1 | McDonald’s Charges for Sauce Packets | Jonathan's Universe

January 13th, 2009 at 3:55 pm

[...] seems that, at least this McDonald’s, has started to charge for extra packets of sauce. Goodbye it is to courtesy sauce packets.  In my opinion this a bit of ludicris.  First off, this [...]

2 | why god hates me » It looks like McDonalds is continuing it’s … []

January 13th, 2009 at 4:01 pm

[...] of charging for sauce packets, this time institutionalizing it with a nice, professional sign.[Drivelocity] No tags for this [...]

3 | Lee Morelli

January 13th, 2009 at 4:03 pm

Imagine that you ask for some extra buttons for the 5 dollar shirt you bought a K-Mart and guess what the reply will be. The McD’s deal is 1 sauce, so what’s wrong with the extra charge?

4 | the hEad is dEad

January 13th, 2009 at 4:13 pm

About time they started charging you for extra packets of sauce, we’ve been subjected to that forever in europe.

also i have to say I don’t entirely disagree with the idea. how many times have i seen people in asia ask for 10 packets of ketchup with their meals only to use 3 and throw away the rest…

5 | Scott Wood

January 13th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

Feel lucky they only charge you that much. My wife and kids like to dip their french fries in tartar sauce (I gotta love them), and I get charged 30 cents for each cup to dip them in. The amount of tartar sauce amounts to about the same that would be in a dipping sauce for McNuggets.

6 | drivelocity

January 13th, 2009 at 4:56 pm

Lee, I’m not sure what your point is. Are you suggesting I buy my shirts at K-Mart, or simply comparing apples to oranges? The shirts I buy (not at K-Mart) come with extra buttons – more than I need. The McNuggets, if I were to buy them, would require more than the number of free sauce packets I would be allotted.

the hEad is dEad, I didn’t know that about Europe. Thanks for the info. Here, the ketchup and mayo are still free, apparently. And, from my experience, it’s the cashiers who usually give more ketchup than I need. I’ve noticed that more places ask if you want ketchup, so it’s not wasted. That waste is unfortunate, but the extra charge is more like a penalty for those of us who don’t waste. If I don’t use it, I put it in a drawer for the next time when I forget to ask for sauce.

Scott, Wow, 30 cents is a lot. But, another way to look at it is that tartar sauce is usually not for fries, so an extra charge may be reasonable; however, McNugget sauce is for McNuggets and one packet of sauce really isn’t enough and some people like a variety.

If it’s a matter of cost for packaging, they should use the same as ketchup, which would probably lower the cost considerably. Another point to my post is that McDonald’s not only started charging at at least one location, but has raised the prices, and charge extra depending on what kind of chicken item you buy. And at least one location doesn’t provide free water cups anymore.

There are plenty of sources that state that McDonald’s benefits from a weak economy. People can’t spend as much on food, so they go to a cheaper restaurant like McDonald’s. So what does this say about McDonald’s raising prices? Pure greed?

7 | me

January 13th, 2009 at 4:59 pm

The packets for selects cost more because they assume you are going to ask for the ‘premium sauces’ (honey mustard, ranch, etc..) which are larger in size and contain more sauce..

8 | Phil

January 13th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

I don’t ever want to know where they get off.

9 | drivelocity

January 13th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

me, Thank you for pointing that out. It’s been so long since I’ve ordered their “chicken” that I assumed they were the same size and that only honey was smaller…

Phil, Good answer!

10 | rytchyrd

January 14th, 2009 at 3:23 am

I just returned to the US from Zurich, Switzerland. After putting in 14 hours of work at a satellite office, I stopped into the McD’s across from the hotel. If it wasn’t bad enough paying about $15USD for a Big Mac Meal, when I asked for ketchup for my fries… .20 Swiss Francs for (1) 13 ml packet of ketchup. That’s about $0.17 USD, so we’re still making out like bandits here in the states!

11 | JF

January 14th, 2009 at 9:37 am

A.) While the sign is better than a marker scribbled mess at other stores, it still looks like something locally done. I could see the local manager reaching out to a local print shop to put that together. A professionally produced sign will probably cause less issues around the policy.

B.) The policy isn’t that far out of line. Do you really need a 6 pack of sauces for a 6 pack of McNuggets? I think most folks are staying within the policy anyway and the sign helps keep the gluttons in check who see an opportunity to do their grocery shopping for sauce at the McDonalds.

C.) McDonalds sucks anyway. No one should be eating there. When you get the urge, kick in a DVD of “Supersize Me” and control that urge. If you’re going to eat horribly, I can think of much better, cheaper venues for your dollar.

12 | drivelocity

January 14th, 2009 at 10:40 am

rytchyrd, Thanks for the comment! That does seem like a lot, but is also very telling of the value of the USD…

JF, I agree, the closer I look at the sign, the less I think it resembles something that would come from corporate. Plus, something from corporate would probably be in every location. I also agree that a packet of sauce per McNugget is extreme, but I simply state that one packet is not enough for a six piece McNuggets or three piece Selects. And, yes, I agree about avoiding McDonald’s like the plague. I believe on that trip, I used a $5 gift card that was given to my <2yr old son and I was pressed for time. My son doesn’t need McDonald’s, so I feel I took one for the team

BTW, Supersize Me is a great documentary! Everyone should watch that DVD!

13 | TrainWreckIdeas

January 15th, 2009 at 3:13 am

Oh man, that’s been happening for a really long time now in Canada. I know it’s not much, but the way that I ask for extras, it comes up to quite a bit at the end of the year….

TrainWreckIdeas´s last blog post..MAYBE THIS IS A REVELATION

14 | Lee

January 19th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

Prices and policies are set by the franchisee EXCEPT when a special is mandated by McD’s corporate. profit is 2-3 CENTS PER DOLLAR, so giving 4-5 sauces per product kills any profit( Profit is paying workers, all the operating expenses and something for the owner/investor. Raising the prices covers the cost of the food, wadda want, somebody to sell at a loss.

15 | drivelocity

January 20th, 2009 at 10:03 am

Lee, I think that most people will agree that that’s hard to believe. McDonald’s does not need to charge 15-20 cents per sauce packet to make up for any supposed losses to profit. Check out these numbers:

“McDonalds sales and profits were $23.7 billion and $4.6 billion in the past 12 months and its stock is actually up 11% in the last year.”

Source

16 | joaco

June 23rd, 2009 at 10:53 pm

I just got charge 40 cents per sauce in poket rd Sacramento, CA this is abuse

17 | sandrine

July 17th, 2009 at 12:15 pm

lol reading your post makes me feel hungry
.-= sandrine´s last blog ..Let’s Know About : Happy Birthday MOM (L) . =-.

18 | MrBee

January 15th, 2010 at 3:13 pm

I recently went to a McDonalds in the UK ordered 2 quarter pounders with cheese, asked for it without cheese as I prefer it without and they dont offer a regular quarter without cheese, so I then asked for extra onions, I was promptly charged 30p per burger for the extra onions, when I tried to argue the point I was told simply that they cannot discount for removed items and do not swap items therefore its classed as an extra…Absolute ****

Corporate in the UK stood by the decision of the store when I proposed that it was a litte unfair…what a joke…Im gonna be spending my money somwehre else from now on…

19 | drivelocity

January 15th, 2010 at 9:43 pm

That’s how it is at most fast food restaurants here too. The closer it is to a real restaurant, the more they care what you want. Papa Murphy’s, the take and bake pizza place, tried that, but I convinced the employee that what I wanted cost less than the meat I didn’t want. It’s not really fast food, but serves to prove my point.