Wendy’s has spoken to its manager after suggestions that it plans to introduce “surge pricing” to its menu received a decidedly frosty response this week, with the company scrambling to clarify that it has no intention of making itself the Uber of fast-food chains.

  • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    So to clarify, they’re saying that they’ll roll it out in ‘25 or so. And that it will be only used for discounts.

    What they’re not sayin, is that they’re going to take the year to jack prices to 3x normal- incrementally so people won’t notice all at once.

    Then they will offer discounts- 50%, maybe.

    So even the discounted price will still be 1.5x more costly, while the surge pricing is 3x.

    Further, they’ll probably tie the discounts to app use; an app which invades your phone and gives them shitloads of data.

    Tl:dr: Wendy’s CEO thinks we’re all dumb.

    • skulblaka@startrek.website
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      10 months ago

      Tl:dr: Wendy’s CEO thinks we’re all dumb.

      People still purchase Wendy’s, he’s got good reason to think that.

    • PatFusty@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      It will be the anti surge. Just charge prices 3x higher but if you own the app and come in between 1pm and 5pm you can get 50% off. I hate this “own the app for discounts” but this is 100% what will happen. Id be willing to wager my sons entire life on this.

    • KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      an app which invades your phone and gives them shitloads of data

      Their app isn’t too bad (at least for now). It has enough data collection that I wouldn’t want to download it, but it isn’t just strait spyware like some fast food apps cough McDonald’s.

      • Pika@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        Speaking of things that the McDonald’s app has access to, I just double checked mine on Android and it has permissions to access your pictures and files by default, I’m sure it was part of that thing that you just select through in order to access the app but that’s kind of concerning can understand location, files is a little weird

        • BigMikeInAustin@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          The earlier version required access to all your files to even start. They did update it to not need that anymore. But if you already had it installed with access to files, it kept that access.

          But, yes, that’s completely unacceptable they required that at all.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        It’s tracking location.

        That’s a pretty massive red flag for an app that has exactly zero need for it.

        • fkn@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          It’s for store finding. While you and I might not use it a lot of people do.

          • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            Sure it is. I believe you.

            (Or is it that store finding is the excuse?)

            edit to clarify: is it a useful feature? I guess. but, I very much doubt that people are using that feature more than the first time they find a location. or needing to.

            • IamAnonymous@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              I have set it as “Ask me everytime” and only used it when I needed to locate a nearby McD. Recently the “Deals” stopped showing up as it required location data with precision setting turned on. So, if I need to use the Deals I need to share my location which shows that they are mining your data for the deals. I kill the app after I order as they don’t need to track me from my home to the restaurant.

    • circuitfarmer@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I think all CEOs think their clientele are dumb. It’s literally the only real requirement to be a CEO, besides already being rich and knowing the right people.

    • olympicyes@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      The CEO should be fired. Thousands of restaurants already have variable, demand based pricing, but no one cares because those restaurants call it “happy hour”.

    • LordKitsuna@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I mean in the CEOs defense most people are fucking dumb. I mean just look what happened to jcpenney, their CEO decided let’s stop with the bullshit no more fake sales no more fake prices everything is the real price on the sticker and it almost bankrupted them.

      People were so stupid that they would go to the store across the mall to buy the exact same pair of pants that JCPenney was selling for $20 normal price at $40 “half off” because brain stupid likes the shiny discount sign

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        it doesn’t help that they have an entire army of Doctorates specialized in the psychology of marketing just to bypass your reasoning for emotion.

        our brains are designed to process emotion before reason on account of evolution so it’s not as simple as to say “people are dumb”… even if… people are dumb.

    • Goku@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Tl:dr: Wendy’s CEO thinks we’re all dumb.

      To be fair, most people are pretty dumb, or at least dumb enough to eat Wendy’s regardless.

    • TenderfootGungi@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      This is exactly what Sonic does with drinks. They used to have a half price afternoon window, but now I believe you have to use the app to get it (not 100% sure, their food is garbage)

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I haven’t been to Sonic in ages.

        there’s an old not-chain drive-in diner near here that’s a thousand times better. (and I mean, like it’s been around long enough to have been one of the OG’s.) IIRC, the only thing I really liked was their ice.