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ndiddy 16 hours ago [-]
If we're already seeing dynamic burger pricing based on market rates, does McDonald's also plan on offering a burger derivative market so customers can hedge their pricing risk in case unforeseen events cause the burger price to skyrocket?
m463 10 hours ago [-]
I see a burger arbitrage opportunity where you purchase a burger at in-n-out and deliver it to mcdonalds customers.
rspeele 9 hours ago [-]
Delightfully devilish, Seymour.
14 hours ago [-]
grogers 12 hours ago [-]
Maybe instead of spending money on AI to squeeze as much profit as possible you could just fix your self ordering kiosks to not suck? They are painfully slow to the point where you have to click things multiple times because it doesn't register and then when it does wake up it registers the second click on some unrelated thing that you have to undo. Plus half the time the card reader doesn't work so you have to pay at the counter anyways, which they don't staff so it takes forever to flag someone down.
euroderf 10 hours ago [-]
Probably every click has to round-trip to East Ratfrak.
HarHarVeryFunny 16 hours ago [-]
Soon you'll need to bring your own agent to negotiate the price of your Big Mac.
Or you could just go somewhere with better food, better prices, and no AI.
TheChaplain 2 hours ago [-]
I haven't had McD for like 15 years, is it any better these days or same thing just pricier?
alexgieg 4 hours ago [-]
That's alright. I'm willing to pay $1 for a Big Mac. If the algorithm matches that willingness of mine, I may buy one. Maybe.
subscribed 3 hours ago [-]
I thought what they could possibly put into a $1 Big Mac and it wasn't a nice thought :p
skeledrew 3 hours ago [-]
Got me thinking about Soylent Green...
SMAAART 14 hours ago [-]
> One pricing factor supercharged by AI: an estimate of how much each store’s patrons are willing to pay.
How is this any different from businesses who do not have transparent pricing? E.g.: Enterprise SaaS; consultancy; architectural materials.
Borborygymus 14 hours ago [-]
A meal is a pretty simple fixed-cost item from a retail outlet, not a service with a complex set of dependencies and shifting requirements. The cost of the meal is predictable to the seller - dynamic pricing has only one purpose - gouging customers.
If SaaS/consulting/architectural firms are engaging in price gouging of their customers, that is not an argument to bring the same to the fast food market.
skeledrew 3 hours ago [-]
The "cost" of anything is determined by supply and demand. Nothing fixed about pricing; it was always an arbitrary affair of "buy low, sell high" at every level. It's the very essence of Capitalism.
Government regulation of course exists, but is a separate thing.
ghostbrainalpha 13 hours ago [-]
Counterpoint: Restaurants have ALWAYS had dynamic pricing. It is called "Happy Hour". Dynamic pricing for an eatery serves an important purpose besides just gouging the customer. It moves customer traffic away from the intense surge at standard breakfast, lunch and dinner times which is a hard problem for businesses to work around.
You DESERVE a discount for patronizing them during their slower periods.
euroderf 10 hours ago [-]
A Happy Hour is publicly priced in advance. Not so "dynamic".
schiffern 8 hours ago [-]
Yep, the overarching term they might be looking for is price segmentation. Coupons, matinees, college/senior discounts, etc
There was a Jon Stewart podcast on this a couple of weeks ago on Machine Learning and custom pricing. It was an illuminating one. It all looks like a lead up to big consumer action and lawsuit in the future. TBH, McDonald’s pricing might survive as it seems to charge the same for everyone at the same store.
throwaway63467 14 hours ago [-]
Why are people upset, it’s obviously “stupid” for customers but Amazon has been doing this for ages, prices change multiple times per day and the only reason is that they choose the optimal price point where you will just so buy at Amazon and not elsewhere, AI is surely involved in that process. People are fine with it apparently as Amazon grows like crazy, so why not pay dynamic rates for our burgers too, why not for everything? There are only so many ways for companies to grow 10-20 % per year forever, expect a lot more craziness as many of them reach global market penetration where regular growth mechanisms get exhausted.
add-sub-mul-div 13 hours ago [-]
It's better for consumers to know what something costs in advance so they can have a mental model of the space and where to buy.
The fact that people are NPCs who make the tech giants like Amazon successful out of ignorance and despite their hostility is not a good thing.
kardos 13 hours ago [-]
The only winning move is not to play
jasomill 12 hours ago [-]
Or do what I do and buy nothing but the occasional deeply discounted item in the app (free 10 piece McNuggets with $2 purchase, $1 breakfast sandwich, free fries [no purchase necessary]).
_Microft 8 hours ago [-]
Especially for your blood vessels, liver, pancreas, …
fny 9 hours ago [-]
I often wonder if it's possible to organize to have people collude to refuse any price above breakeven.
14 hours ago [-]
AuthAuth 13 hours ago [-]
why does this never result in the food getting cheaper.
kotaKat 4 hours ago [-]
they were TRYING to, but the franchises decided to use it as opportunities to raise prices:
"At the company’s August earnings call, CEO Kempczinski called out store owners who didn’t comply with the chain’s under-$3 menu pricing guidance – about a third of total franchisees."
When that new menu rehash happened and they got rid of the 2 for $5 and etc and started adding "value items under $3", what happened was a bunch of franchisees all just instead raised the price of items on that menu to still be "technically correct".
My local market now has a $2.89 McDouble and two-pies-for-$3 which qualifies for that "under $3" metric, but wasn't what the McCEO wanted to see happen.
UltraSane 10 hours ago [-]
I will never give McDonald's money after they let Trump use McDonald's to mock Kamala Harris for working at McDonald's. And the food is terrible value for money.
Or you could just go somewhere with better food, better prices, and no AI.
How is this any different from businesses who do not have transparent pricing? E.g.: Enterprise SaaS; consultancy; architectural materials.
If SaaS/consulting/architectural firms are engaging in price gouging of their customers, that is not an argument to bring the same to the fast food market.
Government regulation of course exists, but is a separate thing.
You DESERVE a discount for patronizing them during their slower periods.
https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/12/15/camels-and-rubber-...
If McDonald's wants to buy me steak dinners and rounds of golf to sell me a burger, I'm down.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index
The fact that people are NPCs who make the tech giants like Amazon successful out of ignorance and despite their hostility is not a good thing.
"At the company’s August earnings call, CEO Kempczinski called out store owners who didn’t comply with the chain’s under-$3 menu pricing guidance – about a third of total franchisees."
When that new menu rehash happened and they got rid of the 2 for $5 and etc and started adding "value items under $3", what happened was a bunch of franchisees all just instead raised the price of items on that menu to still be "technically correct".
My local market now has a $2.89 McDouble and two-pies-for-$3 which qualifies for that "under $3" metric, but wasn't what the McCEO wanted to see happen.