That’s were the cell phone calculator comes in! What I tend to see, along the same lines is,
10oz Widget munchies $3.99 39.9 cents/oz
2lb Widget Munchies 11.99 $6.00 /pound
Frankly, I think that has more to do with how it was entered into their computer system rather then anything on purpose. Especially when then next item says
2 pack of 3 lb boxes Widget Munchies $32.99 $16.50/unit
In order for the label to spit out a good comparison, the person making the label would have to convert all things into the same units.
Huh, and here I would have thought that they pump air into the shakes because if you don’t, it’s not a shake any more. You do realize that the reason that ice cream is soft is all of the tiny bubbles in it, right?
I once worked with a local McDonalds franchisee who had to upgrade to electronic cash registers which calculated the change due, because his help was so bad at making change that he was losing money on that. (Mistakes happened both for or against the customer, but the customers always pointed it out when the mistake was against them. Only some customers pointed it out when the mistake was in their favor.)
My favorite are the Wendys cash registers, which automatically spit out the proper change.
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…
Back to McDonald’s. My guess is that McDonald’s introduced the 4pc dollar menu item because of Wendy’s. Wendy’s has had their 5pc chicken nugget on the dollar menu for a long time, while McD’s was offering their 6, 10 and 20 pc for a lot more per nugget/piece.
I’m guessing that McD’s figured that 4/$1.00, while not as cheap as 5/$1.00, was likely to keep some customers who would otherwise reject the 6/$2.75 that is their standard pricing.
Another Micky D tactic: They bombard you with TV commercials touting their special sale price item as in “Come in, try our ______, this month just $1.59”. At the stores, however, they don’t mention it and the menu board conviently forgets to update the info.
The dollar menu kicks ass. You can get a McChicken sandwich, Double Cheeseburger, small Parfait, 4-pc nuggets, a large sweet tea, and other stuff. As long as you stay away from the drinks and fries it’s a good deal.
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
[anecdote]Burger King has a similar setup. Once, grabbing a quick lunch w/ a coworker, I ordered 2 4-piece nuggets. My coworker asked why I didn’t just order an 8-piece, and I pointed out the price difference. He nodded his head, and said “Ahhh, that’s kinda weird.” Then his turn at the register came up, and he promptly stepped up to the register and said “I’ll have an 8-piece chicken nuggets, a medium coke…” :rolleyes: [/anecdote]
Jeez, you’d think that these businesses are just in it for the money. Heeeyyyy, wait a minute - they ARE just in it for the money. Caveat emptor, my friends. And don’t forget what advertising and marketing are - techniques to get us to give them our money. Unless a business is being very deceptive or untruthful, the onus for wise use of money is on the consumer, since no one is forcing us to part with it.
I don’t sit there with a calculator, but I will add it up in my head. Is it really that hard to add 3 3-digit numbers in your head in the 20 seconds you wait in line? You usually do save something on the meal if you were going to order each item individually. But, were you really going to order a medium/large drink and fries? If you ordered the small ones separately, that might turn out less.
Last time I was at In ‘N’ Out, the combos were actually cheaper than the individual items, but by less than 10c. I figured it was due to wanting the final digit in the price to come out the same.
