I have a strange habit of checking the price per unit of the things that I buy, partly because I like to examine the motivation that companies think they need to give you in order to entice you to buy a bigger size.
On a recent trip to Wendy’s, I was waiting for my order (Spicy Chicken Meal and a Small Chocolate Frosty) and staring at the menu when I noticed something strange: Wendy’s doesn’t entice you to buy a bigger size at all. In fact, they actually price the Frosty so that the biggest size isn’t the best deal.
Here’s how it brakes down:
- Small Frosty (12 ounces) = $1.19 (9.92 cents per ounce)
- Medium Frosty (16 ounces) = $1.69 (10.56 cents per ounce)
- Large Frosty (20 ounces) = $1.99 (10.05 cents per ounce)
Though a Large Frosty does cost less than a Medium Frosty, the Small Frosty costs less than either of them, which means if you’re looking for the best deal, you should actually just buy two Small Frostys and pay $2.38 for 24 ounces of Frosty goodness! (At 9.92 cents per ounce.)
I don’t know if this is the case at all Wendy’s, or if each Wendy’s has some choice over how they price their products (let me know in the comments if you’ve noticed the price of a Wendy’s Frosty lately) but it sounds like someone needs to take a repeat course in Frosty-nomics!
I guess sometimes it pays to pay attention…
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
i think they're dealing more in frostycology…
your basic fast food customer won't think a small is big enough, but they don't want to feel like a pig and get the large, and they probably sell more mediums than L or S, which i'm sure they've noticed in their spreadsheets. why not raise the margin?
plus, let's be honest, most of us just assume economy of scale will apply without doing the math.
and in addition, ithe medium is an even worse deal than you thought compared to the large.
20oz @ $1.99 = 9.95cents/oz.
16 oz @ $1.69 = 10.56cents/oz.
12 oz @ $1.19 = 9.92cents/oz.
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