When you buy a meal at McDonald’s. The area McDonald’s currently advertise on their marquees and windows $1 drinks, any size.
But, if you buy a meal, they charge you regular price.
At two different McDonald’s, I’ve asked about this. Both times I was told, “That’s the way it rings up.” I guess any price a computerized system rings up is unquestionable.
Seems to me this is false or grossly misleading advertising. You may say, why the fuss over a few cents. But, consider the huge number of customers McDonald’s serves every day. This overcharge could come to millions of dollars every day.
This is the sort of thing that really gets my craw. Ripping off a lot of people for just a little money. Few notice, fewer complain. But, it adds up to really big bucks. I’ve submitted a complaint to the Ohio Attorney General’s office. We’ll see what happens.
I LIKE that line: “That’s the way it rings up!”
That’s why most of these so-called “CASHIERS” can’t make change any more!
UNLESS that computer screen tells them exactly how much change to give, most of them stand their mouth agape, like some fur-bearing Big Foot during bear hunting season. (N.B. It must absolutely SUCK to be a Squatch during bear hunting season)
The other day the machines went out while I was in a checkout line and I told the cashier how much change was due….she had to bring the manager over and it took both their prodigious arithmetical skills nearly five minutes to come up with the answer I’d given her 4 minutes and 54 seconds earlier.
“How’d you do thaaaaat,” the sweet, though pleasantly plump little vixen drawled (I was out in the hinterlands of northern NJ don’t ya know), I just nodded so that I wouldn’t say anything really jerkish like, “I wonder why they don’t have no Squatches a workin’ up in here,” or something about the inverse ratio of weight to basic math skills and then reminded myself that it really was ALL my fault. . .for NOT going through the SELF CHECKOUT.
I like that though, “It rings up like that!”
And to think that’s just one short step away from IRS agent….“It rings up like that” over there too.
I’ll see you and raise you one. There used to be a big box chain called “Service Merchandise” in the 80s. I tried to purchase some glassware one day, and brought the box up to the cashier. After about a minute of puttering with her cash register, she regretfully told me she couldn’t sell me the item as the computer showed it was out of stock.
You show you bought the Filet o Fish MEAL. IIRC, the meals include a medium soft drink as part of the price. My guess is that the deal is only if the soda is bought ala carte. What does the fine print on the door sign say? I couldn’t make it out.
I can’t remember the exact wording, but the fine print doesn’t clarify that. They ran this special a couple of months ago, and drinks were $1 all the time, no matter what. Now what you say seems to be the case. It’s as if they set people up to deliberately mislead them.
Plus, who reads the fine print when when using the drive-thru and after looking at that marquee?
Damn if I know. I’m still trying to figure out why the drive-thru ATM has braille.
” I’m still trying to figure out why the drive-thru ATM has braille.” KM)
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That’s for the more “adventurous” drivers.
I know. I’ve seen those. WTF? In Georgetown, KY the ATMs have Japanese because of the Toyota plant there.
Some of this is just the sleazier side of basic retail.
The primary goal has always been to just, “Bring’em on in.”
After that, you try and get them to buy bigger (with the hard sell, the “out-of-stock bait and switch, etc.). . .Costco and BJ’s have that down to a science with the “genius” idea of the “membership fee.”
People come in feeling they NEED to get their money’s worth off that membership fee, so they buy many times more stuff than they need.
It’s effectively eliminated the need for the “hard sell,” or the “bait and switch,” under those conditions suckers scam themselves.
It’s like the dopes who go to a Company picnic with the goal of “drinking my $30 worth of beer.”
Yeah…..good luck with that plan Tiny.
I’ve had plenty of experiences similar to yours. I can mentally calculate a discount within a few pennies faster than most people can do it on a calculator. They either make a similar comment as your cashier or look at me like I’m from Mars.
Funny things about IQs, two guys who can lift 100 lbs each can combine their strength and lift twice as much together. But,combining two 80 IQs doesn’t give you a 160 IQ, maybe an 85 IQ.
Combine seven 100 IQs, what we know as a committee, and you get about a 70.
Steve
LOL. Very true. There are studies that support your assertion.
The sad thing is, I doubt the cashier OR the manager were really dumb, they apparently just never do such very simple calculations in their heads.
My grandfather had a 3rd grade education but could add up a list of figures in his head faster than you could on the old “adding machine” (a much bigger, clunkier precursor to the calculator) back then.
The old saying goes, “The LESS you do, the LESS you want to do,” and that’s almost certainly true. These folks COULD learn to quick calculations in their heads, they just don’t see any value in it.
“Damn if I know. I’m still trying to figure out why the drive-thru ATM has braille.”
Indeed. I am reminded of the elderly lady who came into our office once very angry at her husband for some slight. She commented that she intended to cease helping him drive. My receptionist said, “But I thought he is blind.” To which the response came, “That is why I have to help him.” The good news is that in Truth or Consequences, NM, nothing moved very fast.
The braille-ATM thread has had me chuckling all morning. It may put a damper on the comedy, but here is a plausible reason. It costs less to manufacture one type of ATM keypad (with braille) than to manufacture 2 kinds (with and without) so the banks just go ahead and put the braille at the drive-through.
“I am reminded of the elderly lady who came into our office once very angry at her husband for some slight. She commented that she intended to cease helping him drive. My receptionist said, “But I thought he is blind.” To which the response came, “That is why I have to help him.” (ETH)
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Now THAT’S an “adventurous” driver.
When you need a co-pilot to navigate a Buick, it takes a lot of guts just to head on out of the driveway!
Now that you mention it, it may have been a Buick. The town was about 75 percent over age 65 and another 10 to 15 percent Medicaid. The redeeming feature was one of the best steak house restaurants in the country in my opinion. For anyone driving near TorC in the future, a stop to eat dinner at Los Arcos will be worth the time. Mention Doc Haines and there is a chance your waiter will know the name even though we left in 1980.
It’s been awhile, but I worked at a fast-food place (Wendy’s) for 3-1/2 years. As I recall the combo-meals were already discounted so new offers, specials and coupons didn’t apply to them, which is a common and I think reasonable sales policy. When the combo is rung up at the register, the discount appears to come out of the burger-and-fries portion while the drink appears full price so that it is easier to change the drink size at a customer’s request.
DADvocate, you could order the fries, sandwich and drink separately and thus receive the drink for a dollar. But if you order the combo, you’re already receiving a discount. You don’t get another discount on top of that.
Yeah. But, earlier in the summer McDonald’s ran the $1 drink special and discounted the drink to $1 when you bought a meal. They’re advertising the same, it appears, but changed part of the deal.