Fast-food menus are among the most rigorously tested products of our consumer culture. Because the decision of what to order for lunch isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, we don’t spend much time or thought on it. Instead, we rely on subtle cues in the environment. Say your friend mentioned having a barbecue sandwich yesterday. The odds are, you’re more likely to try a McRib sandwich today (assuming you like barbecue, and the friend). Memories are short, so the most powerful source of cues is the menu. Chains know that and spend a lot of effort on their menus. In many cases, menus and prices are intended to nudge consumers into ordering more than they might have otherwise.
Read more at Psychology Today (thanks, SuZi)
Nice idea. I have the same meal every single time though so I suppose I make the choice not to choose.
thanx for that link. i agree the combo meals are a real PITA–& you can end up ordering one even if ya dont want it or have any idea what it is, because they’re kinda the default! :/
but i luv that movie by morgan spurlock…as well as his TV series, “30 days”.
I normally will check the sizes of cups behind the counter when I am in doubt and if that does not shine light on the matter I simply ask them to make visual how large the sizes are. Here in Holland it is not that necessary though. It’s all quite clear. More expensive than bringing your own drinks that is .. ehehehe ..
I indeed agree that people who are not on top of those things in theirselves can easily be tricked into buying more or more expensive than they intended to.
it seems like a constant barrage of subtle brain washing is attacking us every day. i can’t even begin to think of the unnoticed emotional stress that are bodies are being put through because of it. lets hope that we can all find strength in our own minds, and make informed decisions for ourselves… we must be strong to fend off the corporate takeover of our minds.
@Benjamin or it could mean that you are a person who doesn’t like change and always walks the same comfortable trusty routes through live. You never really deviate from your normal patterns if you do it confuses you a bit. Basically you just may be very predictable and in being so you are no different than 65% of human population and thus you are “suckered” into the menu trap as well.
I always find fastfood joints to be so frantic and “shoutty noisy” with all those signs and bright colours, causing information overload. Hence I don’t bother finding something different. I too take the same thing scrounge it down and get the hell away form those joint.
I do not go to McDonalds, KFC or Burger King if I “want” to eat. I go there when I “have” to eat and I do not have the time or energy to cook or find some place decent to eat.
to continue. It believe it was Lenin (or Karl Marx) who said: “Give people lots of choices and they will always make the wrong one.”
I know that’s part of having such a completely mental amount of dishes on some menus are intended to do. Indeed I do find myself anchoring too and the worst is.
When you see the price anchors (high and low) and you choice to compare all the prizes you often realize: “this is too expensive” but since you made the worst mistake ever (to go in there in the first place) you will remain seated and dish-out your cash.
In Germany it’s customary (maybe by law don;t know that) to have the menu on view outside. Here in Holland and the UK they open the “trap” for you (aka frontdoor) and you suckered yourself into buying outrageously expensive foods. Because it’s against your nature to get up and leave (inconsistent)
McRib? McDonalds? WTF is that? I choose…not to go into that sort of s**thole. You won’t get suckered by the menu then, will you?
This reminds me of the one time I was 14, when I ordered two trays packed with McDonalds food at once, then turned around, sat down and immediately wondered what I just did. One and a half cheesburgers and I was full, I was not a great eater that time and I knew that. I then called a friend with my cellphone and told him to come & help me eat all the McDonald’s food up but he just laughed and didn’t believe anything of it.
I remember Macdonalds from when I was a kid (back when I still used to eat it – eurgh!) Very different to how Macdonalds are now. Now they seem to be trying to pull off some sort of ‘Macdonalds is classy’ sham. Neutral colours in the restraunt, bagels and fruit toast on the breakfast menu, cappuccino, funky green chairs, free wifi connection…Oh, and burgers now come in those totally up-market ciabatta loafs, instead of the old sesame seed bun! Oooooh, aaaah…!
@Mikey also in normal (define) restaurants you get suckered with the menu.
@raymond, yeah i guess that’s true but at least you get something resembling food! lol
@Mikey I totally agree. Like I said I only run into a fast food chain when I “have” to eat and do not have the time for it, if a subways is in the near area I rather take a sub. also comes closer to “real” food ;D
AGHAGH i posted on this from my phone yesterday but it didnt go through. I used to work in McDonalds and i didnt see any signs of this happening I would always have my usual and so would many of the customers and friends. Most fast food places i go to i normally pick the same thing or from a group of usuals in KFC, Subway etc…
I can see how the may persuade you but not affect the whole decision as we usually think what we want before going in to restaurants, its usually “i want a burger, lets go to McDonalds” rather than “lets go to McDonalds” and while in line “i want a big mac”
Msg from Abeo: Comments from phones should be fixed now
@raymond
Funny you should should say that they trap you, i remember reading years ago that shop doors open inward as a kind of psychological trap, i.e it’s easy to enter but more difficult to leave.
I’d be interested to know if this is true and what other “traps” are used to keep you spending your money