I just did a bonused shop with milkshake. Small burger in a bowl, small fries and drink and milkshake $17.66 and it reimburses up to $17.75.

@pegleg2000 wrote:

I just did a bonused shop with milkshake. Small burger in a bowl, small fries and drink and milkshake $17.66 and it reimburses up to $17.75.

Not all Five Guys prices are equal, even in the same city.... One location in my city has a veggie sandwich, fries and a drink STILL go over reimbursement at ~$13.

Meanwhile, there's only one location in my area where you can get a little burger, fries and drink, AND around $13 or less.

Is it really 80% of the country? Are you sure about that? That's unfathomable. I remember being dirt-ass broke in my early 20s. I remember in college, ramen noodles or a can of soup being my dinner options (damn, I was skinny).

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Is it really 80% of the country? Are you sure about that? That's unfathomable. I remember being dirt-ass broke in my early 20s. I remember in college, ramen noodles or a can of soup being my dinner options (damn, I was skinny).

Supposedly. I hope it's not true. It's what is reported.
[www.cnbc.com]
[www.usnews.com]
[www.forbes.com]

Good lord. I just read those. How awful, but I can't even imagine how it's possible.

One article stated that some people who make more than 100k are living paycheck to paycheck. WTF, really? Another stated: "Nearly 3 in 4 workers say they are in debt - and more than half think they always will be."

I have 0 debt. I own my car (which is a 2013), we own our house, and I have 0 credit card debt (same with hubby, we have separate cc cards). We just don't spend money if we don't have it.

Why are so many people in our country living beyond their means?

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Good lord. I just read those. How awful, but I can't even imagine how it's possible.

One article stated that some people who make more than 100k are living paycheck to paycheck. WTF, really? Another stated: "Nearly 3 in 4 workers say they are in debt - and more than half think they always will be."

I have 0 debt. I own my car (which is a 2013), we own our house, and I have 0 credit card debt (same with hubby, we have separate cc cards). We just don't spend money if we don't have it.

Why are so many people in our country living beyond their means?

Because so many of the people in our country are financially illiterate.

I am not financially illiterate. My means, however, is $1180 a month, and it costs me $1570 a month to live. So I guess you could say I'm living beyond my means.

I'm not saying I haven't made really poor decisions; I have.

@ceasesmith wrote:

I am not financially illiterate. My means, however, is $1180 a month, and it costs me $1570 a month to live. So I guess you could say I'm living beyond my means.

I'm not saying I haven't made really poor decisions; I have.

Moving is an option. You can live for less than $1570 per month, just not where you are now.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Good lord. I just read those. How awful, but I can't even imagine how it's possible.

One article stated that some people who make more than 100k are living paycheck to paycheck. WTF, really? Another stated: "Nearly 3 in 4 workers say they are in debt - and more than half think they always will be."

I have 0 debt. I own my car (which is a 2013), we own our house, and I have 0 credit card debt (same with hubby, we have separate cc cards). We just don't spend money if we don't have it.

Why are so many people in our country living beyond their means?

In NY or parts of CA, you couldn't live on 100k.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 02:48AM by Niner.

My niece lives in NY. She makes about 80k and her living expenses as a single mom with one son are about 55k. She lives 2 hours out of the city.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

Little burger, fries and a soda come to 12.44 here. I never get a burger without cheese and I never do these shops without a bonus. That being said, you are an IC, you can pick and choose what you want to do. If you don't like the reimbursement/pay, don't do it. It's that easy.

Just for the record, my OP wasn't anti-FG shops or anything. They're actually my favorite shops!

Nor was I "complaining" that they aren't worth it or something like that. ...if it came off like that.

Just saying...literally...the way they are listed HERE makes them needing to "bonus" the shops much more if I'm to take them! At base, they would be ridiculous for me!

It's one of those things, too, where you sometimes don't realize this until you eat there. I think it only took three months to go from:

$13.xx to
$15.xx

I personally wouldn't know that, as I don't eat there for full meals, without doing a shop.

ETA: I guess you could look online to check the most recent menu prices or something like that before you accept a shop. I guess I never thought to.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 05:11AM by shoptastic.

@Niner wrote:

In NY or parts of CA, you couldn't live on 100k.

Hawaii also. Even worse there.

My college classmate got a teaching job in NY and almost immediately (I think after one year) was making over $100,000 just to keep up with living costs.

re: $15 FG

Haven't noticed this at all locations - but one I recently did was $15.xx + thinner veggies and burger patty I felt like. For sure the veggies were sliced very thin and didn't feel the same as "normal" or elsewhere. I noted that in the report. The patty, I could have sworn, was also thinner, but since I wasn't 100% sure, I didn't mention it.

@Tarantado wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Good lord. I just read those. How awful, but I can't even imagine how it's possible.

Why are so many people in our country living beyond their means?

Because so many of the people in our country are financially illiterate.

Financial illiteracy is part of it, but, of course, not the whole story. I recommend people also read Elizabeth Warren's book, The Two Income Trap (2004 and reissued for 2016).

She dispels myths of people buying luxury items and blowing their money on discretionary stuff as the reason people are failing financially all over America. They take census and survey data across decades of time and look at the costs of living for basics, such as:

housing
transportation
child care
healthcare
(student loans - I don't remember if this was included, but should be!!!)*****

Then, they track that with wages across the same time + on what people have left over as discretionary income. The findings?: wages have remained flat for 40 years in America, while the costs of living have HUGELY gone up. She recalls growing up that nearly all men routinely wore suits, had leather shoes, and nice briefcases - even those working "lower"-end jobs (shoe shine boys even would wear nice pants and button-up shirts). You would think people dress "better" over time, but she says, NOPE. It was much more common to see even lower-level workers wear nice clothes in her day growing up (even in a simple hardware store). Nowadays, people in America just cannot afford these same things and your work attire can just be t-shirts sometimes. Her point is that some sectors of conservative talking points about how the poor (or even middle-class) just blow all their money on non-necessities is just not true. They look at people's budgets and find that Americans spend practically ALL their money on those four things listed above with so little left over that they are not using it to by luxuries. Mathematically, it's just not true/possible. Might SOME do that (credit cards?)? Sure! But, she argues that the vast majority are financially responsible and it's been lagging wages + dramatically rising COLs that's made most Americans have much less relative to 40-50 years ago. Many probably do rely on CCs or payday loans to survive (make up the diff.), which can lead to a never-ending debt trap too.

Here's a lecture she did over a decade ago on the book/subject: [www.youtube.com]

Having said that, I also don't understand how people can afford FG. Their small burgers are $8.00 (7.99) here!

*****I know lots of people with $100,000+ student loans. Putting aside whether or not it was a good idea, that part of your budget really eats up a lot! The interest, alone, is thousands of dollars on top of the principal every year.

Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 05:55AM by shoptastic.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

My niece lives in NY. She makes about 80k and her living expenses as a single mom with one son are about 55k. She lives 2 hours out of the city.

That's the difference, she is two hours out of NYC. If you are in NYC or within commuting distance, you are looking at 600k for a house and 12-15k in taxes. And NY state taxes are high in addition to federal and social security/medicare. I take home about 60% of my salary after all of the taxes.

I recommend reading Donald Trump's Art of a Deal if we are getting into book recommendations.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 11:42AM by Niner.

what MSC are these under?

I was identified as a shopper so I can't do 5 Guys anymore, but even the shakes were costing more than they were reimbursing for shake shops.

Yeah well, move to Oklahoma where the legislature has cut taxes so deep that the local school board is loosing 20 million this year.

I no longer see Five Guys on the job board, at least not here in New England. Anyone know why?

I refuse to do these shops for anything less than $12 or more on top of the reimbursement because in my area it always goes way over what that give you back. Feel free to grab them for $6. If they introduced a chicken sandwich then I may reconsider!

I just did one yesterday here in Virginia. Cost me over $15 for a little cheeseburger, and the required little fry and fountain drink. They are now suggesting if you want to stay within the $12.75 reimbursement you should choose a hot dog or grilled cheese.

I think it is overpriced. But if I go on a shop I get what I want. If it's over the amount, oh well. I know what it is before going. Good luck everyone.

I have noticed it is less busy than before the latest price increase.

I usually get the veggie sandwich, lil or reg fries, sm drink, and I am never over. BUT, I had been taking my husband with me (which they recommend) and ordering a sandwich for each of us and sharing the rest, and they will not pay me the max amount! For instance, if two sandwiches, one fry, and 1 drink were $14 something, you would think I would get the max reimbursement of $12.75, but I don't. Its fine that they don't, but I wish I was informed of that a long time ago. I do these shops quite frequently.

@MsJudi wrote:

I do enjoy a burger now and then, but they might be pricing themselves out of business.

They are always packed here, Ms. Judi. There are three that are right next to movie theaters and in big shopping districts (we have more, but those three stand out in my mind). Every time I go, they have lots of customers. My last one, there were two Door Dash delivery drivers waiting to deliver different orders. It was weird watching them there (as competitors in a sense). My sister delivered for 5G and she said she often got small orders - meaning people were willing to pay delivery fee + tip for an already high priced burger! These were college kids in her college town, though.

At this point, I just chalk it up to loyalty and love of their food. Everyone knows you can get a cheaper burger (Cook Out anyone?), but people pay for quality I guess.

FG customer service is top-notch usually, however, compared to most fast food or fast food casual places. I went to McDonald's the other day and the drive-thru teen literally looked drugged out or something. She had a sleepy or mad look in her eyes (couldn't tell which) and never said a word when handing me my bag.

I don't think I've ever encountered a single rude or "weird" (a la McD experience) FG employee in all of my shops combined. So, there's that too.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 08:49PM by shoptastic.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

One article stated that some people who make more than 100k are living paycheck to paycheck. WTF, really?

@Niner wrote:

In NY or parts of CA, you couldn't live on 100k.

It's all dependent on location. Living in the city is almost always going to be more expensive, because that's where the work is at.

I could possibly live on under $100K in LA (I have friends that do) but that involves not having a car, not having quality health insurance, and a number of other things I am not willing to live without. That's why I am a "lifestyle" shopper.

I look around the restaurants & hotels that i shop and wonder how everyone else does it!!

Little hamburger, 5.69, regular fry, 4.79 (!!!), regular soda, 2.59, tax, 1.21= $14.28. I am always over. Disappointing.

I’m doing an In N Out shop right now in California. Hamburger, fries, and large drink $6.76 including tax. I actually had to check the receipt to make sure my order included all the required items. Good service from friendly employees and quality product. No wonder they are always busy. In contrast my Five Guys locations are never busy anymore.

Little hamburger $6.35
Little fry. $4.02
Reg drink. $2.86
Here in the Oklahoma City area
So with tax it’s $14.40
I don’t mind paying the little extra for my meal. But they do need to raise the cost of reimburse

It costs more than the reimbursement in my area too. The patties now are smashed so thin I am not interested anymore. It's sad because when I first began doing these, I loved to eat them.

@kenasch wrote:

I’m doing an In N Out shop right now in California. Hamburger, fries, and large drink $6.76 including tax. I actually had to check the receipt to make sure my order included all the required items. Good service from friendly employees and quality product. No wonder they are always busy. In contrast my Five Guys locations are never busy anymore.

We used to live in CA. Miss In-N-Out so much! Yes, always busy. I like their burgers better than FG. But In-N-Out fries are kind of gross to me. Very weird after taste.

Very friendly staff, though. Much like Chick-Fil-A. Relatively cheap and very, very friendly staff. Lines wrapped around EVERY CFA I see. Meanwhile, McDs...Taco Bell....Wendy's, etc. suffering.

In the South, we have a place called Cook Out here that's grown recently. They are cheap and brag of a flame-broiled, grill cooked burger. Often they over grill them and it's all blackened and burnt. I don't like that, b/c you can get cancer from burnt food (if you eat a lot of it). The carcinogens of burnt food never leave your body and just build and build - that's why people always say be careful when grilling. But, when done right, I'd eat Cook Out over FG probably for the price difference.

I do wonder if FG could maintain profits if they cheapened their food cost and drove more volume to their stores? They'll never be pure fast food (and that's a good thing/distinction), but I do wonder if they couldn't just get more volume to make up for lower prices (not lower quality ingredients, I mean, but just lower prices)...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 09:56PM by shoptastic.