5Guys: Prices up, quality and quantity down

@ShopperGirly wrote:

My local Five Guys just went up .50 on their fries-to $6.19

Dang! The fries are good, but they're not *that* good...

Have synthesizers, will travel...

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I get a 5G patty melt- grilled cheese 4.99 with 2 patties,@ 2.49 ea. all in plus grilled jalapeños for $9.97, little fries 4.49 and reg drink 3.09 = $17.55 I have them cut my very meaty, hot sandwich in half, and save the other half for dinner or next days lunch.
The grilled cheese is the hottest, freshest thing I have had there..so very good all in (meaning with a specified list of ingredients on the board). The only thing I have noticed is the fries are now over cooked most of the time...not sure why the change. I will try for the bonus, but will take the job when I am working in the area. I keep a small insulated bag in my car for the other half of my delicious sandwich. (and I ask for mayo and relish on the side which I add to ketchup to make my own fry sauce)

@kittycat wrote:

I get a 5G patty melt- grilled cheese 4.99 with 2 patties,@ 2.49 ea. all in plus grilled jalapeños for $9.97, little fries 4.49 and reg drink 3.09 = $17.55 I have them cut my very meaty, hot sandwich in half, and save the other half for dinner or next days lunch.
The grilled cheese is the hottest, freshest thing I have had there..so very good all in (meaning with a specified list of ingredients on the board). The only thing I have noticed is the fries are now over cooked most of the time...not sure why the change. I will try for the bonus, but will take the job when I am working in the area. I keep a small insulated bag in my car for the other half of my delicious sandwich. (and I ask for mayo and relish on the side which I add to ketchup to make my own fry sauce)

Wow..yours is still a cheaper one.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2024 06:39AM by weatherman2111.

Little Hamburger = $7.79; Little Fry = $4.99; Large soda (large to maximize reimbursement) = $3.39; Tax = $1.07. Total = $17.24 yesterday (June 15th). Prices have been stable for about 6 months.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Cutting corners on the fries. The cup scoop was full of stubby end pieces and 1" pieces. Potatoes should be the place they are giving lots of fries as this has to be one of the least expensive items for restaurants to use.

I just completed a milkshake shop, first one of those I've done for quite a while. Reimbursement is $5.50, and they are $6.49 in my area. On top of that we have a restaurant tax of 12%, so reimbursement really doesn't cover anything I order. The MSC must figure reimbursement for the lowest cost area of the country. Just this is why I hold out for higher fees, but still people take them for $10-$12, looking for free eats I suppose.

Little burger, reg fries and reg drink are 17.96. I order reg fries because then I def have lots of leftovers for the next meal for, like, 70c out of pocket. I did a shake a few shops ago, though, and those are more than a dollar over reimbursement here so I won't do a shop with a shake anymore.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2024 11:40PM by mysterioso412.

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

I just completed a milkshake shop, first one of those I've done for quite a while. Reimbursement is $5.50, and they are $6.49 in my area. On top of that we have a restaurant tax of 12%, so reimbursement really doesn't cover anything I order. The MSC must figure reimbursement for the lowest cost area of the country. Just this is why I hold out for higher fees, but still people take them for $10-$12, looking for free eats I suppose.

That 12% you are stating is actually a roll-up of the state sales tax of 5% and your local food and beverage tax, as I understand it, correct?

Inflation is cooling. Are your local FG prices cooling or stalling as well?

[abcnews.go.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2024 05:17PM by BarefootBliss.

I do them if I am in the mood and the shop fee is $15 or higher. I have not done one in awhile as the highest shop fee has been $12, only $3 over the beginning fee.

With restaurant shops, I consider the reimbursement and fee to be towards the meal. If anything more than that, great. FG gets me a meal and extra money.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230

Really interesting seeing how wildly the pricing varies around the country.

Now that the shop parameters have changed so we must perform unnatural consumer behaviors, I'm definitely done with the program.

Might still pop in for a burger on my own quarter (is that the inflation-equivalent?) as they are damned tasty, and the peanuts are free.

And I will note how nobody in the joint is genuinely happy.

Have synthesizers, will travel...

Let me ask. I always load up two of the containers of peanuts, slip them into the bag with my leftover fries.

How many containers have you left with?

Normally I don't eat the peanuts while I'm waiting on my order and observing so I believe I'm entitled to them before Ieave.

Just dont leave them in the bag with the fries when you gwt home. They get soggy

lol rosie, I've never thought about taking peanuts home with me.

I'm sure the prices have gone up by now, but the last time I did a 5G shop, a little hamburger, little fries, and a drink was $12, and the reimbursement had just gone over $14, or maybe it was $17? My memory is broken. At least at the one store that I was still doing when the bonuses went up. I know the prices were higher in the bigger city North of me, and the store that always had the highest prices had gone out of business. They couldn't get folks to come to work, so they cut shop hours, and raised the prices. Which put them out of business.

I'm starting to crave 5G fries again.. not enough to actually pay for them, but I do think of them every time I see a 5G. Then I remember that I'd rather have fried chicken..

I still cannot believe fellow shoppers lower themselves to any fee less than $25. That's my minimum fee for 5-Guys. (There is one location I still get $40 fee.) Like others have noted, once you lower your fee acceptance, it's highly unlikely you'll ever get the higher fee back.

...then I remember how many people actually believe the policies of a cackling fool is their preferred choice. People rationalize some crazy @#$%&.

@maverick1 wrote:

I still cannot believe fellow shoppers lower themselves to any fee less than $25. That's my minimum fee for 5-Guys. (There is one location I still get $40 fee.) Like others have noted, once you lower your fee acceptance, it's highly unlikely you'll ever get the higher fee back.

...then I remember how many people actually believe the policies of a cackling fool is their preferred choice. People rationalize some crazy @#$%&.

Because I need food when I am out and about working?

"Because I need food when I am out and about working? "

You are not even sure that's your answer? If that is your answer then don't be surprised that you never see higher fees for these shops.

Meanwhile, I was just called yesterday and asked if I wanted to complete a local shop for $25 fee. The same fee I received previously. Again, the moral of the story here is not to lower your standards. Somehow, it seems so hard for people to comprehend. [face palm]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2024 07:27AM by maverick1.

I did a MAO for my normal fee last round which was rejected. this round with MAO, my rejected offer came up. So apparently they are not shopped multiple times a month.

@maverick1 wrote:

...then I remember how many people actually believe the policies of a cackling fool is their preferred choice. People rationalize some crazy @#$%&.

Irony.

@maverick1 wrote:

"Because I need food when I am out and about working? "

You are not even sure that's your answer? If that is your answer then don't be surprised that you never see higher fees for these shops.

Meanwhile, I was just called yesterday and asked if I wanted to complete a local shop for $25 fee. The same fee I received previously. Again, the moral of the story here is not to lower your standards. Somehow, it seems so hard for people to comprehend. [face palm]

Somehow the entire point of what I was saying went right over your head, probably because it's planted somewhere below your shoulders.

I did a late night dinner tonight. The price of my meal increased from $17.15 to $17.91 in the past 28 days.

Glad I got my regular $30 shop pay.

If their costs are increasing that fast, they are a business that doesn't know how to operate efficiently....or...., simple price gouging.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2024 07:07PM by BarefootBliss.

They had a hard-to-fill location listed for $18 with MAO on Friday. I've gotten $37 a few times to shop there in the past, so I bid $38. Declined. I waited until Saturday and bid $35. Got a counter-offer for $25. I declined the shop. On Sunday they upped the fee to $25 with MAO. I waited. On Monday, $30. Nope. Tuesday, $35. Didn't fit my schedule as my route was in a different direction. On Wednesday morning, $40. I grabbed it.

Once in a blue moon I win one.

$17.31 today

I got a shop where the Milk Shake was required. I don't like it but had to get it. It cost $6.49, but the reimbursement was only $5. The burger, fries and drink was more than $20, but the reimbursement was only $17.25. These greatly reduced my fee.

Perhaps the best way to get the quality up would be for all of us to report the issues instead of giving glowing reports to get them done faster.

Got a call. I was asked if I could complete a shop for $35. I reminded the caller that I usually do that shop for $40. It was declined, but they (and I) knew it would likely increase to $40 if no one else could be found.

When I got home, I logged online and the shop was still MAO. I entered my usual value and received a confirmation within an hour.

Takeaway: don't lower your fee requests people!

@AZwolfman wrote:

Perhaps the best way to get the quality up would be for all of us to report the issues instead of giving glowing reports to get them done faster.

Why I have a problem with this is, the reports won't let you report problems. The last report there was a lot of food and trash on the kitchen floor. But since they were doing their closing cleaning by the time I was leaving (late dinner shop), the report won't let me report it. "If you see a team member fixing the problem by the time you leave, don't mark it off". I tried to mark them off, but I couldn't continue on my report until I said there were no problems found.

There were no paper towels in the men's room, but when I brought this to their attention they offered to stock the towels.

@wrosie wrote:

@AZwolfman wrote:

Perhaps the best way to get the quality up would be for all of us to report the issues instead of giving glowing reports to get them done faster.

Why I have a problem with this is, the reports won't let you report problems. The last report there was a lot of food and trash on the kitchen floor. But since they were doing their closing cleaning by the time I was leaving (late dinner shop), the report won't let me report it. "If you see a team member fixing the problem by the time you leave, don't mark it off". I tried to mark them off, but I couldn't continue on my report until I said there were no problems found.

There were no paper towels in the men's room, but when I brought this to their attention they offered to stock the towels.

I think the only thing you should bring to their attention is if there's something wrong with your order. For things like no paper towels, just report it unless they realize it on their own and restock them before you leave.

@wrosie wrote:

@AZwolfman wrote:

Perhaps the best way to get the quality up would be for all of us to report the issues instead of giving glowing reports to get them done faster.

Why I have a problem with this is, the reports won't let you report problems. The last report there was a lot of food and trash on the kitchen floor. But since they were doing their closing cleaning by the time I was leaving (late dinner shop), the report won't let me report it. "If you see a team member fixing the problem by the time you leave, don't mark it off". I tried to mark them off, but I couldn't continue on my report until I said there were no problems found.

There were no paper towels in the men's room, but when I brought this to their attention they offered to stock the towels.

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5Guys: Prices up, quality and quantity down

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