Fast food outlets have marketed the ubiquitous "Extra Value Meal" for some time, but popslant recognizes it for the ploy that it is! Namely, a way for them to up-sell you to more merchandise!
We know that the most expensive items for these places to provide are the sandwiches, which could be termed "loss leaders." They make their money on the sides, especially the drinks, which cost them pennies to provide. So, if they can get you to buy these items in addition to the sandwiches, they make more money.
popslant has no problem with that - if you want fries and/or a drink, it is great that you can save a little money by ordering them at a special package price. Of course, the fries and the drink are usually the most unhealthy part of the meal, nothing but empty calories and too much sugar and salt, so we choose not order them. In any case, what we object to is the heavy-handed approach in pushing these "value meals" onto the public. We are tired of ordering a sandwich and automatically being charged a full meal price.
Just last week, we were once again in a fast food outlet and ordered a sandwich. The total price was far beyond the price of the sandwich, and when we inquired why, we were told that's how much the meal costs. Of course, we didn't order the meal, we explicitly asked for a sandwich. We caught the mistake, and the order was corrrected and the proper price paid. The problem is that this happens way to often for our liking. English is english - if we wanted a "value meal" we would have asked for it.
The question we have is: how many people order a sandwich and don't catch the mistake, then return home with their order, only to find they bought and paid for items they did not want? By then, who is going to return extra items and obtain the refund? Few people, we assume. Thus, these "value meals" become akin to a scam, where people are automatically upcharged without their knowledge.
popslant is sick of this. It happens almost every time. So, to these outlets we say: stop making assumptions and trying to upsell us! When we order a sandwich, just give us the sandwich!