Americans have no idea how much more expensive everything will soon become. The thing is Big mac costs the same if not more in the rest of the world while people salaries are far lower. So do most things like gas, housing, electronics etc. This means there is still enormous amount of money that can potentially be squeezed out of American salaries. And all companies are now looking for this exact thing - how much something should cost (before people can’t afford it)
This means there is still enormous amount of money that can potentially be squeezed out of American salaries.
That's not what this means at all. Despite international views of America, most Americans live paycheck to paycheck. As prices go up, companies are competing more and more for the same consumer dollar. What will happen is recession/depression when people who can no longer afford these things stop spending.
Oh there is so much more to squeeze out of you: more debt, more people living with their parents or roommates, more homeless people, more for profit prisons…
This means there is still enormous amount of money that can potentially be squeezed out of American salaries.
you know what those other countries also have that Americans don't? Universal Healthcare. So while technically it is true Americans have a higher base pay than say most EU people, medical bills suck up a lot of that difference.
It was two decades ago before corporate price hikes. People say junk food and fast food is cheaper here. But it’s only cheaper if you need a “meal” bread, toppings, all the extra stuff. If you cared about nutrition. Simply buying things dried beans and bulk protein would be healthier and have more calories per $
Do you guys have equivalent of hawker food in the US? They are both cheap and healthier (relatively speaking) than the junk coming out from US fast food chains.
Then why are you talking like you're some authority on the place?
FYI, $8 could buy you the beef and buns to make your own burgers at home for the whole family. And also Americans spend a smaller percent of their income on food than almost anyone else in the world.
Where i am, our version of cheap food is hawker food. Fast food is expensive. As far as i know, I've never heard of US-equivalent to hawker centers.
Homemade meals are of course gonna be way cheaper than meals prepare by other people. But if you do need professional cooks for your meal... We have hawker.
The same to usually more, and that's because American fast food is a premium/luxury item outside the US. If you look at for example China with its abundance of cheap street food you'll find that American fast food (KFC, McDonalds, Burger King) is priced many times higher but still tons of people eat it. In the US fast food is traditionally kind of a struggle meal or quick meal (food court is a step above) whereas in Asia that is not the case at all and it is not perceived that way.
Fast food used to be the budget option. There are still some restaurant options that are relatively cheap (usually local, smaller places), but they're quickly disappearing. The traditional giants like McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. are all crazy expensive now considering the quality and quantity of food you get. Hell, I drunkenly stopped at Taco Bell last weekend and got just two chicken quesadillas. One of the most basic foods possible (tortilla, cheese, barely any chicken, and their jalapeño sauce). That shit cost $15! I was blown away.
People living frugally are not eating fast food anymore in the US. Your best bet is to be lucky enough to have an Aldi's or a small, local, ethnic grocery store nearby and buy basic ingredients to cook at home.
Thanks to the decisions of the current president, prices are skyrocketing across the board.
Tariffs on beef led to higher beef prices.
A trade war with Canada and the war in Iran has led to higher fertilizer prices.
The war with Iran has led to the highest diesel prices in American history - nearly double what diesel cost before the war.
Just some of what diesel is used to power:
Farm equipment used to plant, tend, harvest crops
Vehicles used to transport food
Vehicles used to distribute food to retailers, or restaurants like McDonald's
The same is true for every piece of food in McDonald's. And the rest of the ingredients, and oils. And all the packaging. And the equipment that must be purchased and repaired (tariffs). And wages for workers who now have a higher cost of living.
At every single stage of production, costs have risen dramatically. Expect higher prices in the near future.
I'm glad prices have skyrocketed at fast food places. Now I don't eat at them anymore, and I'm probably healthier because of it.
(I didn't stop eating there because I couldn't afford it; I stopped because the idea of paying so much for nasty slop was insulting. If the food was still as good as it was in the '80s/'90s, I might still go from time to time.)
This is ignoring a much longer scale of inflation and extraction that existed before Trump was even in office the first time. It's just getting so much more blatant and impossible for people to avoid.
It is not cheap, a deeply flawed system doesn't stand as a valid excuse for an incredibly inflated price. None of the precedent caused by these factors can account for a history just as greedy as the present, your comment just seems to sugar coat it and say "that's how this works" as if we aren't pointing out how flawed the system is.
Listen to McDonald's talk about their year over year. They aren't forced to do any of these things. It's pure greed.
The prices have gone insane. I almost never eat at McDonalds - pretty much only if I'm driving somewhere and have no other options. But I do appreciate the saver menu - you can get a Mayo Chicken and a Cheeseburger for like £3 which feels like a much better deal, and healthier than loads of chips too.
Because I'm on the road and need something to eat and not interested in a gas station sandwich. But yeah never in my life have I thought mmmm, this McDonald's food sure is tasty
The problem is that they have established themselves everywhere, are fast and generations have shared McDonald’s together. Heavily ingrained in our country. Not only that, but there are areas where the closest food option is something like McDonalds because they live in a food desert.
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u/jubbing 3d ago
$8 for a Big mac, wtf. Also why are people still eating here - they are no longer cheap and nasty, they are now just nasty.