this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2024
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Mildly Interesting
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Mcdonald's is going away from self-refill. You can still refill it but an employee will do it.
and by design, it will discourage customers from getting even a single 'free' refill. it already takes 5 minutes to have a human take an order at the counter. if it takes 5 minutes to get a refill, very few will even bother, and more than a few will opt for a larger and more expensive drink to begin with.
they take so fkn long now to 'prepare' an order once it's placed, i'm always deep into my first refill (and sometimes on my second) by the time the order is ready. if i can't refill as i wait, i'm going next door to burger king or culvers.
The 'reasons' I have heard make little sense.
One reason often quoted is it will reduce wear on the machines. All you do is push a button.
it's all about the profits. that's the only 'reason' they're doing it. every time someone pushes one of those buttons, it costs them a nickel or some-such, out of their already insane margins on those beverages.
It is going to cost them even more now since they are paying an employee to do it and still refilling it.
that would require adequate and attentive staffing at the counter.. which they already don't have. if nobody 'sees' you at the counter with an empty cup, nobody has to be paid to fill it back up.
I rarely go through drive through. I don't want to eat in my car. I almost always go in to eat when I go to McDonalds. I will say the staff does not pay attention at all. They are so focused on drive through and playing on their phones, I could be on fire and they wouldn't notice. I will say, they rarely get my order right. The only plus is I rarely go to McDonalds.
Interesting. Do you know why?
I remember decades ago the ads on TV when burger king added self service fountains. It was a BIG DEAL to have unlimited free refills.
Uhm, money? What other reasons would a big corp have?
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/12/business/mcdonalds-self-serve-soda-machines/index.html
I read exactly this article, a week later my go-to was closed for 3 weeks everything but the drive-thru, then this pic.
Jokes on them - if they’re also pushing to reduce headcount by making people pay online, I’ll get it to go and I never buy drinks to go. There goes your biggest profit center