Essentially every business charges an amount just under that which would cause their average customer to switch to a competitor, yes.
McDonald’s may be a legal fiction, but the franchise owner who set this particular price is not; he’s a very real person exploiting the value derived from being one of very few options at a rest stop. Expecting him to do anything else is not a particularly practical strategy. If this is seen as objectionable, you need to eliminate that scarcity value by either opening the space up to additional competitors or using government to mandate as part of the rest stop leases that profit margins stay within a reasonable level.
There are actual solutions here, but wagging your finger is not one of them.
Don’t like being gouged? Don’t like others being gouged? Just have enough money to take on the largest fast food chain in the world! Why didn’t I think of that?
Every business gouges their customers? Ok. Sounds about right.
I’m a human. McDonalds is a legal fiction. I don’t care how much money they make. You care about nothing else.
Essentially every business charges an amount just under that which would cause their average customer to switch to a competitor, yes.
McDonald’s may be a legal fiction, but the franchise owner who set this particular price is not; he’s a very real person exploiting the value derived from being one of very few options at a rest stop. Expecting him to do anything else is not a particularly practical strategy. If this is seen as objectionable, you need to eliminate that scarcity value by either opening the space up to additional competitors or using government to mandate as part of the rest stop leases that profit margins stay within a reasonable level.
There are actual solutions here, but wagging your finger is not one of them.
Don’t like being gouged? Don’t like others being gouged? Just have enough money to take on the largest fast food chain in the world! Why didn’t I think of that?
Or just rant on niche forums I guess; you do you mate.
I mean, you’re defending price gouging on the same forums.