Mcdonalds Discrimination Or Typical Thai Business?

[lazygourmet]

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

Neither in France nor in Austria

Who with a bit of common sense could go for a coffee at a McDonald...especially in France or Austria?!?

My only addiction to McDonald is for their MacKebab while on transit at Dubai Airport.

Edited August 15, 2011 by lazygourmet

[Ulysses G.]

Just remarking that the prices seem a bit out of kilter according to labor costs.

It might have something to do with cost of importing many ingredients and the duties that have to be paid.

[onionluke]

Well . I had a Mcbeer in Braga and they use to sell beer with the burgers at the pier at Admiralty in Hong Kong.(papercups though)

[livingthedream]

You should be happy there were no chickens running around in the store.

Lighten up

[thrilled]

Mc donalds are franchises.So about giving refills I imagine it's up to the owner

[anto909]

No refills in Scotland but you always get melted cheese.

[smokie36]

Trailer trash grub in Thailand. Tak it regurgitate it and start a new thread....I reckon the OP is a marketing executive.

Why else would anyone start a thread like this?

Errrr he's a proper Rodney then...

[DP25]

Just remarking that the prices seem a bit out of kilter according to labor costs.

It might have something to do with cost of importing many ingredients and the duties that have to be paid.

I don't think they import much, maybe the beef. But they don't import chicken, and a McChicken is twice the price in Thailand ($2) that is in the US ($1). I think the main reason is that McDonalds in the US is a different market than it is in Thailand and other Asian countries. McDonalds at home is basically the cheapest food you can buy and is aimed at the masses. Here it is foreign food and they charge a premium. Foreigners don't notice or don't care that it is more expensive than local food, and for Thais it is foreign food and they are ok paying a bit more.

[doji]

No refill in the US either, except for the soft drinks

The only fastfood place I can get a free coffee refill is at IKEA

[smokie36]

Just remarking that the prices seem a bit out of kilter according to labor costs.

It might have something to do with cost of importing many ingredients and the duties that have to be paid.

I don't think they import much, maybe the beef. But they don't import chicken, and a McChicken is twice the price in Thailand ($2) that is in the US ($1). I think the main reason is that McDonalds in the US is a different market than it is in Thailand and other Asian countries. McDonalds at home is basically the cheapest food you can buy and is aimed at the masses. Here it is foreign food and they charge a premium. Foreigners don't notice or don't care that it is more expensive than local food, and for Thais it is foreign food and they are ok paying a bit more.

Twice the price you say?

Scandalous. Another scam in the offing....should we boycott them in Thailand do you think?

[supashot]

I travelled quiet a lot never saw that.

[DP25]

Twice the price you say?

Scandalous. Another scam in the offing....should we boycott them in Thailand do you think?

My boycott begins as soon I can find someone else to deliver me double cheeseburgers at 3am

[fatfather]

I just cannot believe that this burger-things cause a that ongoing discussion. Up to everybody himself whether he needs these burger-things, but why a discussion about whilst you are in Thailand? Can't believe it......

fatfather

[outofoz]

OP, first the noisy chickens in your village..now the Mcdonalds chesse and coffee scam?...perhaps all Thais are conspiring against you to make you Life a misery?

[pauljones]

To:

Mr. Ray A. KrocPresidentMcDonald'sOak Brook, Illinois.

Dear Mr. Kroc,

Recently I was driving to Pasadena, California, and I saw a billboardfor McDonald's that made me start thinking. It showed an egg McMuffin,which looked very good, and next to it there was some jelly. Personally,I think a lot of people will not like the egg McMuffin with jelly. Itwould be like putting jelly on top of eggs!I think that billboard will make a lot of people not order an egg McMuffin - even though I know they don't have to use the jelly if they don't wantto.It just makes me sad that the egg McMuffin looked so good and that jelly just goes and spoils the whole thing.I write this just as a suggestion since I have enjoyed your hamburgers and fries so much and I would hate to see your fine organization be hurt bytrying to be nice and giving out jelly, but it just doesn't go.

sincerely,

Lazlo Toth

REPLY:

Dear Mr. Toth:

In our Egg McMuffin outdoor billboards we show jelly next to our newest productfor one main reason--we have found that a lot of our customers take off the tophalf of the muffin and eat it separately from the rest of our Egg McMuffin product. The jelly is provided to make the top half, when eaten separately,taste even better.And, just in case you haven't tried an Egg McMuffin yet, here is a gift certificate which should go most of the way to buy you one at your nearby McDonald's. (We think you'll find it delicious.) Or, you can use it to buy anything else you might prefer.

Many thanks for your letter to Mr. Kroc--and thank you for your continued patronage. Sincerely.

McDonald's System, Inc.

Darrough Diamond

National Advertising Manager

Dear Ray,

I got a letter from Darrough Diamond about a week ago where he said thanks to mefor writing to you. That's okay, my pleasure.

He explained to me how many people don't put the jelly on top of the egg but eatthe top part separate from the egg part. Pretty clever! I went and had one like that and it did make the top half taste even better, just like he said.

Yesterday, I went over to my Mac place (that's what I call it, they all know me there) and I ordered a hamburger and asked for some jelly and they wouldn't giveit to me. I told them how I was friends with you and all but they said they onlygive it out with the Egg McMuffin.

I bought my hamburger home and split it up and used the top half separate just like Darrough suggested, but I don't see why I have to use my own jelly and the Egg McMuffin people get theirs for free. The top half of the hamburger bun tastes even better like that too. It's just not fair!

I see where you're up to 10 Billion hamburgers sold. How many more do you have to go?Stand by our President!

Your friend,

Lazlo Toth

Edited August 15, 2011 by pauljones

[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

There are about 31,000 McD's worldwide. 13,000 in usa and 18,000 foreign. Thailand only has 76.

Yes there are no doubt some volume cost savings and there is also a ton of fast food competition that helps keep prices in USA relatively low. But the point was that the labor cost in USA where a min wage worker makes about $60 usd 1800 baht a DAY is about 800% more than a Thai worker making 200 baht a day. Factor in that USA rent is also likely to be substantially cheaper than typical Thai rent. So the observation was that the prices in Thailand which as other posters have noted, seems for most items, not all, are quite high considering the operating costs seem to likely be very much lower. I do not know but I would guess that labor is probably the number one cost for an American MdD's??

Just observing that McD's and I would also guess Starbucks would seem to be making some nice profits in Thailand. When you consider an american min wage worker buying a big Mac for $4 usd / 120 baht that represents about 6% of his daily wage. For a Thai to buy a 78 baht big mac that would be almost 40% of his daily wage. Big difference. But again, McD's is free to charge whatever they want and all consumers are equally free to buy it or not. Up to you.

As for the USA being bigger/better etc I can assure you that the butts sitting in the average American McD's are absolutely positively considerably BIGGER than the butts in a Thai Mcd's. Some might think that is "better" but i would not be among those.

[brimacthai]

maybe time to close this post... troll or not it's giving the big Don some free advertising... and I believe that's against policy...

[bkkjames]

maybe time to close this post... troll or not it's giving the big Don some free advertising... and I believe that's against policy...

Work for bk do ya? Oops. More free advertising-quick quick close it now before somebody goes and loiters in bk now!

[Nisa]

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....

Remember they have to import all that stuff from the US ... and that requires one very longer sewer line from US toilets.

[mrclough]

So, back to the free coffee refill point.

Where the hell DO you get the free refills then?

Not that I want any coffee lol, can't stand the stuff but I'd kind of like to know now just out of curiosity.

[Theo007]

Just this week MacCaffe increased the price of coffee and bakery items by over 33%!

[angiud]

Lazlo Toth was that guy hammered the Pieta' of Michelangelo a lot of years ago

[selftaopath]

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

NO this is NOT a troll post. I have been "biting my tongue" i.e. restraint of tongue and pen rather than respond to "advice" like needing to get out more. Unsolicited advice is.....and I see so many "brave" souls being RUDE and inconsiderate maybe b/c they can hide behind their make believe icons and act all "bad." WOOPS I started going where I decided I would not go. Never mind; thanks for the informative/thoughtful posts. Actually I thought the average Thai ought to get a free cup of coffee or soft drink like so many other people get from McDonalds.

[Thailand4life]

This thread cracks me up..

[jaykayem]

No refills in Thailand, or Bangkok - or the USA????

Hmmm ... interesting! That has NOT been my experience.

I spent my first two years here living in BKK. I made it a point to eat at restaurants that offered free Coca Cola refils!

There was one on the second floor of MBK - I think they served pizza and hamburgers, etc.

The refills were of the self-serve variety - just walk to the dispenser and refill your glass/cup.

More recently I was visiting some friends in Pataya and we found the same setup at a restaurant - sea view, patio - at the backside, second floor of the 'newish' plaza - Central something - near the corner of Center road and First.

Almost 50% of the pizza and burger joints I ate in in Canada and the USA had free refills on Coca Cola - and coffe enjoyed the same status almost universally.

I rarely eat out these days - buy my soft drinks in bulk! (Best prices for me are at Makro!)

Ye auld fart, Jim

(jaykayem)

[Ijustwannateach]

I eat in a number of restaurants in which basic coffee refills are cheerfully given. Perhaps the OP should try a restaurant rather than McD's.

[bkkjames]

I eat in a number of restaurants in which basic coffee refills are cheerfully given. Perhaps the OP should try a restaurant rather than McD's.

Nah, he just needs to get over the fact that this isn't the usa.

[mca]

To be honest after drinking McDonalds coffee I'd rather be offered a free refill of wino's piss.

[Ulysses G.]

I spent my first two years here living in BKK. I made it a point to eat at restaurants that offered free Coca Cola refils!

There are some places that do this, but the price is much higher than buying by the glass and I usually only want one drink.

[falangjim]

I was in Pizza Hut on Onnut with my family last month. I ordered a coke and finished it before the meal arrived. A waiter came around with a small pitcher of cola and gestured if I wanted a refill. Of course I did. What I didn't know was that that refill would end up on the bill. Hilarious. This is Thailand! Cheeky little shit.