Mcdonalds Discrimination Or Typical Thai Business?

[selftaopath]

Does McDonalds discriminate against the Thai people and residents of Thailand?Or is this typical Thai business style?

I was recently reminded that no where in Thailand can a customer receive a complementary coffee fill up after the initial purchase of one. Throughout the world other McDonalds have a free refill policy, but NOT inThailand.Is this discrimination or typical Thai style business where little or nothingis given freely?

BTW if you go to a McD's in Khon Kaen and buy anything withcheese i.e. cheeseburger don't expect the cheese to be melted.

Edited August 15, 2011 by selftaopath

[cardholder]

OP - you need to get out more.

[beano2274]

It is not offered in some other countries too.

[harrry]

THe McCaffee bar does not give refills in australia. There the refill are only for the drip coffee.

[cardholder]

Do McDonalds in Khon Kaen advertise 'melted cheese' ?

Does anyone really give a flying fart ?

[transam]

In UK, Noooooooooo refills.

and yes, you really do need to get out more.

[lazygourmet]

[CharlieH]

Yet another one who applies western attitude. values, principles, expectations etc etc

YOUR IN THAILAND !!!!!! none of what you know exists ! you'll be asking why everyone seems to be talking a different language next.

[pomchop]

In UK, Noooooooooo refills.

and yes, you really do need to get out more.

Never got a free refill anywhere in USA that i can recall.

The better question might be why does McDonalds charge about the same price in Thailand as they do in the USA when they pay a USA worker about $8 USD/ 240 baht an HOUR and in Thailand I doubt they pay them that in a day. And i would also guess the typical Thai rent is a fraction of USA. My guess is the answer as to why is because they CAN. Somebody is making some very nice profits on McDonalds in Thailand unless there is some unseen cost of doing biz that I am not aware of....

[Swiss1960]

In UK, Noooooooooo refills.

and yes, you really do need to get out more.

Never got a free refill anywhere in USA that i can recall.

The better question might be why does McDonalds charge about the same price in Thailand as they do in the USA when they pay a USA worker about $8 USD/ 240 baht an HOUR and in Thailand I doubt they pay them that in a day. And i would also guess the typical Thai rent is a fraction of USA. My guess is the answer as to why is because they CAN. Somebody is making some very nice profits on McDonalds in Thailand unless there is some unseen cost of doing biz that I am not aware of....

Same in Switzerland, never got a free refill for anything (neither coffee nor coke).

And yes, they charge because they can. And they charge, because there are enough tourist who are "afraid" of eating Thai food from the streets and what do they do? They see the McDo sign and drop in there... as they have been promised by this company to have the same food with same quality worldwide... So pricing of McDo in ANY country I have ever been (i.e. Malaysia, Philippines, Ukraine etc.) are ALWAYS prices for Falang in that country.

Even in Switzerland, tourist places boom with McDo on every street corner and Falang in Switzerland (mostly from UK and USA) tend to go there cause they are suspicious of the local food...

[KhunBJ]

Haha great topic

[Semper]

In UK, Noooooooooo refills.

and yes, you really do need to get out more.

Never got a free refill anywhere in USA that i can recall.

The better question might be why does McDonalds charge about the same price in Thailand as they do in the USA when they pay a USA worker about $8 USD/ 240 baht an HOUR and in Thailand I doubt they pay them that in a day. And i would also guess the typical Thai rent is a fraction of USA. My guess is the answer as to why is because they CAN. Somebody is making some very nice profits on McDonalds in Thailand unless there is some unseen cost of doing biz that I am not aware of....

How much is a Big Mac in US?

[hiso1956]

Suggest a formal complaint to RONALD McDonald.

[toffo9]

Id just be happy to have a mcdonalds ere in buriram

[DP25]

In UK, Noooooooooo refills.

and yes, you really do need to get out more.

Never got a free refill anywhere in USA that i can recall.

The better question might be why does McDonalds charge about the same price in Thailand as they do in the USA when they pay a USA worker about $8 USD/ 240 baht an HOUR and in Thailand I doubt they pay them that in a day. And i would also guess the typical Thai rent is a fraction of USA. My guess is the answer as to why is because they CAN. Somebody is making some very nice profits on McDonalds in Thailand unless there is some unseen cost of doing biz that I am not aware of....

How much is a Big Mac in US?

Looking at google the average Big Mac in the US is $3.57, so that's 107 baht. Big Mac here is 78 baht. Bit cheaper here

Other stuff is more expensive. The US has a dollar menu with lots of cheap items. McDouble (double cheeseburger but with only 1 cheese instead of 2) in the US is only 30 baht, a regular cheesburger here is 48 baht and a double cheeseburger is 78. McChicken in the US is 30 baht, versus 61 here. You can go to a US McDonalds and order from their dollar menu and get a meal cheaper than in Thailand.

Best thing about McDonald here is the 24/7 delivery

[PattayaParent]

In UK, Noooooooooo refills.

and yes, you really do need to get out more.

Never got a free refill anywhere in USA that i can recall.

The better question might be why does McDonalds charge about the same price in Thailand as they do in the USA when they pay a USA worker about $8 USD/ 240 baht an HOUR and in Thailand I doubt they pay them that in a day. And i would also guess the typical Thai rent is a fraction of USA. My guess is the answer as to why is because they CAN. Somebody is making some very nice profits on McDonalds in Thailand unless there is some unseen cost of doing biz that I am not aware of....

Same in Switzerland, never got a free refill for anything (neither coffee nor coke).

And yes, they charge because they can. And they charge, because there are enough tourist who are "afraid" of eating Thai food from the streets and what do they do? They see the McDo sign and drop in there... as they have been promised by this company to have the same food with same quality worldwide... So pricing of McDo in ANY country I have ever been (i.e. Malaysia, Philippines, Ukraine etc.) are ALWAYS prices for Falang in that country.

Even in Switzerland, tourist places boom with McDo on every street corner and Falang in Switzerland (mostly from UK and USA) tend to go there cause they are suspicious of the local food...

Well we can't just live off chocolate while on holiday there can we.

[Semper]

Looking at google the average Big Mac in the US is $3.57, so that's 107 baht. Big Mac here is 78 baht. Bit cheaper here

That's 37% cheaper. I'd call that more than "a bit cheaper".

[jdinasia]

In UK, Noooooooooo refills.

and yes, you really do need to get out more.

+3

[ukrules]

Check this out, The Economist published something years ago saying it was a way of comparing 'purchasing power parity' between countries. They call it the 'Big Mac Index'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index

It's a bit out of date though

Edited August 15, 2011 by ukrules

[pomchop]

Looking at google the average Big Mac in the US is $3.57, so that's 107 baht. Big Mac here is 78 baht. Bit cheaper here

That's 37% cheaper. I'd call that more than "a bit cheaper".

Yes you are correct that is cheaper...BUT....the average minimium wage in USA is 7.25 usd per hour or about 217 baht per hour. If an employee works an 8 hour shift the american worker makes about 1736 baht per DAY.....I would guess the avergae McDonalds worker in CR makes maybe 200 baht a DAY. So the wages for USA McDonalds about 800% more than in CR....i would hope they can sell a big Mac for 37% cheaper and still make a very handsome profit. And I would also venture to guess that the rent of an average USA McDonalds is also a lot more than the rents in CR. And as another poster said in USA there is a dollar menu and items like a chicken sandwich are actually cheaper in USA than in CR. My guess is that you may well find similiar situation with Starbucks charging simiiar prices in Thailand as they do in USA while their costs are much lower. Anyway, I don't care, up to them and up to anyone who wants to eat a Big Mac or go to Starbucks and pay whatever they figure it is worth. Personally I prefer Thai food.

Edited August 15, 2011 by pomchop

[DP25]

Looking at google the average Big Mac in the US is $3.57, so that's 107 baht. Big Mac here is 78 baht. Bit cheaper here

That's 37% cheaper. I'd call that more than "a bit cheaper".

That's just about the only thing cheaper though. A cheeseburger in Thailand is 60% more than a McDouble in the US and has one fewer burger patty

Double Cheeseburger is usually $1.20 in the US, 36 baht, versus 78 baht in Thailand

[cardholder]

Looking at google the average Big Mac in the US is $3.57, so that's 107 baht. Big Mac here is 78 baht. Bit cheaper here

That's 37% cheaper. I'd call that more than "a bit cheaper".

That's just about the only thing cheaper though. A cheeseburger in Thailand is 60% more than a McDouble in the US and has one fewer burger patty

Double Cheeseburger is usually $1.20 in the US, 36 baht, versus 78 baht in Thailand

Still, the way the Dollar is going those prices will soon be on par !!

[cardholder]

I haven't seen the OP come back - it's starting to look like a troll post !

[bkkjames]

Not offering free refills for EVERYONE is hardly discriminating is it - sounds more like a company policy.

Anyways, who would want a refill of their coffee, i like a few of their things, but coffee wouldnt make my A, B or C list.

[mrclough]

Has anyone considered that as there are probably at least a thousand times as many Mc D's in the USA as Thailand that their huge turnover of product would allow items to be sold cheaper and still create bigger profits?

Or is this another, USA is BIGGER, better & cheaper post?

If it is, it really doesn't make much point as if that was the case everyone would be living over there and not here

[bkkjames]

Has anyone considered that as there are probably at least a thousand times as many Mc D's in the USA as Thailand that their huge turnover of product would allow items to be sold cheaper and still create bigger profits?

Or is this another, USA is BIGGER, better & cheaper post?

If it is, it really doesn't make much point as if that was the case everyone would be living over there and not here

or perhaps that the Local McThai brain-trust has enough free-loading students taking up seats all day and that adding the geriatric free-loading coffee sipping farang set to the equation didn't make sense.

[AyG]

Check this out, The Economist published something years ago saying it was a way of comparing 'purchasing power parity' between countries. They call it the 'Big Mac Index'

http://en.wikipedia....i/Big_Mac_Index

It's a bit out of date though

The latest Big Mac index is at http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/07/big-mac-index. It suggests that the Big Mac is 42% undervalued in Thailand against the Yankee Dollar.

[Amir]

THe McCaffee bar does not give refills in australia. There the refill are only for the drip coffee.

Neither in France nor in Austria

[hedonist44]

I haven't seen the OP come back - it's starting to look like a troll post !

Read the replies Einstein, would you come back?

[pomchop]

Has anyone considered that as there are probably at least a thousand times as many Mc D's in the USA as Thailand that their huge turnover of product would allow items to be sold cheaper and still create bigger profits?

Or is this another, USA is BIGGER, better & cheaper post?

If it is, it really doesn't make much point as if that was the case everyone would be living over there and not here

If you google it you will see that there are approx 31,000 McD's worldwide. Only 13,000 of those are in the USA with the remaining 18,000 outside the USA. Thailand has 76. Yes there are some volume operational scales available in the USA and there is also a ton of competition which helps to keep their prices down. BUT if McDonalds usa paid their workers the Thai equivalent of $6 usd a day instead of $58 USD a day I suspect their profits would be astronomical. Much more expensive for a Thai making 200 baht a day to buy a big Mac for 78 baht. That is almost 50% of a day's pay for many Thais. For an american making min wage or about $60 usd a day a $4 big mac is about 6% of their daily income. Big difference.

No USA bigger, better, cheaper here. (But for sure there are a lot of BIGGER BUTTS in the USA sitting in McD's) Just remarking that the prices seem a bit out of kilter according to labor costs. But as stated they are free to charge whatever they want to charge and we are all free to either buy it or not. Up to you.

Edited August 15, 2011 by pomchop