Making It Even Tougher on Consumers

We’ve all seen the many covert ways that merchants employ to take advantage of their customers.

The other day, I was talking to the recently retired VP Marketing at the roast beef sandwich chain Arby’s, and I asked him if he has something like McDonald’s “Filet of Fish.” He asked when was the last time I had the McDonald’s product, and I said, “Oh, I’ll guess 8 – 10 years ago.”  He laughed and challenged me to try again.  “Ever hear of shrinkflation?” he asked.  “That Filet of Fish is now a tiny fraction of the size it was a decade ago.”

Note the 16% “fee” on the menu above.  What’s the problem (outside of clarity) with simply raising your prices by 16% and skipping the weird and obscure language?  “The fee is revenue that is not segmented or designated in any way?” Are you serious?

The $3.00 item at the top actually costs the customer $3.48.