Size Matters – Inflation, Necessity, and Sleight of Hand

Lot on my mind and a little time on my hands, so I figured I would send something out into the ether.

Big? Mac

Swore off fast food for a hot minute, but was craving a Big Mac, so I got one. One advantage of being an adult and owning a car. No need to cajole, wheedle or beg. No need to petulantly scream, “Donald’s, Donald’s Donald’s,” until a weary work-worn mother gives in and heads for the Golden Arches. Thank you for my childhood, Mom. Thank you.

Since McDick’s changed the quarter pounder to fresh meat- how dare you, Sir?- I have made the Big Mac the staple of any lunch/dinner order. Here’s the thing. Fast food is getting more expensive by the day, and the portions are getting smaller and smaller.

No shit. The burgers on my Big Mac were about the size of a half dollar. They tried to distract me with extra pickles, or maybe, hoped I would not remove said picklers to discover the poker chip beef patties hidden in special sauce.

I get it. You print money like it’s going out of style, and there will be price increases. Inflation is a real consequence of driving up demand and curtailing supply. That is as far as I want to go on theory and also on blame; however, as a consumer, does big business think I am an idiot.

Chips come less to a bag. Drumsticks (the ice cream) are smaller. More ice, less product in your Starbucks. Tinier jumbo eggs. The point is that major corporations aren’t even being subtle. The changes in size are noticeable, and I’m not talking about dating an Irishman. With this realization comes anger and the realization that our democracy, “for the people,” has completed shifted to, “for profit, forget the people.”

Basic Needs/Premium Prices

P., you are overgeneralizing and are, once again, rooted in your obsession with food. Okay. Let’s look at the basic necessities: Food, water, shelter. We’ve discussed food, but I took my boys to Wendy’s and it cost me 40-plus dollars, and even the Baconator is shrinking (Much like the Terminator- must be off steroids).

Water comes in standard bottle-sizes, but what is the source? Oh, we’re paying for bottled water. Don’t get me started.

As for shelter, the real estate mantra, “Location, Location, Location,” is in full effect, but are there any affordable locations? The average cost of a home in the U.S. is close to half a million dollars, and in SC, where I live, I am paying a higher mortgage for half the house. Everyone’s moving south. Interest rates are up. You bought new construction. All valid points, but… salaries are creeping or stagnant as the cost all of these basic necessities continues to escalate.

I never rant about topics for which I have little knowledge: politics, menopause, or Justin Bieber albums, but it seems to me, our country needs to look out for the common man, especially in regard to common needs.

I am blessed. I have a home, running water, and the means to frequent fast-food establishments. I am also not a fool. If big business thinks we are not noticing the drop off in quality and quantity in their products while prices soar, they are sorely mistaken.

I guess the easiest solution for McDonald’s is s to change the name of their signature to the Little Mac or the Big Price Tag.

Love and laughter,

P.