• Urist
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        11 months ago

        I know right? Taco Bell has always been cheap garbage to shove in your face when you’re having a depression day.

        Now it’s just garbage.

        • @[email protected]
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          911 months ago

          I ate a taco bell soft taco on top of a waffle house hashbrown bowl today… my depression days have been adjusted for inflation?

        • @NateNate60
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          11 months ago

          Really? Last I went it was around 5 USD for a crunchwrap and the cheese burrito nonsense was less than 2 USD a piece. 28 USD would be an absolutely obscene amount of food even by American standards

          Edit since people think I’m bullshitting: these pictures were taken at a Taco Bell in Portland, Oregon, USA today, 31st January 2024:

            • @NateNate60
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              211 months ago

              I edited my original comment to add pictures from an actual Taco Bell that I took in person.

              $28 could get you well over 4,000 kcal of food, so I think my comment that it is an “obscene amount of food” is correct.

                • @NateNate60
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                  11 months ago

                  The crunchy taco supreme is kind of a notoriously bad deal though. 50% more money for maybe 5 g of added ingredients. If you take a look at the regular tacos at NYC prices, nine tacos plus tax totals $26.36. If you add one of the strange cheese wraps or another small item that would probably bring you to just over $28. Still, nine tacos provide 1530 kcal, which is not obscene, maybe just “filling”. But note that nobody would actually only buy nine tacos straight, there are other things that would provide more calories or even just more food mass that are more likely to be bought on a binge-eating trip. Notably, the potato taco costs less but has 240 kcal, which is 41% more calories. The combos also come with a drink which could add several hundred calories and up to a kilogram of mass to the meal (1 refill of an 18 oz cup is about 490 g of mass assuming soda has approximately 90% the density of water).

          • @I_Fart_Glitter
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            511 months ago

            Was that about 5 years ago? I just checked a receipt from my last depression fest and it was $7.19 for a crunch wrap and $2.90 for a bean burrito, $6.09 for a cheese quesadilla.

            • @NateNate60
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              111 months ago

              No, it was about two weeks ago in Portland, Oregon

          • @KombatWombat
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            111 months ago

            Yeah I get that prices vary based on where you live but people taco bell is not expensive if you know what to order. I usually spend about $12 for about 2400 calories worth of food I enjoy over the course of two days. If you want to eat cheaply and not make it yourself, it is hard to beat their value menu or a build your own cravings box.

          • Urist
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            111 months ago

            Yea, it’s a ton of food. But, I remember when it was cheaper. Maybe I’m just old now. I don’t have the prices memorized of my local place but the last time I went it was more than I expected (but not $28 for just me…)

          • @mhague
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            11 months ago

            The combos are almost $5 cheaper than where I live, that’s crazy

            • @NateNate60
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              111 months ago

              You must live in an expensive city! Portland’s not cheap but not crazy either. There’s no sales tax which is also a plus.

      • @[email protected]
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        211 months ago

        We’ve gentrified cheap Mexican food and food trucks in general now.

        It wasn’t even 10 years ago that you could get a pretty hearty meal at a taco stand for like 8 bucks. Now it’s at least double that and around me. It’s oftentimes triple. There’s no case to be made that the inputs for a taco have risen that dramatically in price. Businesses are doing what businesses do so I’ve moved on to Vietnamese food which is still pretty cheap around me.

    • @[email protected]
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      811 months ago

      Yeah I see several ads every time I get on now. Was really hoping to leave that garbage behind on Reddit.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 months ago

        that’s what I gave up on trying to explain to r/hailcorporate: you don’t have to get paid to be an advertiser. these empty souls will do it for free, because they’ve already fused their identity with their fav corporations

        and calling the shit out and reposting it is just another layer of advertising, too, so r/HC got the unsub too

    • @return2ozmaOP
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      711 months ago

      I’m not affiliated with Taco Bell at all, I’m just a big Taco Bell stan. Wish there was a Taco Bell instance like on the site we shall not say.

    • @HootinNHollerin
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      11 months ago

      I don’t think lemmy is big enough to be getting that

      • @[email protected]
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        11 months ago

        of course it is, it’s right on front of you. it’s just a question of where are they getting it from. In this case, it’s likely from the users themselves, happy to freely shill their favorite corporation

    • @[email protected]
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      211 months ago

      Lol, maybe if only $28 worth of taco bell was worth my time. It takes damn near $5o for 2-3 people worth of trash food.

      $28 is a fucking joke, when you’re hungry enough to even consider ordering it

      • @SpookyLegs
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        111 months ago

        That’s why you order 3 rice and bean burritos. It comes out to like $3.24.

        They’re not that great but enough fire sauce fixes anything

          • @suchwin
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            111 months ago

            I’m in a HCOL area, and all the TBs near me have them for 1.79. Although they were a dollar a month or two ago. They’re sizable, and 3 will absolutely fill me up, 2 is usually plenty.

            TB usually has a pretty good combo box for less than $10, sometimes closer to $5/6. If you’re real picky and want certain things, then sure, get ready to pay $15+. But I personally find that I can’t spend more than $8 to get stuffed.

    • 𝔼𝕩𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕒
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      11 months ago

      Taco bell is easily one of the most affordable fast food chains in my area now

      • @[email protected]
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        1611 months ago

        Only if you get the right menu items. As much as I love the chalupas, $4.99 for each one is ridiculous.

        The bean burritos do a good job filling you up though and they’re about half the price. I miss when they were less than a dollar though.

        • @[email protected]
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          11 months ago

          Cheesy bean and rice burritos are basically the only fast food I get anymore.

          Granted, I’m a vegetarian, and they’re basically the only option for that, but that also means they’re the only option for that.

      • @june
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        211 months ago

        Second only to Wendy’s

    • @return2ozmaOP
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      611 months ago

      Surprisingly, you can get some items for cheap like their $5 box in the app.

      • @dingus
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        611 months ago

        I remember I tried to order a $5 box from Taco Bell a few years ago. The employee was confused and said “it’s $10 here”. Idk how they are able to put ads saying it was $5 when it actually was double that in most areas lol. Are you still getting the original price in the app nowadays or something?

    • @[email protected]
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      411 months ago

      Man I went to the drive through after work one day, got a few things, and holy shit how is it almost $30?!

      Unfortunately these days to get the old prices you have to use their app. Fortunately (at least for me) it works pretty well and it might actually be better value than it used to be.

      • @[email protected]
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        311 months ago

        You’re paying the extra price one way or another. Whether that be through loyalty deals making you buy from them more, or in the valuable data they can use to profile you with based on your buying habits they use the rewards program to track

    • @june
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      211 months ago

      If you have it delivered, yes.

  • @buzz86us
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    3111 months ago

    Yeah like holy shit… Used to be a dollar for their burritos… Now you’re lucky if it is $2, and portions haven’t improved to reflect the price.

    • @Raiderkev
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      511 months ago

      All major fast food chains are trash now. Same garbage food, 5x the price. I live in an area abundant in taquerias, and I can get way better food for the same price. Taco Bell can fuck right off unless it’s 1am and nothing else is open, and I need to eat something to sober up.

      • runeko
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        511 months ago

        I’m pretty sure. “It’s 1am. Nothing else is open, and you need to sober up.” is Taco Bell’s default marketing campaign.

      • @buzz86us
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        211 months ago

        Agreed I only go if they have good deals on the apps fuck ordering at the retail prices they charge.

        • @Raiderkev
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          111 months ago

          I refuse to download their app. The McDonald’s one made u sign a binding arbitration clause to use it. Eff that noise.

    • GreatAlbatross
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      511 months ago

      At least it’s not UK Taco Bell prices.
      I think TB thought they’d be a neat novelty, and have people queuing out the door. So they priced tacos at £5+.
      The result was, lots of people went there…once. They parted with £15/head, and got bland tacos.

    • @AgentGrimstone
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      11 months ago

      I rarely go there anymore since my usual order went from $10 to $18. Their deal boxes are still good tho, they’re still only around $5 here.

    • @Agent641
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      1011 months ago

      Leave it on the step and walk away, so you dont have to see me creep out of my house in goblin mode and snack up to bag, breathing heavily, tearing at the packaging before ive even made it back inside.

    • Chill Dude 69
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      211 months ago

      The whole gig-economy, random motherfuckers delivering your food situation is just impossible for me to get down with. I already worry about the rando who made the food spitting in it, throwing his dingleberries in there, etc.

      If I get it delivered by some weirdo, too, am I just supposed to hope that maybe his fecal bacteria will get into a fight with the cook’s fecal bacteria, and they’ll wipe each other out, by the time I eat it?

      • @GuerrillaGrain
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        1311 months ago

        My department was outsourced this year. So, I have been working as one of those weirdos while I seek new employment. Most businesses seal the food so the driver can’t touch it without it being VERY obvious. (Like a ripped sticker seal) Just know that not everyone delivering is some creep who wants to put poop in your food. I personally don’t even put orders into the cabin of my car. It goes into the trunk inside a sealable cooler that I provide/clean between shifts.

        • Chill Dude 69
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          511 months ago

          You really do sound like the guy I’d want delivering my stuff. I think part of my apprehension comes from the way I’ve seen even medical personnel going about their jobs with a VERY half-assed attitude, toward things like sterility.

          Also, I am chronically and genetically cheap-assed. Food is expensive enough (as per OP’s meme) that I often go entire calendar years without eating any sort of restaurant food. Getting me to pay for delivery + tip would just be incredibly difficult, from the outset.

          • @Misconduct
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            411 months ago

            Why would you look at people in the medical field and go “yep, that’s why I don’t have food delivered”? Lmao

            • Chill Dude 69
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              111 months ago

              Because medical people are SUPPOSEDLY held to an even higher standard. If they suck at being clean, despite standing to lose a truly valuable career, how can I trust underpaid delivery people?

              • @[email protected]
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                111 months ago

                The difference is a medical professional likely has more money to get by with as they make a career change, an underpaid delivery driver loses their job, they can be out on the streets with no shelter, food, or clean water in just a few weeks.

                • Chill Dude 69
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                  211 months ago

                  And yet, by all accounts, their standards of behavior are SHOCKINGLY SIMILAR. We’ve all seen videos of delivery drivers eating food out of the bags. And I’ve had to stop a medical professional from giving me an injection, without sterilizing the injection site on my skin.

                  People are not okay. I don’t trust any of them.

          • @jpreston2005
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            111 months ago

            seriously. who wants to spend more money, putting more time and more people handling in between their meal being made and being eaten? Shit, I don’t think I’ve ever ordered pizza delivery in my entire life. Even the pandemic couldn’t get my cheap ass to get food delivered

  • comador
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    1211 months ago

    The true irony in all this is Taco Bell’s headquarters is in Southern California (as is Del Taco) where REAL Mexican food dominates them both.

    California Burritos, Baja Tacos and Carne Asada Fries any day, all day.

    • @Telodzrum
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      1311 months ago

      Oh man, all those people going to Taco Bell and thinking they’re in for a real authentic Sonoran experience are really missing out, I guess.

      • @son_named_bort
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        211 months ago

        Wait, it’s not? My whole life is a lie! Please don’t tell me that Pizza Hut isn’t fine Italian dining, I don’t think I can take that.

      • comador
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        11 months ago

        Be surprised how many people think Taco Bell is Mexican, but the point I was making is that: Tijuana, MX. is twice as close to Taco Bell HQ than it is to San Francisco. There’s traditional Mexican food throughout Southern California and more frequent than any other fast food chain, including Starbucks and McDs. You’d think Taco Bell would move their HQ lol.

    • @MindSkipperBro12
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      911 months ago

      I go to Mexican restaurants for authentic Mexican food.

      I go to Taco Bell to get Taco Bell.

    • @RubberElectrons
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      211 months ago

      Yeah it’s actually funny, I ride past taco bell HQ regularly. It’s this aggressively bland concrete block in Irvine… kinda like their food.

      I eat it now and again, using the veggie mode on the order screen nowadays. But the mom & pop food trucks give you way more for way less.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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      211 months ago

      Both are better than Taco Time. Why does that place even exist? Who are these people who eat tacos with mayonnaise on them?

    • Dharma Curious
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      1211 months ago

      I’ve had a stressful couple of weeks, and got a B on a paper.

      I drove 1.5 hours away today to go to a local fastfood chain to get my favorite burger today. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

      • @Donjuanme
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        211 months ago

        I’ve got my "at least I’m not in prison"hamburger… Then the company that sold it went off the deep end. Now I have a slightly more expensive, takes slightly longer, much more local better not in prison burger!

  • @Alenalda
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    1111 months ago

    Meanwhile you can go to the grocery store and pay ~30$ for 3lb beef, 20shells, 3 heads romane lettuce, 1lb Mexican cheese, and taco sauce. And have a single person’s meals for the next 5-6 days. I know because it’s been part of my meal prep for a while.

    • @johannesvanderwhales
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      111 months ago

      Ground beef freezes pretty well, so buy in bulk. I get 10lb packages from Costco and divide it up into 1/2 lb portions.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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      11 months ago

      30$ for 3lb beef

      Why are you paying $10 per pound for ground beef? You can get 97% lean ground beef at Costco, or WinCo for about $6 per pound.

      • ma11en
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        1211 months ago

        There’s a list of items after the meat included in the $30.

      • @RubberElectrons
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        411 months ago

        Textured veggie protein is even cheaper and is dehydrated if you want a veggie option. It’s great to camp with since it needs no refrigeration, and you can add it to beef dishes if you need to stretch your dollar but still want real beef.

        • @Dkarma
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          111 months ago

          Tvp is great. Spice it right and u can fool the shit out of your carnivore uncle if it’s in hamburger helper style meals

          • @RubberElectrons
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            11 months ago

            Lmao sounds like personal experience. I like being upfront with people, but otoh if you’re broke, guests can’t be choosy. Was it actually hamberder helper or what, how’d it turn out?

            E: I’m leaving it, no edits.

            • @Dkarma
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              111 months ago

              We had it back when I was at camp cuz it packed out on the trail well. Mouth wise it’s basically funny tasting “ground beef” which is why u spice it like hell cuz it’s bland.

              I’m just saying if u cook it right u can fool pretty much anyone.

  • @mwproductions
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    511 months ago

    I want this framed and hanging on my wall.

    • Sneezycat
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      811 months ago

      Pushed to work a job you don’t enjoy. It gives you money, and emptiness. You fill the emptiness with the money. Now you need money, and are still empty.

      • Ignotum
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        211 months ago

        🎶it’s the circle of liiife🎶

    • Sneezycat
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      10 months ago

      lemmy not letting delete comments forever sucks. I just double posted by accident man!

  • @Boop2133
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    111 months ago

    I just mobile order and pay like $6 for a crunch wrap supreme, burrito, and a side with a drink. Id never pay more than $15 at tacobell lol

  • Mossy Feathers (She/They)
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    11 months ago

    Ew, Taco Bell is so gross. There’s way better food out there.

    Edit: last time I went there it literally made me sick. I’m sticking to the good Mexican/tex-mex places.

    Edit 2: hail corporate I guess? I genuinely don’t understand why people like Taco Bell. It doesn’t taste good. It makes you sick. Why would you want it when there are better places with the same or similar food out there?

    • @Son_of_dad
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      711 months ago

      Any time I go to Taco Bell I know it’s gonna make me sick. You gotta plan for it and know what you’re getting into

      • @dingus
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        11 months ago

        People say this all the time, but I’ve literally never had that happen from eating Taco Bell. Is it some sort of food sensitivity issue?

        I will say that I have had an angry stomach from eating McDonald’s or Chick Fil A now and then, but never Taco Bell. I don’t even really like Taco Bell all that much but it doesn’t cause any issues.

        • @somethingsnappy
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          211 months ago

          I’m in a rough place right now, and Taco Bell is part of my sadness/depression meter. I’m only at a 1 TB in January, and it feels good to say that.

          • @[email protected]
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            211 months ago

            Eating low quality food like Taco Bell will hurt your gut biome and exacerbated depression. Good job only having it once in January.

    • @MindSkipperBro12
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      711 months ago

      If Taco Bell makes you sick then I have some news for you: You are weak, your bloodline is weak, and you will be forgotten in the pages of history.

      • @[email protected]
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        311 months ago

        If Taco Bell doesn’t make you sick, I have news for you. You’re accustomed to eating garbage. Your arteries are getting clogged, and you’ll start losing feeling in your extremities and feel embarrassed about your body a couple years before the garbage you shove into your stomach for a brief hit of dopamine ends your life early, like it does for hundreds of thousands of other people every year.

      • Mossy Feathers (She/They)
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        -611 months ago

        Whyyyyyy? Why would you want food that literally makes you sick? There are way better options that taste better and won’t make you sick.

        • norbert
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          611 months ago

          You might just have a weak stomach.

          It’s not gourmet or anything but if it’s consistently making you sick I’d get it checked out.

    • @cm0002
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      311 months ago

      Just because it makes you sick doesn’t mean it makes everyone sick and we’re all just “blind to it” or something

      Most people don’t eat Taco Bell for Mexican or TexMex food, we eat Taco Bell for Taco Bell food

      Just because people have a preference for a bog Fast food chain doesn’t automatically make it “Hail Corporate” either

    • Grammaton Cleric
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      311 months ago

      No, it makes you sick. The steak quesadillas are still delicious

    • @[email protected]
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      211 months ago

      This whole thread reads like an ad. This might be the first astroturfing attempt I’ve seen on Lemmy… There’s a good amount of people here not astroturfing, though.

    • @[email protected]
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      -111 months ago

      You’re getting downvotes because this is an advertisement and you’re messing up their ad for shit food that gives people health problems.

        • @[email protected]
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          11 months ago

          it’s not astroturfing. it’s an ad, but it’s not astroturfing. these are real lemmings who genuinely enjoy sucking corporate dick for free. so pathetic.

          • @[email protected]
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            211 months ago

            Some of them are, but I find it hard to believe they all are. I think at least one person with a few accounts is astroturfing here. I don’t think they are necessarily paid by taco bell, though. It looks like someone is just testing the waters here.