Examples of current inflation - add yours!

[ShokWaveRider]

I like the Kiosks / Walk up terminals at Costco. Easy to get my Hot Dog and DW's Pizza. They know how to run a fast food place. Perhaps they should give the others a lesson or two.

 

[latexman]

By the way, I have used the Kiosks and they are not as intuitive as I would have thought.

Maybe a better use of their and your time would have been, “Can one of you show an old boomer how to use the kiosks, please?”

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

We had a property reassessment this spring. The assessed value of our home jumped 40 percent. That was slightly below the 43-percent average for the town.

Of course the town officials reassured residents, saying the town mill rate will be adjusted to reflect the increase -- but the town is only one of several taxing bodies that take their bite, and far from the largest one.

Not that I'm ranting over taxes. But a 40% assessment increase is an eye-opener regarding real estate values, even here in low-growth Wisconsin. And our assessment remains well below market value.

 

[JoeWras]

I bought 50ft of 12-3 copper wire for a 3 way switch it was $117.00 with tax $126.44. Also Lowes and Home Depot now have house wiring under lock and key, a store employee physically carries it up to the register for you to pay.
Will we ever get back to a society honest enough that stores aren't failing because of shoplifting?

Yes, you can vote. Local elections are important and make a difference in this area.

I went through the same song-and-dance at both my local Home Depot and Lowes. I felt like mom was escorting me to kindergarten as I was graciously shown to the front checkout.

Then again, at the same Lowes I witnessed a guy blowing through the garden doors, almost knocking me down, with a cart full of goodies. So I get it. One could image people were leaving with whole carts full of easily fence-able wire.

BTW, the Wal*Mart next door has just a few things under lock and key. Interestingly, the whole infant formula rack was under lock and key. Tide detergent was still in the open. I guess infant formula is very expensive for a very small package.

 

[aja8888]

Perhaps so, but they weren't doing ANYthing. So why NOT take my order? (Reluctantly, they eventually did.)

I know that eventually, the whole store will be run by one person, watching over the robots and kiosks and apps. I do not look forward to that day, but I won't likely see it as I won't be going to their store.

By the way, I have used the Kiosks and they are not as intuitive as I would have thought. I spent several minutes trying to get a drink at the drink machine once. It was not intuitive either, but YMMV.

I have a good friend who owns 6 Burger Kings. He is heading for minimal staffing which will be 3 to 4 per store. One to cook, one to run the counter and dining floor tasks, one to manage the drive thru window and drink prep and one to handle food and soft goods inventory replacement while open. The only way he could get by with less than 4 people is he would need stores with no dining areas (drive thru only).

 

[pacergal]

Drive thru only is where it seems fast food is headed.
Last Mc D's we went too, we were the only two people inside eating . Everything else was drive thru or grub hub type pick ups.

 

[JoeWras]

Drive thru only is where it seems fast food is headed.
Last Mc D's we went too, we were the only two people inside eating . Everything else was drive thru or grub hub type pick ups.

Heaven forbid you lift up out of your car seat and take a few steps.

I mean no disrespect to those not able. I'm talking about the 90% of us who need to take a few steps and CAN take a few steps despite the howls of protest.

As I've now blown past 60 and am heading to 70, I make a point of getting off my ass. Sorry to be so crass, but the shock value is needed.

Last week I shingled a roof with a 76 year old! Talk about inspiration!

To bring it back to the topic at hand: there's a lot of complex reasons for both deflation and inflation. At a simple macro level, we can look at overall spending. But what about customer preferences? True drive thrus without the need for interior table space are deflationary. Meanwhile, the desire to have every gadget in the world available on cars (blind spot, EZ park, almost FSD cruise, etc.) means inflation.

 

[Aerides]

Perhaps the drive thru usage is less about being lazy, and more about wanting to take the food home, or not wanting to stop and sit for long. I can't remember the last time I went for fast food, but I know their "dining rooms" have never appealed to me regardless of the menu. They also tend to smell like the food.

 

[CardsFan]

Heaven forbid you lift up out of your car seat and take a few steps.

I mean no disrespect to those not able. I'm talking about the 90% of us who need to take a few steps and CAN take a few steps despite the howls of protest.

I guess you and I are in the minority. I HATE drive thru's, and avoid them if at all possible. Since we have fast food so seldom, I actually need to look at the menu to decide what I want, and I want to take my time doing that. And, yes, I am also comparing prices looking for the best value.

And, many fast food places can't/won't take a paper coupon in the drive thru, only inside (DW is a coupon maven).

A little more on topic, the best coupon deal we have used lately was at DQ. $4.99 for a stackburger and fries (I drink water with food, so no soda). AND, the burger came out looking just like the one on the coupon

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

BTW, the Wal*Mart next door has just a few things under lock and key. Interestingly, the whole infant formula rack was under lock and key. Tide detergent was still in the open. I guess infant formula is very expensive for a very small package.

Infant formula can be used to dilute street drugs. I think that's why it's such a popular item for shoplifters.

 

[aja8888]

Perhaps the drive thru usage is less about being lazy, and more about wanting to take the food home, or not wanting to stop and sit for long. I can't remember the last time I went for fast food, but I know their "dining rooms" have never appealed to me regardless of the menu. They also tend to smell like the food.

You would be surprised at the number of people I see daily inside at the Whataburger my friends and I meet at. There are young families travelling with kids wanting to take a break, church Bible study small groups meet for breakfast and a lesson, local law enforcement guys getting a chance to stretch from sitting in their vehicles all day, school kids meeting to chat, etc.

And, of course, there are the ROMEO groups!

I don't think the dining rooms are close to going away yet.

And a lot of folks using the drive thru's are grabbing a meal to eat on the way or at work, especially in the morning.

 

[FindingForward]

Infant formula can be used to dilute street drugs. I think that's why it's such a popular item for shoplifters.

wow...I didn't know that. I always felt a bit sad, picturing moms who maybe couldn't afford formula for their babies and resorted to stealing it. I feel totally duped. lol

 

[Koolau]

I'm kinda looking forward to that. The chains have already dumbed down the food preparation to the point where it's an unskilled job. Nothing a robot can't handle, and probably better. Not to mention cleaner. I don't think I want to know what those entry-level employees do with my food.

I've tried to avoid the kiosks but I really need to give them a chance. I guess I don't do fast food often enough to get good at using them. They can't be any worse than the check-in kiosks at the airport.

Every time I go to one of the airport kiosks, a nice airline employee comes over and helps me. I guess it shows that I'm an old guy not familiar with the new fangled ways of getting my boarding pass (no, I don't print them out at home - I don't have a functioning printer.)

Actually, I've figured it out. I used to struggle when we used one of the ticket aggregators. The confirmation number never w*rked so we needed help. Now that we contact the airline directly on their web site, the kiosk goes pretty smoothly, but the airline people still hover around us. Kinda nice, really. YMMV

 

[Koolau]

Maybe a better use of their and your time would have been, “Can one of you show an old boomer how to use the kiosks, please?”

My impression of them was they didn't care and I was an intrusion into their gab fest. Still, given the choice (and since there wasn't another soul in line or even in the dining area and I assumed they had plenty of time) I would STILL prefer to order from a human than from a kiosk. Old school, to be sure, but there it is. YMMV

 

[audreyh1]

Perhaps the drive thru usage is less about being lazy, and more about wanting to take the food home, or not wanting to stop and sit for long. I can't remember the last time I went for fast food, but I know their "dining rooms" have never appealed to me regardless of the menu. They also tend to smell like the food.

Agree. Would rather eat at home in front of the TV, ha ha. Or returning to work with several orders. What appeal is there for eating inside the fast food place?

I guess you and I are in the minority. I HATE drive thru's, and avoid them if at all possible. Since we have fast food so seldom, I actually need to look at the menu to decide what I want, and I want to take my time doing that. And, yes, I am also comparing prices looking for the best value.

Don’t eat fast food here but we stopped using the drive through for our already app-ordered drinks from Starbucks - way too slow! It’s usually at the counter waiting for us and we can take a quick bathroom break.

 

[JoeWras]

wow...I didn't know that. I always felt a bit sad, picturing moms who maybe couldn't afford formula for their babies and resorted to stealing it. I feel totally duped. lol

Me too!

And for drivethrus and why I don't like them: You get trapped. Way back in the 80s, a friend and I were in the drive thru at a restaurant down in Florida. We were trapped in that lane with curbs on both sides. As we waited, a hard selling drug dealer tried to get us to buy his rocks of crack cocaine. It is the only time in my life I actually had some fear that I might get shot. Fortunately, something happened and he scattered just as he tried to shake us down. We didn't have the money he wanted, it was scary.

I have avoided drivethrus as much as possible since, and if I use one, it better not have a curb or wall on each side of the lane.

 

[CaptTom]

I guess you and I are in the minority. I HATE drive thru's, and avoid them if at all possible. Since we have fast food so seldom, I actually need to look at the menu to decide what I want, and I want to take my time doing that. And, yes, I am also comparing prices looking for the best value...

I'm a proud member of that minority, too. Same reasons. I need to review the menu, as well as the posters on the walls showing the current "2 For" price deals, before ordering. It's even worse today, with the digital menu boards which change half-way through reading them.

As for the "dining room," nobody goes there for the ambiance. On a long trip, it's nice to get out of the car, stretch, use the rest room, and generally have a break from driving. If there's any better option, then yes, grab take-out and go somewhere nicer.

 

[JoeWras]

As for the "dining room," nobody goes there for the ambiance. On a long trip, it's nice to get out of the car, stretch, use the rest room, and generally have a break from driving. If there's any better option, then yes, grab take-out and go somewhere nicer.

Yes.

But back to inflation. I have to begrudgingly admit that the original McDonald's concept included zero sit down space, and no bathrooms. Through the years, they included more and more amenities. I remember our local one (one of the first 100 stores) first added two tiny chairs along the outside wall, then an outdoor accessible restroom, then a small inside lobby where they had standing-only tables, then the complete re-do in the early 70s with full inside seating.

All those amenities added to their revenue and sales, but also costs.

Going back to the basics is an interesting retro move of sorts.

BTW: if you want to remember an old McDonalds, check out this google streetview of the Downey CA restaurant. If you swing to the right, you'll see that although they kept the original, they also added a subdued inside seating area and drive thru lane.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Badger]

I like the Kiosks / Walk up terminals at Costco. Easy to get my Hot Dog and DW's Pizza. They know how to run a fast food place. Perhaps they should give the others a lesson or two.

I have never used the kiosks/walk up terminals. I can see how they have decreased the long lines at the counter that interfered with the flow of carts leaving the store so that is a good thing. However, I only bought a hot dog or a frozen yogurt in the past (preCovid) and can't see using a CC for a $1.50 purchase. Besides they quit offering sauerkraut. Bummer!

 

[Badger]

Drive thru only is where it seems fast food is headed.
Last Mc D's we went too, we were the only two people inside eating . Everything else was drive thru or grub hub type pick ups.

This is going to do wonders for distracted driving when combined with cell phone use. However, I doubt it will affect the inflated prices.

 

[Koolau]

Yes.

But back to inflation. I have to begrudgingly admit that the original McDonald's concept included zero sit down space, and no bathrooms. Through the years, they included more and more amenities. I remember our local one (one of the first 100 stores) first added two tiny chairs along the outside wall, then an outdoor accessible restroom, then a small inside lobby where they had standing-only tables, then the complete re-do in the early 70s with full inside seating.

All those amenities added to their revenue and sales, but also costs.

Going back to the basics is an interesting retro move of sorts.

BTW: if you want to remember an old McDonalds, check out this google streetview of the Downey CA restaurant. If you swing to the right, you'll see that although they kept the original, they also added a subdued inside seating area and drive thru lane.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Yep, this is virtually identical to our first McDs where you could get a burger for 15 cents, fries for a dime and a coke for a nickel (soon a dime.)

 

[Koolau]

I like the Kiosks / Walk up terminals at Costco. Easy to get my Hot Dog and DW's Pizza. They know how to run a fast food place. Perhaps they should give the others a lesson or two.

Yeah, Costco window is my favorite (and, virtually only) fast food spot these days. Price is right, food is good (aka consistent), service is fast. I DO use the CC there which I never thought I would for such a trivial purchase. YMMV

 

[Car-Guy]

My appraised property value ~double this year. Fortunately the taxes stayed about the same. (?) Why: I'm over 65, it's my homestead, it's rural land, has an ag exemption, etc.... I've also noticed I've been getting more offers than usual asking to buy my property. Trouble is they just want the land and not the house, barn, road and other improvements I've made.

 

[Gumby]

.....

BTW: if you want to remember an old McDonalds, check out this google streetview of the Downey CA restaurant. If you swing to the right, you'll see that although they kept the original, they also added a subdued inside seating area and drive thru lane.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

My very first paycheck job (at 16) was at a McDonalds almost exactly like this, with the arches going over the building. There was no seating, just 3 windows that people could walk up to and place their order.

 

[Chuckanut]

Drive thru only is where it seems fast food is headed.
Last Mc D's we went too, we were the only two people inside eating . Everything else was drive thru or grub hub type pick ups.

The smart people order through their app then walk into the store and pick up their food. The Drive Thru is for dummies and fools who like to waste their time. Or people who don’t bother to get dressed.