A social media backlash to media reports that said fast-food chain Wendy’s had plans to increase menu prices during its busiest hours shows a limit to where, when and for what U.S. consumers will trade more cash for convenience.
They will just implement it backwards and with another name. It will be "off peak hours" pricing and it will start off being a discount to buy during off peak hours. Then after we get use to getting a deal between 2-4 and maybe 7-9, they will raise the prices of everything. The price of the off peak hours will be the "normal" price and the "normal" price will turn into surge pricing without the name.
I hope they see a permanent reduction of sales, even if small. CEOs typically move around like trading cards, so if/when this one does, his successor will learn the lesson too. And he won’t be inclined to try this again at the next company he pilfers. After a few shifts, maybe all the CEOs will postpone this plan indefinitely (who wants to be the guy that hurts shareholder value by trying this again?)
There are definitely people who will not return because of this. I still don’t buy Kellogg’s products, and that was over a temporary strike. A temporary boycott led to a permanent one when I realized generic corn flakes are just as good— and really, who needs Wendy’s that bad? Same with Pepsi for their support of Russia, Nestle for the incredible breaches of ethics, Burger King for intolerable taste, Hobby Lobby for the anti LGBT donations, In-n-out for the banning of masks for their employees, and more. Capitalism might actually work if people truly voted with their wallets for everything. (Of course this is nigh impossible these days because, in the late stages of capitalism, almost every corporation is unethical)
People have limited time, money and brainpower. If you've been working 8 hours and you have to go home and do housework, put the kids to bed, walk the dogs etc., you're going to choose the easiest option for dinner even if you disagree with the prices or the company. As long as it's not taking the piss, it's not worth the hassle. This is the squeeze that "the sociopaths in charge" have put most of the working class in - don't blame individuals caught in shitty circumstances for being stupid when this setup was done on purpose
If anything the lesson they learned is to not announce anything and to just do it hoping people don't catch on. I don't think enough people buy fast food so regularly that they have the prices memorized. :/