# McDonalds' McNuggets pricing scheme - why anti-bulk advantage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868 "2008-08-21T23:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/61 "2008-10-15T18:28:46Z")
Several decades ago\* _The Wizard Of Id_ had a strip which went roughly like this: Apple seller has a sign : “Apples 25 cents, 3 for a dollar.” A customer has an expression of glee, and buys FOUR for a dollar, then goes off happily thinking he’s outsmarted the seller. The seller winks at the readers, and says “nobody ever bought more than one, until I put up that sign” So, OP, you bought 20 McNuggets cheaper than the menu lists it. But would you have bought those 20 at all, if you didn’t think you were outsmarting them? Without that sign, maybe you’d have only bought 3x4 piece. Perhaps their pricing scheme persuaded you to buy 20, when you would otherwise have bought 12. - back when it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/62 "2008-10-15T19:08:31Z")
Where I am at, they’ve taken the 4-piece nuggets off the dollar menu. It’s still cheaper, just not AS cheap as it was before. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/63 "2008-10-15T20:01:42Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes, once you’re all the way into the metric system, you don’t need to worry about conversions – it’s a 15mm spanner, and you don’t worry about what fraction of an inch that is. Gawd…I remember taking a science course with a prof that insisted on English System measurements for his class (Foot Pounds etc). He literally had a revolt. We HATED the English System! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/64 "2008-10-15T20:09:50Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > I haven’t been in a Wendys since the calorie law went into effect. I’m afraid to see what the Baconator (my favorite fast food burger of all time) is gonna be… 830 calories:eek: ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/65 "2008-10-15T20:19:48Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > One thing I’ve noticed is that you don’t get offered any sauce with the 4-piece, but they will give it to you if you ask. Probably 4 piece meals are eaten mostly by kids (and dopers who do the math). A lot of kids don’t want sauce so they don’t give it out and waste it unless asked. ---
**Author:** ![Thrash\_the\_Almighty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90ced4/32.png) [@Thrash\_the\_Almighty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thrash_the_Almighty)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/66 "2008-10-15T21:02:22Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Businesses are tricky. A box of spaghetti at the local store is usually $.89. They ran an ad in the sales flyer “10 for $10” and I was loading up the cart until I realized the rope a dope they were pulling At my store we were trying to sell through some snack crackers by putting them on sale for 99 cents. The sale wasn’t working so I asked my boss if I could mark them down lower. He told me not to and that instead we should put up a sign that said 10 for $10. I told him he was nuts but did it anyway. The next day when I came in he showed me the figures. We whent from selling ones and twos to selling them in increments of ten. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/67 "2008-10-15T21:17:03Z")
At McDonald’s restaurants in most parts of Japan: Cheeseburger 120yen Double Cheeseburger **270yen** ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/68 "2008-10-15T21:46:16Z")
OTOH, if something is on sale _without_ a standard per-package price, just an X for $Y price, AND the price is cheaper than I could normally get, I usually do get the listed X amount, because you never can tell if there will be a higher per-package charge. Used to be you rarely saw a separate higher charge, but it happens quite a bit these days. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868/69 "2008-10-15T23:06:03Z")
> [@JpnDude](#): > > At McDonald’s restaurants in most parts of Japan: > > Cheeseburger 120yen > Double Cheeseburger **270yen** Well, gee, **'Dude**. If you bought _two_ cheeseburgers, you 'd have that extra pair of buns to get rid of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-mcnuggets-pricing-scheme-why-anti-bulk-advantage/460868.md?page=3)