6 ms·

> Anyway, it kinda feels like McDonald's in the US isn't actually that cheap anymore? When I order breakfast there sometimes, it always feels like the food is k

> Anyway, it kinda feels like McDonald's in the US isn't actually that cheap anymore? When I order breakfast there sometimes, it always feels like the food is kind of pricey considering they're just keeping it warm or warming up premade food. US McDonalds has extreme price discrimination akin to what you see with grocery store memberships like Ralphs where they have a "regular" price that almost no one is expected to pay because everyone has a free membership that just requires your (or Jenny's) phone number . If you download their app, it has a bunch of coupons that lower the price of (almost) the entire menu.

ryanwaggoner 3y ago
The vast majority of McDonald’s customers are not using the app to order.
- throwup238 3y ago
  They're coupons. They apply to drive through and dine in orders.
  - dawnerd 3y ago
    Still the vast majority do not use them.
    - thrdbndndn 3y ago
      That's their entire point. Extreme price discrimination against people who don't know better/don't bother/etc. McD has the most generous coupons in their apps among fast food chain and there is basically no limit.
    - atdrummond 3y ago
      It depends on the market. I worked at the East Palo Alto McD while I was getting back on my feet a few years back and we had hours where 60-70% of the orders used the app in some way. I’d say probably 35-40% of our customers used the app; of regulars, more than 50%.
      - aworks 3y ago
        Interesting. Note that the price was $6.69 at that McDonald's and the one at Stanford Shopping Center. But it was $6.09 at the locations on El Camino Real in Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Mountain View.
      - rconti 3y ago
        I was JUST looking at that location because it's about the closest to me. I'm between EPA, University Ave, Menlo Park, and Stanford locations: 6.59, 6.69, 6.09. Meanwhile, Foster City is only $4.99!
- crazygringo 3y ago
  That's the whole point. Customers who are price-sensitive do use the app to order, while people with money to spare don't bother. That's why McDonald's does it. It's the same thing grocery stores have always done with coupons in the weekly flyer -- customers who are price-sensitive cut them out and use them, while people with money to spare don't bother. Or with clothing sales -- people who want the trendiest clothes at the start of the season buy them full-price, while people who wait until the end of the season get them at a steep discount.
  - ryanwaggoner 3y ago
    Yes, I'm aware of the point of price discrimination, I was responding to "they have a "regular" price that almost no one is expected to pay"
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - justsomehnguy 3y ago
    >That's the whole point. Customers who are price-sensitive do use the app to order, while people with money to spare don't bother. That's the whole point. Customers willing to sell their privacy for the lower prices use the app to order, while people unwilling to sell their privacy are subject to 'privacy tax'. Slight /s but only slight.
    - crazygringo 3y ago
      The app isn't giving away much privacy information that your credit card isn't. Yeah, they know my name and what I ordered at each location. I'm OK with that. You can also use a throwaway email address to sign up and use the app to order, get the discounts, but pay in cash when you arrive. If you're determined to keep your identity secret from McDonald's.
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
- fragmede 3y ago
  They don't staff the counter anymore so you order from a kiosk, and if I'm ordering from a computer anyway, I might as well use an app on my phone, and then I can do it from my car in the parking lot instead of going in. I'd love to hear from McDonald's how many orders are via the app vs the kiosk vs drive thru.
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  The app isn’t very good. They don’t start preparing your order until you arrive in store, and it just seems like so many steps compared to the Starbucks app where you just say, I want it now and it gives you the estimated time it will be ready. Apps that allow for ASAP are easier to use.
listenallyall 3y ago
> no one is expected to pay I eat at US McDonald's frequently. It's easy to observe how many people use their app, place mobile orders, or have a code to use at the ordering kiosks, and that percentage is quite small.
crazygringo 3y ago
Exactly this. It used to be the same prices for everyone. Now prices have gone up, but if you use the app you basically always get either free medium fries (normally $4), buy-one-get-one-free for a Big Mac or QPC, or a few other promos, or accumulated points (that basically give you 10% off everything in the long run). Generally speaking I'll pay $8 for a meal that would be $12 otherwise, basically every single time. (Not to mention that you also skip the line, and if you use the app a few minutes before you arrive, your food will be waiting for you when you do.)
- el_benhameen 3y ago
  And here I’ve been paying for my fries like a sucker. I’m hesitant to call this information “helpful” as it’ll increase my consumption of French fries, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
  - skibbityboop 3y ago
    Maybe it depends on the McDonald's franchisee in your area, I never see free fries in the app but it's always "any size fries for $1.29" (which is still massively cheaper than their normal price).
    - crazygringo 3y ago
      Yeah I think the promos are very region dependent. I've never seen that one, for instance. Yours is worse for a medium, but way better because it lets you save money on a large!
      - Auracle 3y ago
        Yeah. I was once driving home to Minnesota from Wisconsin. I was getting gas, opened to app, looked at the deals, and decided I’d rather eat later. Once I was in Minnesota a lot of them changed.
    - joshstrange 3y ago
      Yep, it’s region and even sub-region specific. Sometimes different McD near me (a couple of miles apart) have different deals. Where I live the one closest always has a BOGO breakfast sandwich while the one closer to my parents (3hrs away) will do a “buy one, get $1 off another”. It’s crazy how much cheaper things are when using the apps for fast food places. I regularly save $3-5 using some $1-item/BOGO/%-off type of coupon.
wkat4242 3y ago
Weird. Here in Europe the prices are the same everywhere in the same country and they don't really do coupons. They also have the excellent "menu4you" meal here in Spain that gets you a double cheeseburger (basically a big Mac) medium meal for 4,50€. Previously it was even 4€. They are really trying to promote their app with free goodies though. I tried to install it but it refused to work because I didn't install it through the play store. I don't use a Google account so I use aurora store to install apps. I do have the basic Google play services installed for eg push messages, i just don't use a Google account to minimise tracking. For some reason the McDonald's app is the single one I have tried that complains about it. Not sure what their issue is with that. I use McDonald's if I need a known quality food quick. Not great quality but consistent. And I actually like their breakfast muffins once in a while.
- barrkel 3y ago
  McD apps for both Germany and Switzerland feature coupons. In Switzerland, physical coupons show up in my postbox. For whatever reason the coupons very seldom work for my meal preferences so I don't bother with them. In Spain the main reason I've gone to McDs is for the cheap affogato in summer. I often end up in an McD off the Autobahn due to a long road trip I take regularly. Reviews matter. McDs are not consistently run. Many stockpile and serve stale fries, and the attention to detail on burger assembly varies wildly.
scubbo 3y ago
Huh - I tried installing the app a couple of times, and couldn't get it to work. I'll try again - thanks!

ryanwaggoner 3y ago

The vast majority of McDonald’s customers are not using the app to order.

throwup238 3y ago
They're coupons. They apply to drive through and dine in orders.
- dawnerd 3y ago
  Still the vast majority do not use them.
  - thrdbndndn 3y ago
    That's their entire point. Extreme price discrimination against people who don't know better/don't bother/etc. McD has the most generous coupons in their apps among fast food chain and there is basically no limit.
  - atdrummond 3y ago
    It depends on the market. I worked at the East Palo Alto McD while I was getting back on my feet a few years back and we had hours where 60-70% of the orders used the app in some way. I’d say probably 35-40% of our customers used the app; of regulars, more than 50%.
    - aworks 3y ago
      Interesting. Note that the price was $6.69 at that McDonald's and the one at Stanford Shopping Center. But it was $6.09 at the locations on El Camino Real in Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Mountain View.
    - rconti 3y ago
      I was JUST looking at that location because it's about the closest to me. I'm between EPA, University Ave, Menlo Park, and Stanford locations: 6.59, 6.69, 6.09. Meanwhile, Foster City is only $4.99!
crazygringo 3y ago
That's the whole point. Customers who are price-sensitive do use the app to order, while people with money to spare don't bother. That's why McDonald's does it. It's the same thing grocery stores have always done with coupons in the weekly flyer -- customers who are price-sensitive cut them out and use them, while people with money to spare don't bother. Or with clothing sales -- people who want the trendiest clothes at the start of the season buy them full-price, while people who wait until the end of the season get them at a steep discount.
- ryanwaggoner 3y ago
  Yes, I'm aware of the point of price discrimination, I was responding to "they have a "regular" price that almost no one is expected to pay"
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- justsomehnguy 3y ago
  >That's the whole point. Customers who are price-sensitive do use the app to order, while people with money to spare don't bother. That's the whole point. Customers willing to sell their privacy for the lower prices use the app to order, while people unwilling to sell their privacy are subject to 'privacy tax'. Slight /s but only slight.
  - crazygringo 3y ago
    The app isn't giving away much privacy information that your credit card isn't. Yeah, they know my name and what I ordered at each location. I'm OK with that. You can also use a throwaway email address to sign up and use the app to order, get the discounts, but pay in cash when you arrive. If you're determined to keep your identity secret from McDonald's.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
fragmede 3y ago
They don't staff the counter anymore so you order from a kiosk, and if I'm ordering from a computer anyway, I might as well use an app on my phone, and then I can do it from my car in the parking lot instead of going in. I'd love to hear from McDonald's how many orders are via the app vs the kiosk vs drive thru.
seanmcdirmid 3y ago
The app isn’t very good. They don’t start preparing your order until you arrive in store, and it just seems like so many steps compared to the Starbucks app where you just say, I want it now and it gives you the estimated time it will be ready. Apps that allow for ASAP are easier to use.

listenallyall 3y ago

> no one is expected to pay I eat at US McDonald's frequently. It's easy to observe how many people use their app, place mobile orders, or have a code to use at the ordering kiosks, and that percentage is quite small.

crazygringo 3y ago

Exactly this. It used to be the same prices for everyone. Now prices have gone up, but if you use the app you basically always get either free medium fries (normally $4), buy-one-get-one-free for a Big Mac or QPC, or a few other promos, or accumulated points (that basically give you 10% off everything in the long run). Generally speaking I'll pay $8 for a meal that would be $12 otherwise, basically every single time. (Not to mention that you also skip the line, and if you use the app a few minutes before you arrive, your food will be waiting for you when you do.)

el_benhameen 3y ago
And here I’ve been paying for my fries like a sucker. I’m hesitant to call this information “helpful” as it’ll increase my consumption of French fries, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
- skibbityboop 3y ago
  Maybe it depends on the McDonald's franchisee in your area, I never see free fries in the app but it's always "any size fries for $1.29" (which is still massively cheaper than their normal price).
  - crazygringo 3y ago
    Yeah I think the promos are very region dependent. I've never seen that one, for instance. Yours is worse for a medium, but way better because it lets you save money on a large!
    - Auracle 3y ago
      Yeah. I was once driving home to Minnesota from Wisconsin. I was getting gas, opened to app, looked at the deals, and decided I’d rather eat later. Once I was in Minnesota a lot of them changed.
  - joshstrange 3y ago
    Yep, it’s region and even sub-region specific. Sometimes different McD near me (a couple of miles apart) have different deals. Where I live the one closest always has a BOGO breakfast sandwich while the one closer to my parents (3hrs away) will do a “buy one, get $1 off another”. It’s crazy how much cheaper things are when using the apps for fast food places. I regularly save $3-5 using some $1-item/BOGO/%-off type of coupon.

wkat4242 3y ago

Weird. Here in Europe the prices are the same everywhere in the same country and they don't really do coupons. They also have the excellent "menu4you" meal here in Spain that gets you a double cheeseburger (basically a big Mac) medium meal for 4,50€. Previously it was even 4€. They are really trying to promote their app with free goodies though. I tried to install it but it refused to work because I didn't install it through the play store. I don't use a Google account so I use aurora store to install apps. I do have the basic Google play services installed for eg push messages, i just don't use a Google account to minimise tracking. For some reason the McDonald's app is the single one I have tried that complains about it. Not sure what their issue is with that. I use McDonald's if I need a known quality food quick. Not great quality but consistent. And I actually like their breakfast muffins once in a while.

barrkel 3y ago
McD apps for both Germany and Switzerland feature coupons. In Switzerland, physical coupons show up in my postbox. For whatever reason the coupons very seldom work for my meal preferences so I don't bother with them. In Spain the main reason I've gone to McDs is for the cheap affogato in summer. I often end up in an McD off the Autobahn due to a long road trip I take regularly. Reviews matter. McDs are not consistently run. Many stockpile and serve stale fries, and the attention to detail on burger assembly varies wildly.

scubbo 3y ago

Huh - I tried installing the app a couple of times, and couldn't get it to work. I'll try again - thanks!