the other day contained the following seven items:

The drink tickets were valued at 4,700 yen, while the striped tumbler, a collaborative product with Kate Spade, usually retails for 4,730 yen, making these two items alone worth much more than the cost of the bag. 

Now, let’s take a look at the haul our second reporter received.

Comparing them side by side, we can see the hauls are pretty much the same, with the only difference being the two items on the bottom left of the images below.

Instead of the two tumblers in the first bag, the second bag contained…

▼ …a mug and a stainless steel bottle!

The mug was big and heavy, with a 414-millilitre (14-ounce) capacity, and beautifully adorned in images depicting a Japanese summer, complete with fireworks and wind chimes. Normally priced at 1,980 yen, this was a beautiful product, and arguably better than the plain tumbler in the first box.

The stainless steel mini bottle was also decorated in Japanese images, including Mt Fuji, and was a compact 355-millilitre size, making it light and easy to carry. Normally priced at 4,290 yen, we’d take this over a Kate Spade tumbler any day.

The two Starbucks fukubukuro ended up being the same in some respects, but different in others.

After looking online, we found even greater differences between fukubukuro, with some Starbucks customers receiving doughnut-shaped cushions instead of mugs and kettles instead of tumblers.

It just goes to show that when it comes to lucky bags, it really is down to the luck of the draw. Either way, though, you can’t go wrong with a Starbucks fukubukuro in terms of value for money, and we’ll definitely be entering the lottery again next year!

Photos: ©SoraNews24
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