Several of the Triangle's largest McDonald's franchisees started accepting "Shrek" glasses Friday after the fast-food chain recalled 12 million of the collectibles.
The 16-ounce glasses, which were a promotion tied to the latest "Shrek" movie, contain traces of the toxic metal cadmium and led to the recall announced by McDonald's and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. McDonald's said it would post instructions on its website Tuesday regarding refunds.
But Fred Huebner, who owns 14 restaurants in Johnston County and southern Wake County, said that his locations started taking them back right away. Huebner is on the McDonald's operators' national advertising board and got word of the company's refund plans on Friday morning.
Customers will get $3 per glass, and McDonald's employees will wrap them up, he said. The glasses were sold for $1.99 plus tax during the past two weeks.
"It's a real nightmare for a lot of people," he said.
But McDonald's fast response and willingness to pay customers a bit extra for the recalled glasses should help smooth things over, Huebner said. "I certainly hope so."
Huebner said he didn't know how many glasses his restaurants have sold. McDonald's estimates that 7 million were sold nationwide and 5 million more are in stores or have not yet been shipped.
Ric Richards, who owns seven McDonald's in Raleigh, Cary and Durham, said his managers also started taking back the glasses Friday and refunding customers' money.
"We exercise the 10 commandments of service, and one of those is 'honor the customer,' " he said. "I hope customers will understand, and we certainly apologize for any inconvenience."
The "Shrek Forever After" glasses were available in four designs depicting the characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots and Donkey.
