‘What is it w people thinking it’s okay to record service workers for internet content’: McDonald’s customers complain about different prices for Halloween Happy Meals, sparking debate
Customers seem to be obsessed with McDonald’s Halloween Boo Buckets, and TikToker Jae Woodstock (@smoker.woodstock) started their day with the fun mission of collecting a green one. But her day soon became frustrating when she learned that each McDonald’s location was charging a different price for the Halloween special.
In the video, Jae and her friend are buying their second Boo Bucket when they notice that each McDonald's receipt lists a different price. “This was $3.49, and this one’s 5.29,” she says. The worker just says, “I don’t know. I’m not the one that makes the prices,” as he hands the woman her order.
@smoker.woodstock McDonald’s be screwing people #boobuckets #fypシ #fyp #boobuckets🎃☠️👻☠️🎃 #lesbiansoftiktok🏳️🌈 ♬ original sound - Jae Woodstock
Jae’s friend then asks the worker to mention it to his manager, and while she’s waiting, she shows the camera the two McDonald’s receipts that show different prices for the same order.
However, the manager confirms for the two McDonald’s customers “the prices are different” in different locations. The women drive off and say, “I think McDonald’s is full of shit.”
The video garnered over 244,000 views as of this writing, and, of course, viewers shared their thoughts.
There are a number of factors that go into the pricing of McDonald's items, like, for example, the minimum wage where the franchise is located. A Restaurant Business report even analyzed McDonald's menus in all 50 states and found the price of Big Macs range "anywhere from $3.75 for a Big Mac in Austin, Texas, to $6.39 in Seattle." But most people on TikTok knew enough about how the franchise works that they weren’t surprised by Jae's revelation that different McDonald's locations have a different price for the same menu item.
“Different franchise owners set different prices,” one person helpfully said. Another explained that, “Different areas have different prices especially different [cities]! IDK which two you went to but they are correct they don’t make the prices.” The creator replied saying they went to three locations within three miles of each other, but, as others pointed out, “They are usually franchised with different owners so pricing can vary.”
A number of viewers took issue with the way the women demanded information from the drive-thru worker. "Employees don’t make the prices call corporate leave the workers alone," one person said. One user even accused the TikToker of filming the worker for clout, asking, "What is it w people thinking it’s okay to record service workers for internet content."
In Jae's response video to the comment, she explains that, firstly, they knew that the McDonald's price difference was because they were going to locations with different franchise owners. Secondly, she says they were only filming because they "were wondering how many McDonald’s it was going to take…to try to find a green bucket" and that they never really had any interest in filming the workers.
“We just thought it was interesting and happened to get it on video,” she claims. However, viewers were skeptical of this claim.
One viewer called out the TikToker, saying, “Lmao no u didn’t find it interesting u complained and asked them to ask a manager why it was different and said McDonald’s be scamming.” The TikToker responded, claiming, “I was just filming lol.”
“But why record them?!?? You could just record down!” another viewer asked, wondering why the faces of the workers were included in the clip.
The Daily Dot reached out to Jae via Instagram direct message.
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