How do they think these record profits will sustain if they keeps taking every last dime from workers? Oh ya, they don’t think, they are just mindless greedy leeches. They’ll just suck till they get crushed like any other parasite.
They only care about their own bottom line, and typically provide discounts for employees to entice them into return.
Restaurants are getting really expensive. Even “budget” fast food like McD’s has skyrocketed. If we go out to eat I have to cringe at the bill (and the ridiculous tip that we still can’t get rid of despite rising costs) at the end of the meal.
I traveled to Japan and was blown away at their food culture.
They have convenience stores and supermarkets that sell full lunches for a few bucks (300-600 yen). The workers have no issues microwaving your food. So getting lunch for under 1000 yen ($7.50) was extremely common, even in big cities like Tokyo.
Their fast food (western like McDonald’s, as well as the gyudon restaurants like yoshinoyas) are also still cheap.
The last thing is just the cultural difference. Customers will outright shame a restaurant if it’s too expensive and it sucks. You see it all the time on Google Reviews. And restaurant owners (of which I spoke to a few) are often too terrified to raise prices because of that shame. One restaurant owner flat out told me that he feels embarrassed to raise prices because he believes his food brings folks happiness and he doesn’t want to hurt the average Japanese.
How much are government subsides affecting that pricing? Or lack of tax?
I don’t know about subsidies. But you do pay a consumption tax of 10%.
“Pinching lunchtime pennies”
Hehe hoho haha hehe… WE CAN’T AFFORD SHIT, YOU ASSHOLES!
Tell me again how the economy is just “booming”.
From my experience, eating out costs more, I try to make it worth it. Spending $20 on lunch causally ads up to quickly.
From my experience, eating out costs more
Hot take
These threads are always interesting. On one hand, fuck capitalism and fuck corporations. Prices have fucking skyrocketed and it feels like we’re legitimately on the brink of some sort of economic collapse.
On the other hand, y’all really been eating out every day for lunch? That shit has always been many times more expensive than making your own lunch.
I get a small salad from our work cafeteria everyday, that with a drink and some peanut butter protein balls runs about $6.50 a day. I’ve tried making salads myself for the week, but inevitably stuff goes bad and it ends up being more hassle than I feel like it’s worth. I could probably cheapen it a bit more if I went down the street and got the $1.50 hot dog at Costco, but I’m trying to cut meat out of my diet where I can.
I used to get fast food regularly, but because of skyrocketing prices (+$10 for most fast food meals it seems like), and unhealthy numbers for cholesterol, I’ve tried to scale back where I can. Plus, staying at work, instead of driving out for food, gives me extra time to go for a walk over lunch. So it all just makes more sense to skip eating out (so to speak).
Also, quitting drinking is probably saving me about $20–40 a week and it’s a healthier option anyways and not as bad as I had been afraid of. Since turning 21 decades ago, I drank regularly and never considered quitting or had issues with it, but the twin specters of money and health made me reconsider.
Know a lot of people quitting right now. I think Covid a long with the years after took toll on a lot of people along with marijuana being more socially accepted along with better dosing. Also cost of shit is expensive these days and salaries have not kept up. I say this as and elderly millennial
Peanut butter sandwiches. I spend like $3-5 a week on lunches between them and an apple each day
My girlfriend asked me a couple weeks ago why I bought 5 games on Steam. I told her I quit drinking at home and/or alone at the pub two weeks ago and I had money burning a hole in my pocket. (We don’t live together so she was unaware of my change in behavior).
For meal prep at home maybe look into veggie dishes that can freeze well? Like I’d imagine a veggie lasagna holds up in the freezer pretty well. Other than that, maybe set time aside one night during the week like Wednesday to do a long cook session where you have fresh leftovers that don’t spoil in the fridge?
Bean, chickpea, and lentil dishes last a week in the fridge (probably more tbh).
Also, if you have a desk/cube, a great tip I picked up from a vegan friend is to keep a jar of peanut butter and a spoon in your drawer. Before I became remote, I would eat about 2 tablespoons at 10, 3, and 5. Probably not quite as good as the protein balls but cheap and effective.
The “lunch rush” was when our bosses promised all the city leaders that we would have to be in the office every day so we are forced to buy lunch in the area. It’s manufactured demand.
If I work from home and eat lunch there or at a place near my house all that money stays in my neighborhood though and my property values go up.
In other (more sane words): workers burnt by ever increasing prices decide to pack a lunch rather than be one of the last remaining suckers spending $25 for a sandwich.
Yup. I make my lunch now. Healthier and I don’t feel like a slug after lunch.
Everybody’s working for the weekend.
