2009-01-17

It's the best time for...

Finally bringing this topic up. I just remembered this as I dined in at Wendy's today: their food pricing is, for lack of a wider vocabulary, weird. Since college this was the only fastfood restaurant that has got me looking longer at a receipt than I normally would.

I bought a Bacon Mushroom Melt (Php 82) and a Baked Potato (Php 88). Total: Php 170. Part of the receipt showed this:
BMM            :  73.21
BP : 78.57
-----------------------
Sub-total : 151.78
12%RVAT : 18.21
1.01% local tax: 1.53
=======================
Total : 171.52
First of all, I don't remember seeing the 'local tax' itemized in other fastfood restos' receipts. I could be wrong and it may be a city ordinance to exclude the local tax from the food item's price (as seen by the customer's naked eye), then add it later in the receipt. It didn't really bother me.

I paid 502, and got 330. I'm pretty sure I still know basic arithmetic so it's crystal clear they rounded up the total price to 172. Which I don't blame against them, and instead would like to ask why they need to sell food priced at N.XX? (where N is a natural number not less than 100 and XX is any random no. from 0 to 9). Why? It's not an issue at all had the total been 172. The feeling is like being sold with a 115-peso worth, paying 150, and getting only 30 because a denomination of 5 doesn't exist anymore. Ok it's an exaggeration, but if you're going to add up all those unreturned centavos from all customers, then the sum must've been quite evident.

Which leads me to ask another question: why not just come up with a raw price that will total to a decent normal price after taxes so that meddling customers like me won't feel, uh, cheated? I know it's only 48 centavos, but what if this happens to all their customers always? From the 1.01% local tax and 12% VAT, they could easily determine how much would be the 'normal' initial food price. That way I won't have to do calculations inside my head anymore and just start consuming the food happily. Besides, their balance sheets will be clean. Or could it be the lost centavos amounting to we-may-never-know are going somewhere we-will-never-know? Or maybe, just maybe, it's a naturally occuring accounting/business phenomenon so this rodomontade is pointless.

So, still the best time for Wendy's? I haven't tried their Baconator yet, though.

2009-01-01

and a Happy New Year!

My prayer for a rainy new year's eve fell short. It only drizzled and the fireworks still, well, worked. Are there 'smokeless' fireworks?

Same old customs on a new year's eve: round fruits, wear something red, turn on all lights, radios, car alarm, and anything that can contribute to the otherwise loud noise of the firecrackers. And here I am, still up at 0213h, thinking of a name for this little one:

Pollux? Vincent? or Neil?
Pollux? Vincent? or Neil?