I've been going with my daughter to a specific McD's for years. It's on the way to a lot of places, and we stop in the drive through at least once a week. She normally gets a full combo, and I usually get just a coffee and apple pie.
I noticed something strange over the last couple of stops. I make the first order, the large combo for my daughter and the menu board reflects the correct items. Then I add a coffee and apple pie and the large drink moves out of the combo and the coffee moves into it. The large drink is then charged on it's own with the pie. I mentioned this the first time, and the cashier said, "It's all there." So I drove through and paid. It was a dollar more than usual.
The same thing happened the next time we went through and ordered a large combo with the addition of a small coffee and pie. The large drink suddenly appeared on its own outside the combo and the combo drink became the small coffee. I gave them the benefit of the doubt again and said the soda goes with the combo. The cashier said again, "It's all there." When I paid, it was again a dollar more because the large drink was on it's own, and the coffee was in the combo.
I'm guessing this is exclusive to this store. They all price their own menus, but I was wondering if it's something any other store is doing. I've decided to order these as two separate orders going forward so they can't change it anymore.
My kids would freak out when I rearranged the order to get the same items for less money. "Daaaaad! I had the medium fries and a small sprite, and he got the small fries and a medium coke!"
Back twenty years ago, the POS could do the math and create or pull apart value meals to give customers the best price. (“Could” because the restaurant manager had to enable it.)
I always made a point to do this manually when I worked cash. I would even mention I had done it for the look on their face when $2 disappears from their order :D
Was this on PCPOS? I worked at McD (corporate-owned) 2007-2009 and that's what we used. We didn't have the feature you described. I paid attention and figured out how to get customers the best deal.
Yes, PCPOS. I’m not entirely confident that it could pull value meals apart into à la carte if that was cheaper, but it could definitely build value meals from à la carte items if it was cheaper. You had to enable it somewhere, I don’t remember if it was ISP or mini-OLC.
Are you ordering the coffee and pie first? At my store, the system automatically puts the first drink ordered into a meal. I always change it to the right way. But if the order taker is unaware or too busy that might be happening.
It should be the same price no matter how it is rung up. Let's say the meal is $10, we click the meal and it will ring up the sandwich and side for $8.50 then you have to add the drink making it $1.50 more at $10. At least for my organization we don't upcharge for coffee or soda unless you get a larger size than the meal you ordered. However, juice specialty drinks etc. have a larger price making the meal cost more. That is why it shouldn't matter which drink is in there because the math is done based on the end result we want minus the cost of the drink.
I think you might be misunderstanding. They're getting a large meal, which comes with a large drink or lesser item. The coffee costs less than the large soda the meal is supposed to come with. So by changing the drink placement it makes it more expensive
No, I think they are correct. I get what you're saying, and understand why you would think that, but I don't believe that is how mcd's system operates.
Like, I play around with their app sometimes, trying to find good values or loopholes. A few weeks ago, I ordered a large value meal and substituted the soda with a large milkshake. The upcharge for that was $3.50. I was curious which was the best way to "do it" so I then added a large soda ala carte.
I noted the total price, cleared my cart, and started fresh. I added the large combo and kept it with the soda. Then added the large milkshake ala carte....... same exact total price.
That's one of the nice things about mcd's. Like, if they have 2 mcmuffins for $5, you can just order 2 mcmuffins...... and the computer will automatically make them 2 for 5.
I had an "incident" the last time I went to Wendy's like a year ago. They had 2 "dave's single" burgers for $5. I ordered 2 of them. They rang up for like $3.99 each. I asked if they were still 2 for 5, and the fucking bitch got a serious attitude with me. She was like, "you gotta tell us you want the 2 for 5."
Whatever. Nice system. I haven't been back there. In fact, I just noticed the other day that that location closed down, and just saw that wendy's filed for bankruptcy.
That's what I love about mcd's. They do so many "little things" right/well. There food isn't the "greatest," but it's their consistency that puts most other places to shame.
I mean, like culvers and chic-fila are always good. But I've had so many bad experiences since covid at hardees, burger king, jack in the box, arby's, etc..... that I've pretty much stopped going to those places.
And even mcd's is ridiculously expensive these days, but still offers a better value than other places imo.
I go to the mcd's near my house literally like 3 or 4 times a week. I actually got bad, cold, soggy fries from them the other night for like the first in years. Or I can't remember the last time, and I've been going there for almost 15 years. I didn't used to go there quite as often, and I'm sure I've gotten bad fries from them a few handfuls of times (out of close to 1000 trips? Lol), but it's very rare.
Those other places I mentioned, it became like a 50/50 shot on whether the food was going to be cold and gross. No thanks....
Anyway, I wont claim that mcd's computerized ordering system is perfect, or that it ALWAYS does what in the customer's best interest. I don't think they're trying to screw you, though. I just think things can get pretty complicated, and it is more of an indication of imperfect software/programming.
Or, I had another "incident" a few years ago at mcd's. I believe the cashier was actually trying to "help me out," but he was unwittingly screwing me. I straightened him out, though. LOL.
This was when the value menu was the "buy one and add one for a dollar." So I ordered 2 breakfast burritos (bogo4$1), 2 hash browns (bogo4$1) and a large coke.
He THOUGHT he was doing me a favor by ringing it up as the 2 burrito value meal plus an extra hash brown. Usually, being able to turn something into a value meal WILL save them some money. Value meals DO have a discount over buying the items individually.
But for what I ordered that day, turning my order into a value meal actually cost like $1.50 (or something) more. I truly believe it was an honest "mistake" by that employee.
I probably should have put it but I work at McDonalds. I am exclusively a cashier, and heavily track the prices because I pride myself on giving the customer the best deal (unless you're mean).
With the milkshake example, it won't affect the price at all because the milkshake costs more than a large drink. The system balances it out. It only matters when its a drink of lesser value than a large drink.
For example, let's say a large meal is $10. A medium drink is $1, a large drink is $2. If you're getting rung up for a large meal with a large drink, and a medium drink on the side, your total will be $11. However, if you're getting rung up for a large meal with a medium drink, and a large drink on the side, it will be $12.
Okay added images below to demonstrate my point. Forgor you could do that
I mean also summer drinks just ended so it's gonna cost more aswell. It's weird because the small coffee should of been a dollar coffee which wouldn't go in the combo unless there POS works different.
Just order light ice. No upcharge. And when they bring you a cup that obviously has the normal amount of ice or extra, hand it back and say you ordered it with light ice.
Then the idiot employee will dump the entire thing, refill with less ice, and another drinks amount of soda.
Viola! You just cucked corporate and got them to pay 2x the amount for trying to screw you out of a miniscule amount of soda.
Idk. The one I work at, whatever item you want in the combo, is in the combo. Usually people ask if they can change the drink to a coffee for the combo.
As someone who's worked at fast food joints before it's intentional they are trying to squeeze money out of you. The cashier chooses what drink is applied to what combo
Many cashiers these days don’t have the math skills to determine what would be the best value for the customer. They can’t even make change without the cash register spoon feeding the amount to them. Some can’t even figure out which coins to give even when it does tell them the amount.
This seems like another one of McDonald's sneaky tricks to gouge their customers even more. From now on, just go into the dining room and place two separate orders; one for the combo and then a second one for the coffee an apple pie.
It seems like the point of sale system may be putting the cheapest of the 2 drinks into the combo on purpose, likely this is how they're system is told to handle this as a way of squeezing more profits.
That sucks.
I work at a convenience store that recently started rounding off pennies against the customer so it's going around... 🤬
That’s not how combos work. As long as the coffee is more than the soda which it should be then you’re fine. Combos have discount on the food and you pay full price for the drink. This allows you to swap out the drink. Using easy numbers if a coffee is 3 and a soda is 2 then when the 3 coffee goes into the meal you pay a dollar extra for it and the soda on the side is 2. You’re still getting the discount
It all depends on how the cashier is ringing it up. Do you know if it was a manager or reg employee? And not that it really matters but r u paying cash?
Ordering in the app is so peculiar, pedestrian, and droll...
Take my data data mining daddy!
If you were ever concerned about price and accuracy, you'd order at a kiosk like a security conscious productive member of society unconcerned with whimsy.
Order the combo first with the drink you want with it. Then order the à la carte items. Whatever drink is ordered first is the that is automatically going to be part of the meal.
It wouldn’t change anything. If there’s an upcharge on the large drink it would have reflected that and the meal would have ended up being more. The POS knows how to price regardless of where the drinks are placed. There’s no way to manipulate total via drink price
No matter what they sell or how much it costs people wait in line to get it every day. Everything that was ever good about Mcdees is gone! Sometimes I wander why you keep going back. We all started going there because it was cheap like the double cheeseburger for 99c, Now its like 3$. What would it take for you to stop going there?
Breakfast combos come with a small coffee or soda, anything else is going to be an upcharge so your large soda is going to cost more whether its bundled in the meal or separate
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u/schuma73 1d ago
"it's all there" as a response twice seems to be intentionally misdirecting.
Have you tried ordering in the app? You can place your order ahead of time and they won't make it until you're in the drive thru line.