@ceasesmith wrote:
Prices have been rising crazy fast. A whole lot faster than the government's stated 9%.
On the road, I like to pick up Casey's (a gas station) shop. It's a quick MS. with a very reasonable $5 reimbursement for the inside purchase. I gotta eat when I'm doing routes, and the shops are quick and easy, pay $12 (way, way below my minimum requirement!), but I could get a slice of pizza and a cup of coffee for right at $5.
Last week, the "slice", without the coffee, was $6.57
When I'm on routes, I swear I spend most of my cash on coffee. At home, I drink 8 cups a day. I can't afford it on the road! Some places are over $2 for a small coffee (I'm talking gas stations/c-stores, not Starbucks or some branded coffee place. Never been in one of those, never will.) I've even seen signs at gas stations saying they no longer give a free refill with fuel. How do you calculate the % inflation on something that went from free to $1.98?
I don't know if the prices you quoted for 5 Guys reflects a recent increase -- but I wouldn't be surprised.
@ceasesmith wrote:
Prices have been rising crazy fast. A whole lot faster than the government's stated 9%.
On the road, I like to pick up Casey's (a gas station) shop. It's a quick MS. with a very reasonable $5 reimbursement for the inside purchase. I gotta eat when I'm doing routes, and the shops are quick and easy, pay $12 (way, way below my minimum requirement!), but I could get a slice of pizza and a cup of coffee for right at $5.
Last week, the "slice", without the coffee, was $6.57
When I'm on routes, I swear I spend most of my cash on coffee. At home, I drink 8 cups a day. I can't afford it on the road! Some places are over $2 for a small coffee (I'm talking gas stations/c-stores, not Starbucks or some branded coffee place. Never been in one of those, never will.) I've even seen signs at gas stations saying they no longer give a free refill with fuel. How do you calculate the % inflation on something that went from free to $1.98?
I don't know if the prices you quoted for 5 Guys reflects a recent increase -- but I wouldn't be surprised.
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
@ceasesmith wrote:
Prices have been rising crazy fast. A whole lot faster than the government's stated 9%.
On the road, I like to pick up Casey's (a gas station) shop. It's a quick MS. with a very reasonable $5 reimbursement for the inside purchase. I gotta eat when I'm doing routes, and the shops are quick and easy, pay $12 (way, way below my minimum requirement!), but I could get a slice of pizza and a cup of coffee for right at $5.
Last week, the "slice", without the coffee, was $6.57
When I'm on routes, I swear I spend most of my cash on coffee. At home, I drink 8 cups a day. I can't afford it on the road! Some places are over $2 for a small coffee (I'm talking gas stations/c-stores, not Starbucks or some branded coffee place. Never been in one of those, never will.) I've even seen signs at gas stations saying they no longer give a free refill with fuel. How do you calculate the % inflation on something that went from free to $1.98?
I don't know if the prices you quoted for 5 Guys reflects a recent increase -- but I wouldn't be surprised.
Time for a couple of insulated mugs!
@wrosie wrote:
I got ticket #2 last shop at about 1:30. I asked if they had gone around since the numbers go to 99. She said they had. I could not believe that since there were only two other people in the store. My guess is they just resume where they left off the night before.
@metro25782 wrote:
I often wonder (the economics don't make sense usually) if the mystery shopping programs that these companies field are also marketing programs meaning that they know they are going to make $5-10 on each evaluation. And I don't want to sound like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino but "A lot of young people don't like eating alone". Five Guys knows this and is banking on young-uns saying, "I have a shop but I don't want to go alone...go with me...." So they essentially get a customer they may not otherwise get a full price and offer a discount to the evaluator...and they get some feedback in the process.
If the Five Guys near me is any indication, they take my report and flush it down the toilet. The windows outside of the location near me have had green mold on them for like 2 months now. I report it every time... oh well.
Good burgers though.
@myst4au wrote:
Seriously, the locations are not crowded due to mystery shopping. In my area, they are open from 11 AM to 10 PM seven days a week. That is 11 hours a day for 7 days, or 77 hours a week. One hour per week works out to 1.3%. Mystery shoppers are not making 5G look crowded or busy. We may not understand why people are going there to eat, but they are.
I went to Burger King last week for lunch during a short MS road trip. I ordered a Whopper (no onions, no cheese), a small order of fries, and a small drink. The total came to $10.87. My most recent order at 5G cost me $15.50 and consisted of a Little Burger (no onions, no cheese, with tomato, lettuce, ketchup, grilled mushrooms, grilled jalapeno peppers), a small order of fries (much larger than the small order at BK), and a small drink (much larger than the small drink at BK). Considering just the burgers and fries, I think I got more value for the dollar at 5G. I can remember when a Whopper at BK was $0.59 (1970). I can remember when a hamburger at McD was $0.15 (for a long time; didn't get to $0.30 until 1980). They have all gone the way of gas at $0.17 per gallon (1960; full serve in NJ and they checked the oil and cleaned every window; still full service in NJ but they no longer check the oil and very rarely clean the windows).
@ceasesmith wrote:
Yeah, I have that. But I have to get refills to the mug, and even a refill is now over $2.
As far as a slice at Casey's being $3, not where I was. I always ask for a receipt and check it. I asked the cashier, and I checked the receipt.
The sign on the door said a slice and any small drink for $5 "with Casey's rewards". The cashier tried to help me sign up for the rewards, but we couldn't manage to do it.
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:
@ceasesmith wrote:
Prices have been rising crazy fast. A whole lot faster than the government's stated 9%.
On the road, I like to pick up Casey's (a gas station) shop. It's a quick MS. with a very reasonable $5 reimbursement for the inside purchase. I gotta eat when I'm doing routes, and the shops are quick and easy, pay $12 (way, way below my minimum requirement!), but I could get a slice of pizza and a cup of coffee for right at $5.
Last week, the "slice", without the coffee, was $6.57
When I'm on routes, I swear I spend most of my cash on coffee. At home, I drink 8 cups a day. I can't afford it on the road! Some places are over $2 for a small coffee (I'm talking gas stations/c-stores, not Starbucks or some branded coffee place. Never been in one of those, never will.) I've even seen signs at gas stations saying they no longer give a free refill with fuel. How do you calculate the % inflation on something that went from free to $1.98?
I don't know if the prices you quoted for 5 Guys reflects a recent increase -- but I wouldn't be surprised.
Time for a couple of insulated mugs!
In the McDonalds app you can get any sized roast or iced coffee for .99. That deal is only good 1x per day but it looks like you can use it daily. Plus then you get rewards point that you can use for more coffee. So while you're out and about, it's an option. .99 for whatever their largest size is to refill your mug.@ceasesmith wrote:
Yeah, I have that. But I have to get refills to the mug, and even a refill is now over $2.
@rarararara wrote:
I think at this point their main customers are us doing mystery shops.