If it feels like you’re being nickel-and-dimed in every aspect of your life, it’s not your imagination.
asserted
it → feel → life
Even McDonald’s is turning you upside down and shaking the loose change from your pockets as you buy that once affordable fast-food feast.
asserted
you → turn → feast
A new report from Reuters says the burger chain is pushing its franchisees to use AI-powered algorithms to set pricing at their locations.
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chain → say → locations
The technology analyzes data across 14,000 locations to estimate “customer willingness to pay in your area.”
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technology → analyze → area
For example, the report compares burger prices in Fresno, California.
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report → compare → Fresno
In one location, the McDonald’s mobile app lists a Big Mac at $5.69, while at another location only two miles away, that same burger is $6.89.
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burger → list → location
That’s pretty outrageous and adds up over time.
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That → ’ → time
Now, you have to shop for fast food like you would for a car, comparing prices at different dealerships before you pull the trigger on a purchase.
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you → have → purchase
(McDonald’s notes that franchisees have the final say on pricing).
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franchisees → note → pricing
It’s obvious that inflation isn’t the lone culprit for the ballooning cost of living.
asserted
inflation → ’ → living
During Covid, we were all sitting on our couches shopping online, giving brands tons of personal information that was perfectly optimized by all the incoming AI technology.
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that → sit → technology
But it’s widespread across the consumer experience as companies increasingly study the buying habits of people online and then set the rates based on their personal data.
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companies → ’ → data
The brand assumes that you are looser with your wallet.
asserted
you → assume → wallet
Surely, you can shell out more scratch for this shirt.
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you → shell → shirt
Or, if you’re revisiting a site over and over, a company can surmise that you’re eager and charge you accordingly.
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you → revisit → you
And, maybe like in the case of McDonald’s, it’s not always a huge increase.
asserted
it → ’ → McDonald
Perhaps it’s just an extra few cents tacked onto your order, here and there.
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it → ’ → order
We keep paying it without objection.
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We → pay → objection
And suddenly the extras mount, and those once affordable items are breaking the bank.
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items → mount → bank
It’s gross and unfair, and it makes one pine for the good old days when the price of goods was presented to the shopper in the form of a sticker slapped on by a price tag-gun-toting stock boy.
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price → ’ → boy
Even those sticky price tags will belong in the Smithsonian soon.
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tags → belong → Smithsonian
Supermarkets are moving toward electronic shelves, which allow stores to digitally update prices in real time.
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stores → move → time
They could alsostart utilizing dynamic pricing, which changes depending on the time or day, weather or other factors, as airline tickets already do.
uncertain
tickets → utilize → time
Many big grocery chains, including Kroger and Amazon, have claimed they had no plans to pivot to dynamic pricing, but count me skeptical.
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they → include → me
Companies only need to look at the irresponsible spending habits of many Americans.
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Companies → need → Americans
People have absolutely no qualms paying $50 for a crappy Chipotle burrito because someone else picked it up, drove it to their home and left the soggy, lukewarm mess on their doorstep.
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someone → have → doorstep
We want instant gratification and convenience.
asserted
We → want → gratification
And we don’t want to lift a finger for it.
asserted
we → want → it
All we have to do is push a button.
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we → have → button
And voila, it’s in our hands at blindingly quick speeds.
asserted
it → ’ → speeds
But, in the process, we’ve unwittingly told companies how terrible we are with our own money, and given them all the information they need to take advantage.
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they → tell → advantage
There’s no easy solution, though I doubt enough people even realize that we’re being hit over the head with these inflated prices thanks to such practices.
asserted
we → ’ → practices
The Aporia
