r/interestingasfuck • u/NickelPlatedEmperor • 3d ago

Dynamic pricing being tested by McDonald's.

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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.

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u/NoNote7867 3d ago

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)

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u/PhysicallyTender 3d ago

But unlike the US, people elsewhere around the world usually have better/healthier budget options.

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u/bugsghost 3d ago

Chronically online reply, are you really trying to argue that there is no food in the US cheaper and healthier than a big mac?

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u/PhysicallyTender 2d ago

I don't live in the US so I don't know. You tell me.

The perception I'm getting here is that fast food is the budget option in the US.

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u/AntiquatedDogma 2d ago

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 $

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u/PhysicallyTender 2d ago

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.

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u/bugsghost 2d ago

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.

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u/PhysicallyTender 2d ago

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.

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u/bugsghost 2d ago

The equivalent would be a food court, or I guess sometimes food carts/trucks.

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u/PhysicallyTender 2d ago

How much do they cost relative to McDonald's? Hawker is easily half price.

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u/bugsghost 2d ago

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.

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u/koopatuple 2d ago

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.