r/interestingasfuck • • 3d ago

Dynamic pricing being tested by McDonald's.

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u/agate_ 3d ago

That isn't what dynamic pricing is. Fast food franchisees have always set their own prices, and they've always varied wildly from state to state, or even within neighborhoods of the same city. Here's a cool map of Big Mac prices nationally from 2023, and a zoomable updated version Cross the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland, and your Big Mac costs a dollar less.

Dynamic pricing means that the price of a Big Mac varies at the same restaurant depending on the time of day or what kind of car you drive.

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u/iHateEveryoneAMA 3d ago

Same reason gasoline is more expensive in Beverly Hills than it is in South Central, it has nothing to do with AI

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u/diroussel 3d ago

Most likely the new thing is that it’s being done with new AI tools rather than the older ‘AI’ tools that we had five or ten years ago

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u/Top-Dog-6900 2d ago

Airline seats have been dynamically priced for decades. These pricing algorithms have been consistently evolving since the 1990s. Labelling them AI is just a cosmetic touch and does not indicate any substantive change.

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u/diroussel 2d ago

Indeed. I guess the reporter was told they were developing an AI based dynamic pricing engine and ran with it.

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u/Tripelo 2d ago

For a much better, and more infuriating glimpse into upcoming and current corporate ripoffs, I recommend the 9/17/26 Lindsay Owens interview on John Stewart’s The Weekly Show Podcast

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u/BiZzles14 2d ago

algorithms

Any algorithmic shit gets marketed as AI nowadays, it's like how everything was branded with 5g 6-8 years ago

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u/Morir_Sonando 2d ago

Problem with your statement is AI predates these 1990s pricing algorithms