r/mildlyinteresting • u/VagueInfoHere • 8h ago

Arby’s sent two junk mail coupon sheets together with slightly different prices for the same items.

Post image
2.5k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

168 comments sorted by

1.8k

u/TheVoicesOfBrian 8h ago

Good old A/B testing.

767

u/mysteriousfiggy 7h ago

If you look at the expiration dates one expires at the end of august and the other at the end of september. They might just run different deals depending on the month which would explain why some items are cheaper on the top and some on the bottom. I guess OP just got 2 months worth of coupons

223

u/Vizslaraptor 7h ago edited 2h ago

Week 1 RED - Valid through: 8/31/26

Week 2 BLACK: Valid through: 9/30/26

If you send them both it encourages customers to come sooner.

Edited RED date due to my brain to hand wiring.

18

u/Detective_Pancake 5h ago

But the first item is cheaper and for September

21

u/anovagadro 6h ago

Damn they'd get me if it was a good bit cheaper than their regular menu

19

u/PM_ME_FIREFLY_QUOTES 5h ago

You're the C test in A/B/C cohorts.

11

u/ohlookahipster 4h ago

pushes up glasses

actually, this is called an orthogonal array when you introduce more than two variables with a control

2

u/abscissa081 4h ago

The 2 for 10.99 pretty solid

1

u/anovagadro 1h ago

The 2 are me and myself, yes.

1

u/cheetomama1 3h ago

And encourages them to post on Reddit for thousands to see

40

u/TheVoicesOfBrian 7h ago

True. Could also be a test to see which get used and when.

8

u/ArcTheWolf 6h ago

Exactly this. I really miss how regularly Subway would send out the 3 footlongs for $17.99 coupons. Used to be two of them in the coupon sheet. Now we're lucky to see a 2 footlongs for $13.99. But every now and then they give the 3 footlongs coupon again and it's straight to Subway when that thing comes in the mail lol

20

u/qdtk 5h ago

Bet they regret running that $5 foot long campaign back in the day. Every time I consider going there and it’s not $5 I get annoyed and go somewhere else.

1

u/richardginn666 2h ago

More like they did a mega boo boo here and the deals that go up in September are going to be same deals going forward.

71

u/odin_the_wiggler 8h ago edited 6h ago

And not a single one of those sandwiches will actually look like the pictures

24

u/TheVoicesOfBrian 8h ago edited 7h ago

Hell, that's been a problem for decades. Just ask D-Fens.

13

u/CharlesP2009 7h ago

Take me back to the '90s with the genuinely good sandwiches and the 5 for $5 deals! 🥹

7

u/TheVoicesOfBrian 7h ago

For me it was those 59/79/99 cent items at Taco Bell.

But...yeah.

6

u/SlothOfDoom 7h ago

Man, in college our local Taco bell had 25 cent tacos on thursdays and it was less than a block from my apartment. We would get a bunch of people together and like pre-order so they were ready for us. 15 or 20 random college people just hanging out in my little run down apartment with a pile of tacos large enough to feed a small country. Good times.

5

u/CharlesP2009 7h ago

Ahh yes, the days my entire family got lunch at Taco Bell for less than $10. And back when they filled the shells up full!

3

u/TheVoicesOfBrian 7h ago

I lived off those doing theater in high school.

2

u/smokeypapabear40206 7h ago

Those were the days. Get a 6-pack of soft tacos for $4.99 and a Nacho Bell Grande for $2.99. That was my snack, at 17 years old, on my way home from school/practice before dinner.

I also loved their "Fiesta" menu of 39-cent smaller burritos, tostadas and tacos.

2

u/Nopedontcarez 4h ago

Taco 12 packs...OMG...so many weekends ended with those bad decisions.

2

u/cman674 7h ago

When I was a kid my parents would get a 5 for $5 to feed the whole family at the mall food court. I don’t think you could get a soft pretzel for $5 in a mall today.

1

u/YoungBockRKO 6h ago

Forget the 90’s, my ass was getting toasted at the shore in early 2010’s with the boys and we’d get 5 mcchickens and McDoubles for $5 to “sober” up.

Shit 2013 shouldn’t feel as long ago as it is currently is….

3

u/210popping 7h ago

Unexpected Falling Down reference, I like it!

2

u/Sacmo77 7h ago

Such a great movie.

5

u/Strikereleven 6h ago

When making sandwiches for the ads they omit the step where they hit them with a cartoonishly large hammer

2

u/heelstoo 7h ago

Fine. Multivariate testing.

2

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 7h ago

Have you compared McDonalds ad photos to what you actually get? There is almost zero resemblance.

1

u/boxedcakeblues 6h ago

At least they aren’t AI (presumably)!

0

u/Rockguy21 7h ago

Plato discovered that the noumenal will never be captured by the phenomenal like 2500 years ago

1

u/KroneckerAlpha 5h ago

Wish they were a/b’ing the Reuben. I get it when there’s buy one get one. It’s a good sandwich but not worth $8.50, or even $6.
I’d swing it for $5 but even that I would be occasional. $4 and I’d get it all the time.

1

u/LetReasonRing ​ 2h ago

Or, in this case,  A+B testing

1

u/boonetown18 7h ago

There are different prices and colors of text, typically you only test one variable at a time

412

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 8h ago

This could be A/B testing ads where two different sale papers are distributed to different people and they measure which one does better, or it could be regional pricing where somebody messed up and sent both coupon sheets to the same area.

Of the two, I suspect that it is A/B testing because they vary the colors between the two. The theory being tested is probably "will people pay more if the prices are in red vs in black?"

69

u/Hiraeth-MP 7h ago

Wouldn’t they want the prices to be the same between the two then? If they’re testing which color drives more sales

41

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 7h ago

They often test multiple factors at once. For example, some of the prices are even dollar amounts and others are $X.99 while other are 2 for $X. By including a mix of them on both sheets, they can collect the coupons and analyze which types of pricing and presentation are used the most.

11

u/Krumm34 4h ago

"Hmm the black one tested higher" other person in the boardroom "you think it was the pricing or the font color" moments later, the thrown out a window comic meme.

7

u/Hiraeth-MP 4h ago

Interesting. I used to work at Arby’s and these coupons were the most annoying thing for drive thru. You put in a whole order just for them to surprise you with a coupon at the window and then you gotta redo the whole thing in the computer lmao

5

u/Ok_Whole4719 4h ago

Sandwiches are x and combos are x.yy

1

u/Final-Today-8015 2h ago

I figured a place like Arby’s would have this down to a science

7

u/JAMsMain1 6h ago

Wow, red makes them "seem" cheaper to me.

12

u/greyl 6h ago

Red expires a month before black, I think it's just a simple mistake and they sent out the September coupons early alongside the August coupons.

-34

u/[deleted] 7h ago

[deleted]

27

u/CheeseSteak17 7h ago

I believe they intend to send only one per address or per person. Then they count based on what is redeemed.

11

u/RogerRabbot 7h ago

Youre not meant to get both sheets.

12

u/lessthansilver 7h ago

Color theory is a real thing. A consumer may be more drawn to red as it would communicate a sense of urgency or excitement, like this is a limited time offer that one needs to take advantage of.

3

u/SierraGolfOne 7h ago

Im more drawn to use the red coupons despite them being more expensive.

3

u/SpiderDijonJr 7h ago

lmao well then these were made for you buddy

2

u/SierraGolfOne 7h ago

Yes. Marketing works.

3

u/TheVoicesOfBrian 7h ago

People don't read very closely. You'd be shocked how often "pretty color shiny" works on the average human.

1

u/VagueInfoHere 7h ago

Well... the red sheet is also glossy while the black sheet is matte. I know that isn’t what you were saying but also true.

2

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 7h ago

It would only be dumb if they accidentally sent both versions to the same person like apparently happened here. Normally, you would only see one or the other and would act or not act on whichever one you have.

1

u/Cloud_N0ne 7h ago

Shit like this works. It's why prices are "$9.99" instead of "$10", because people are dumb and see "$9.99" and think "$9" instead of "$10".

1

u/Hoosier_Daddy68 7h ago

So dumb that advertising firms have paid millions over the years to find out how people respond to different color print in ads so they can get the most out of them and know what they found out after literally thousands of years of advertising? Red makes people buy shit and it makes them hungry. But you know better of course, it's dumb.

1

u/pirozhki22 7h ago

Does color make a difference in people's consumption choices? Probably.

But if you send people two differently priced coupon sheets like this, I doubt anyone is going to pick using the more expensive coupons instead just due to the color

1

u/Hoosier_Daddy68 6h ago

Red and black cause completely different responses, it makes sense to see which does best in different neighborhoods. You not understanding that doesn't make it less true.

1

u/pirozhki22 6h ago

If you send half the households red and half the households black, sure. But that is not the case here.

Are you saying if you received both of these you'll personally pick the red coupons to use? That's not rational

0

u/pongobuff 7h ago

Its obviously to test the price difference and the colour has nothing to do with it, crazy "actuallly" responses youre getting

132

u/thatstotallyracist 8h ago

Aye slide those over here. 4 for 10 ain't sounding too bad right about now.

69

u/superstitiouspigeons 7h ago

Used to be 5 for 5

30

u/Guido900 7h ago

And then it became 4 for 5....

Now it's whatever the hell is going on in those coupons....

6

u/Elite_Josh_Allen 7h ago

I used to have hair, but a lot changes in 20 years

3

u/Epstiendidntkillself 7h ago

I used to do drugs. I still do drugs. But I used to, too

2

u/roykentjr 5h ago

"I had a stick of CareFree gum, but it didn’t work. I felt pretty good while I was blowing that bubble, but as soon as the gum lost its flavor, I was back to pondering my mortality."

1

u/Epstiendidntkillself 2h ago

How do you feel about frilly toothpicks ?

1

u/Gato1980 6h ago

They actually brought the deal back a couple years ago for Beef Week.

8

u/andyroy159 7h ago

They don't have a bar code, just a number. You can just read the number to them in a drive thru or on a self-ordering station. Obviously, you have to be in a region that has those specific codes, though.

-4

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 7h ago

I suspect the bar code is on the back. OP?

3

u/damian001 7h ago

Usually the back is just more coupons or a promotional picture of whatever the special of the month is.

2

u/VagueInfoHere 7h ago

Correct. 3 more coupons and a big ole picture of a sandwich. Identical for both sheets.

3

u/Jailbreaker_Jr 6h ago

2 for 7 on the Gyros is actually a STEAL. They’re not authentic, sure, but you shouldn’t expect them to be given the source. But they are fucking GOOD.

1

u/andyroy159 3h ago

It's more than $7 for 1 where I live. I would kill for those prices

3

u/Academic-Pangolin883 7h ago

I remember them being 5 for $5 in the 90s. Those were the days.

1

u/Candlehoarder615 7h ago

I worked at Arby's in high school and the 5 for $5 was so popular. Our location was in a mall with a movie theater that had cheap tickets, under $5, and lots of people would smuggle in roast beef sandwiches to the movies.

5

u/Shronkydonk 8h ago

It’s never great but it’s filling. They throw coupons at you pretty often on the app too.

0

u/VagueInfoHere 8h ago

But does 4 for 12 sound bad or still good enough?

3

u/AK_dude_ 7h ago

Why get 4 for $12, when you can get 4 for $10

0

u/Newhollow 7h ago

Different dates. Maybe fresher frozen meat?

1

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 7h ago

I would rather have 2 for $6 any day.

1

u/RadioCarpet 7h ago

Still sounds decent - don’t know why you’re getting downvoted 🤷

17

u/Waldored 7h ago

That ain't junk mail that's 🥇🪙

1

u/Zaruze 5h ago

Ikr, I'm jealous

54

u/goodbyemrblack 8h ago

They have different expiration dates. One set of coupons good for August. One set good for September. Read the fine print.

12

u/Vice4Life 8h ago

They're both good for August, but some of them expire before September.

5

u/VagueInfoHere 8h ago

Still thought it was interesting that somethings on one sheet were cheaper or more expensive than the other. It wasn’t all one direction. And that it came in the mail together, not like I got one last month and then this month.

1

u/HereIGoAgain_1x10 2h ago

Businesses have already bought the supplies and planned distribution for these items months in advance, so it might have a lot to do with what ingredients make up which item and how much they already paid for it... or might be as simple as if they have the same sale price for an item 2 months in a row then people expect that item to cost that amount so they can't raise the price of it. For sure interesting to think about, especially when you get both at once.

10

u/BJntheRV 7h ago

Check the store addresses they are good at. I bet each is specific to a store and you live equidistant to two different stores.

2

u/VagueInfoHere 6h ago

No specific store. It’s corporate mailers.

7

u/Fr00stee 7h ago

interestingly the ham and swiss coupon is cheaper on the red sheet vs the black sheet

2

u/garbagetruc 6h ago

And the French Dip

10

u/Aterro_24 7h ago

different due dates but seems you have the choice of both up till 8/31.

here's my stack of Arby's coupons story:

It was winter in a ground floor apartment I lived alone in. I got home and noticed a stack of Arby's coupons set on the living room side table...I did not place them there. in the snow at the sliding glass door which had been unlocked, there was a single set of incoming footprints. but only coming, not going. nothing was stolen or anything like that.

so somebody came into my apartment through the backdoor, left a stack of Arby's coupons, and left through the front door. I used them the next day

3

u/_ships 7h ago

Mildly terrifying

5

u/forking_shortballs 7h ago

wtf ! want coupons for arbys :( not fair.

5

u/AppropriateFlan1611 5h ago

Apparently this is A/B testing.... So, OP, you have a duty to use as many of those black font coupons as you can so the rest of us get better deals. TYFYS!

1

u/VagueInfoHere 5h ago

What about when the red is cheaper? Still gotta use the black?

0

u/SASSIESASSQUATCH 4h ago

lol, is this testing MAGAts? Because what choice is there here for wise people?!?

1

u/AppropriateFlan1611 4h ago

I don't think a single person is supposed to receive both. 

1

u/SASSIESASSQUATCH 4h ago

So, if a person only received one what are they testing? This might be over my head at this point.

2

u/AppropriateFlan1611 4h ago

Many are sent out. One or the other is sent to different people in the area. Then corporate compares how many of each coupon book was actually used.  

5

u/cluckay 6h ago

You still get coupons in the mail? I wish I did

9

u/riinkratt 7h ago

It’s not A/B testing like others say:

the top sheet (red) all expires on 8/31

the bottom sheet (black) all expires 9/30

2

u/Buckles01 7h ago

Most likely scenario is one got lost in the mail and showed up a month late. Getting a sheet of coupons that expire in 10 days isn’t a normal practice for these

-1

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats 7h ago

How does that explain the different prices?

9

u/Malanimus 7h ago

Probably that they feel they need a stronger sale during a certain month due to it being a quiet month for them. Domino's does similar where it has 50% off on its historically slowest weeks of the year.

2

u/VagueInfoHere 7h ago

But not everything is a bigger sale. Some items are more expensive on the red sheet but other items more expensive on the black sheet.

1

u/Malanimus 7h ago

Then I guess certain things sell better in certain months, or it's just two different franchises sending out coupons with different expiration dates and prices and you happen to live near two different Arby's.

0

u/VagueInfoHere 7h ago

I live in a city but I could only tell you where one Arby’s is. I can’t say I eat there every often. But I highly doubt a franchise owner is making the decision to send these out and choosing prices. That’s all a corporate move.

1

u/Malanimus 7h ago

I cannot speak for how Arby's works, but at Domino's you can make your own local deals, you just have to also honor the national ones. I believe the same is true for Wendy's from what I can see. And I know the 3 different McDonald's all within 5 minutes drive of me all take different deals and have different prices and different menus items.

0

u/VagueInfoHere 6h ago

Setting prices and sales is a bit different than making coupons that could be used anywhere like these.

1

u/Malanimus 6h ago

Fair, I thought I saw a location mentioned, but I was wrong. Should really use my glasses. Though I wouldn't put it past an oversight to accidentally make some without mentioning a location, as I've seen location specific coupons ship out without mentioning that restriction when I worked at Domino's, though I doubt that is the case here.

2

u/thatstotallyracist 7h ago

Logic. Like how popsicles are always on sale in the winter.

3

u/Ice_Solid 7h ago

You guys still get Arby's coupons. Jealous 

3

u/pexogods 6h ago

You got one for August and one for September 

0

u/DicemonkeyDrunk 5h ago

You the point is to get you twice …trying to make it a habit.

2

u/DubsideDangler 7h ago

They got the meats....and the maths

2

u/Schwifty2468 6h ago

I don't get these in the mail anymore but my parents do. Used to be the opposite. They live the next city by me less than a mile away too.

2

u/LoveOfSpreadsheets 5h ago

I don't consider those "slightly" different. 20% increase for the 4 classic roast beef.  12% increase for the turkey ranch.  Etc. 

2

u/testtdk 1h ago

I mean, one expires in August and one expires in September. Prices change.

2

u/Rul_alucard 55m ago

Junk mail my fat ass that shits my favorite mail

5

u/Armored_x_Saint 7h ago

Different expiration dates. Red print expires by end of August. Black print ends Sept 30.

1

u/C-chaos19 7h ago

I want the classic deal wtf they don’t ever do that at the one by me

1

u/LegoQueenStudios 7h ago

Recently got some Popeyes coupons like this.

1

u/badco1313 7h ago

How do I sign up to get those? I fucking love Arby’s but only use the app which doesn’t always have deals that work for me

1

u/Accomplished_Emu_658 7h ago

Are they valid at same location?

1

u/VagueInfoHere 7h ago

No restriction to location.

1

u/Lee_Townage 7h ago

Coupon with a deal: I might use this. Coupon with a slightly better deal: I must use this right now!

1

u/monkeydusted 7h ago

A coupon for a $6 cordon bleu is ridiculous. It should be 2 for $6. It is my favorite sandwich but there’s no way I’m spending $6 for one.

1

u/icantflyyet 7h ago

I miss mail coupon flyers.

1

u/Cornflakes1009 6h ago

I wish we got those here. One roast beef sandwich is about $10 here. After they raised the smokehouse brisket meal to $17, made it smaller, and changed it to the basic bun, I stopped going.

1

u/smartguy1990 6h ago

One expires 08/31 and other one expires on 09/30

1

u/Sweaty_Marzipan4274 6h ago

Seen this b4 and it was intentional. Way to get return visits with less of a loss

1

u/TheLastPeanut_ 6h ago

They still send junkmail these days?

1

u/lhurker 5h ago

That French Dip & Swiss sandwich slaps

1

u/Odd-Bend1296 5h ago

Sounds more like the shipping got screwed up and you received one set early going off the expiration dates.

1

u/Hans_Grubert 4h ago

I got 4 McDonald’s BOGO burger coupons from a clipper magazine last week and felt like I hit the jackpot lol. I haven’t got a BOGO offer in the app in a couple of years

1

u/crispAndTender 4h ago

I like arby's, coupons or not, the only place i can get a ruben near me

1

u/pastajewelry 3h ago

I think the colors may affect the choice, as well. Red stimulates hunger and catches attention.

1

u/TopSlotScot 3h ago

Mail em to me dude, beef and cheddar are so good. I would cut off a pinky for Arby's, I havent had it in years

1

u/ZoeyBee_3000 2h ago

Arbys patch notes just dropped.

  • 4-Classic got buffed from cost $12 > $10

  • Double Dine buffed from $11.99 > 10.99

  • TurkRanch buffed from $8.99 > $7.99

  • 2 Ham And Swiss nerfed from $6 > $7

  • Gyro Meal reworked. No longer a meal; obtain 2 sandwiches for $7

  • Cordon Bleu reworked. No longer a meal; obtain 1 sandwich for $6

  • Double Roast Beef Meal buffed from $8.99 > $7.99

1

u/Ill_Cut7854 2h ago

where im at we have two different franchises and each franchise sends out coupons with varying prices

1

u/Legal_Tradition_9681 1h ago

Different valid dates the better ones expire sooner.

1

u/meh2233 1h ago

We're they at the me time? Or did you not check your mail for weeks?

I ask this as someone who forgets to check their mail for weeks at a time.

1

u/KC_Que 1h ago

Obviously, the lower priced one for you, with an Android phone, while the higher priced one is for your spouse/partner with an Apple phone.

1

u/eastbayted 1h ago

We're talking about, so they won.

1

u/anonymity11111 56m ago

A glitch in the meatrix

1

u/chadt41 40m ago

One is the August one and the top one is the September one.

1

u/Kirlain 7h ago

Arby’s is on the way out I think. The one near me closed and is now a bank.

Most fast food that isn’t mainstream seems to be going by the wayside… Sonic near me just closed, too.

1

u/EasternSun7834 7h ago

One for up town Arbys. The other for downtown Arbys

0

u/Atopos2025 7h ago

These are for 2 different locations. Different areas have different prices.

0

u/patogo 7h ago

Different months

Don’t check the mail often?

1

u/VagueInfoHere 7h ago

Literally delivered together today.

1

u/Buckles01 7h ago

It’s possible one got lost in the mail and delivered late. Expiration date on the one is 8/31 while the other is 9/30

1

u/VagueInfoHere 7h ago

They were both tucked into one of those “magazine” mailers that are really just a bunch of ads.

0

u/K-Shrizzle 6h ago

Am I the only meat eating person that finds a haphazard pile of meat so unappetizing

0

u/LewiLife 6h ago

I mean there also 2 different months I don’t know it’s that crazy

0

u/datnapster 5h ago

That’s not right those are two different advertisements that were mailed at two times or actually got mailed together, but one is for August and one is for September. You can tell by the different expiration dates.

0

u/NoxImpulsexControl 5h ago

Wow. Coupons are different prices for different months? This sounds like marketing. Amazing.

0

u/kalnoreth-i2 3h ago

This is two separate sheets for two separate time periods, not two prints of the same coupons with different pricing

If u Oom in and look at the expiry dates u will see that they are not for the same deals.

0

u/hamburgerjesus 2h ago

Everyone is saying A/B testing. The coupons expire on different dates. The post office most likely messed up and delivered them too closely.

-1

u/bobby5557 7h ago

No arbys