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I ordered my daughter a pizza, something I don't usually do. I got Domino's smallest size with two toppings. I got her cheese sticks and two sauces and tipped the driver 20%. $31.07.

Note I did not buy any food for myself.

To head off questions:

  1. No, I couldn't cook for her. I'm suffering from a long-term illness where I can't eat solid foods and am extremely smell sensitive. My wife is at a funeral, so I had to order food.

  2. She's extremely picky and refused to let me order anything but pizza.

  3. We live outside of town, in a not very big town, with very few pizza delivery options, and they're all at least this expensive.

  4. No, I didn't also have to buy her the cheesy bread or the second topping or the sauces, but it's nice to get my daughter a treat and that is no excuse for the order being that expensive.

  5. We're in Indiana, so this should be ludicrous in terms of pricing. This used to be the pricing I would expect when we lived in L.A. and ordered from a good local place rather than a chain.

Edit: Turns out what I should have been infuriated about is people repeatedly telling me to get takeout and having to repeatedly explain why that wasn't an option, having people not believe I'm sick, and being repeatedly berated for not magically knowing food coupons exist on the internet when I never order food on the internet. Oh right, and also being a bad parent for not forcing food my daughter doesn't like down her throat or starving her if she won't eat it.

By the way, I have another thing to be infuriated about. A huge storm came in and this happened to our trees. I assume I will start being berated for not cutting them down before that happened, but because I have no power or internet at home and have to go to the library to post, your further posts telling me what an idiot I am and how I'm an awful parent and how I'm not really sick will take me a while to read. Sorry to ruin your day. Maybe you'll find someone else to treat like shit.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/27d3d56f-3566-424d-9c3d-47d6aff0179b.png

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/961dbf84-9e86-4144-b919-9e6649de1243.png

Anyway, have fun telling me I'm the worst person on Lemmy, just don't expect a quick reply.

Oh, and do tell me how stupid I am for not knowing that people who clear up and fix such damage have coupons on their website.

Carighan ,
@Carighan@lemmy.world avatar

I live in one of Germany's largest cities, and while this is high, it's not outrageously high.

I guess to me what sticks out the most is the expected 20% surcharge for "tips" (that get collected by the bosses indirectly anyways as they just underpay their slaves enough to make up for the tips they're getting). That's not normal here. You tip for good service, if you pay in cash you also tip to round usually, and you tip if there's some other outstandingly positive thing about it. I really hate how in the US it's become so expected to tip, while also having fuck all protection for the delivery drivers, who ought to get a wage where tips are a bonus, not an expectation. It's just a delivery fee at this point, let's be honest.

Although I will also say that since I live basically next door to a Dominos, I always pick up, which is ~25%-30% cheaper than delivery. Plus no delivery charge, but that's based on distance I imagine.

NecroticEuphoria ,

German here as well. From the pizza place of my choice, I usually order a large pizza (36cm) and some extra pizza rolls. 22 Euros in total, delivery included. I usually tip around 10%, so rounded up 25 Euros.
And that's considered expensive where I come from. I remember it being way lower.

Vrtrx ,

Yeah sounds expensive to me. Also a German. 1 Pizza delivered is around 10€ that's it. But that wouldnt get me over the minimum delivery order though. Not a problem for me yet since I've never ordered a pizza only for myself

NecroticEuphoria ,

10€??? Like... same size? Is there anything wrong with it that it's so low?

Vrtrx ,

No, they are smaller. The largest size is 30cm which is enough for me though. The most expensive one with that size costs 11,50€. Another delivery place has 32cm ones. Most expensive there is 9,40€. There is nothing inherently wrong with them. They aren't from an Italian restaurant though and aren't the same quality you would get in a real restaurant. They still taste good and satisfy your pizza cravings though. Delivery is free too if you're over the minimum order balance.
From what I'd guess they are on the are more like those fast food pizza places like Pizza Hut or Domino's but I've ordered like maybe once from them so I'm not sure.

Maybe we both use deliveries differently. If I order something for delivery I don't expect Restaurant quality food.
If your pizza is from a Italian restaurant and is really well made/restaurant quality I see why it's so expensive.
For me delivery is more "fancy" than fast food but not as "fancy" as actually eating in a real restaurant

NecroticEuphoria ,

Oh, okay. No I don't order restaurant quality either, though still better than whatever Domino's throws at people.

uis ,
@uis@lemm.ee avatar

Where did rest 4 cm went from large pizza?

Cryophilia ,

I live in one of Germany’s largest cities

Yeah but this guy lives in Indiana.

I live in SF and this would be a pretty good price here but that literally doesn't matter at all. To someone in rural India this would be like a week's wage. Also doesn't matter.

You have to look at it in the context of its area's cost of living.

wjrii , (edited )

Not particularly helpful for you, but this seemed like the thread to chime in that in general with pizza, it's always MUCH better to go big. Pi*r^2^, folks. A single 14" Dominos is already pretty much identical to two 10" mediums, and that's only if you like to eat the crust. Always do your math by dollars per area, not diameter.

ASeriesOfPoorChoices ,

absolutely. not only that, but it's even worse once you factor in the crust::body& topping ratio.

smaller pizzas have more crust area to topping area. So if you like dry bread, get smaller pizzas. If you like sauce and cheese, get a larger pizza.

originalucifer ,
@originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com avatar

i had a kid workin at dominoes fairly recently. the margin is insane, and they were always understaffed. in our area they also pay the least of any restuarant. kids make more working at walmart.

the franchise owner was just a douchebag who didnt care because he knew people would keep ordering.

OsrsNeedsF2P , (edited )

She's extremely picky and refused to let me order anything but pizza.

Lol, with attitude like that she'll be a delightful adult

Edit: I'll accept these downvotes. So far all the replies have been "well I let my kid do whatever they want, whatcouldgowrong.jpg"

Eheran ,

Hahaha, let me ask my toddler if he wants salad or chocolate.

TheMinions ,

Haha my son ironically hates both of these things. He would choose to eat air in his room.

neomachino ,

This is why whenever my toddler asks for Mac and cheese I give him a dry salad. Gotta build that character.

thefartographer ,

Mmmm... Garden droppings

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

You don't have children, do you? She had the option of Pizza, Jimmy John's, Chinese or nothing. She said no Jimmy John's or Chinese.

Edit: I suppose technically I could have used Uber Eats or whatever, but that's even pricier.

natecox ,
@natecox@programming.dev avatar

It’s crazy that you went way out of your way to placate the internet assholes and they still found something to be insufferable about.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, gotta love it.

natecox ,
@natecox@programming.dev avatar

I just take it as an opportunity to block people these days. “You gave your kid pizza so you’re a shit lazy parent and no mitigating factor will be considered” is a pretty clear indicator that they don’t need any openings into my attention span lol.

Eheran ,

Nobody said that? Why make stuff up? People here talk about the pickiness being the issue. Children are picky unless you put the effort in to change that (most of the time, some just eat everything). It just sounded odd the way OP said it. If there were 3 options and the kid chooses one I would not call that picky to begin with.

thefartographer ,

You don't have children, do you?

I'm not sure that person has ever seen a child

PhlubbaDubba ,

Look man, picky eating is way more complicated than, "just make the kid get over it."

Trying to force food choices isn't gonna do anything but give the kid complexes about trying new foods due to the high pressure they were taught to see those experiences as.

protist ,

I'm pretty much with you on this one. A lot of these people sound like they have terrible boundaries with their children. I get OP's in a difficult situation, but I don't get why they're complaining about spending $30 on pizza when they agreed to pay that before it was even delivered. I'm not saying OP should've been like "you will eat what I say or you will go without dinner," but really, as a parent you can give your child realistic options that don't require you hiding in the garage for a couple hours. Ham sandwiches don't smell, lots of foods don't smell. If they "refuse," they're still going to want to eat later when they're hungrier, and you make the same food choices available.

Also a large deep dish pizza from Jet's is like $18, and it's really hard to overstate how much more food and how much better their pizza is. Domino's is clearly preying on people who don't know any better or who don't have any other options.

ArmokGoB ,

Yeah, I wouldn't have gotten dinner as a kid if I was that picky.

match ,
@match@pawb.social avatar

You tipped 20%? If that's the case they're calculating the tip on the taxes and delivery charge as well

RainfallSonata ,

Also in Indiana. Pre-pandemic you could get two pizzas, bread sticks and a 2-liter of soda for that price.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Right? I moved back here in 2012 and probably last ordered a pizza before the pandemic. This was just shocking.

boatsnhos931 ,

A. Should have done the 6.99/7.99 buy two or more deals off the app. B. That cheesy bread got yo ass play. Next time use the app though, that's where all the coupons from the advertisements went. Fr fr bussin 128/10.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/fabe6bd2-cb70-4e3b-ae97-591543b31978.jpeg

National

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/5d26fd5b-7636-4186-af0c-82664464deed.jpeg

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

My wife suggested I should have used the app too, but I do not want to have to download an app to do something I almost never do and, more importantly, I also don't want to give corporations even more of a chance to mine my data. That shouldn't be considered as an option IMO. I used to take my daughter to Taco Bell fairly regularly and yes, I could have saved some money using their app. But there's a reason you're saving that money and it's not out of the kindness of their hearts.

jacksilver ,

You don't have to use the app, the website is fine. However, with dominos if you aren't using one of their coupon "deals" you're overpaying for their food.

Their whole gimic is how the "coupons" save you money, but it's not fast food prices without them.

Harvey656 ,

While I agree you shouldn't have to use their shitty app, thats just how the world works right now. Until we get any legislation to combat these shitty practices we can either boycott, or conform. And not downloading their app but giving them more money is still conforming.

loudWaterEnjoyer ,
@loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

That is totally valid, I also don't have a lot of apps on my phone. See buddy, when we were young, back in the good days, they actually invented the internet. So I was 18 when websites started to hit the every day market. Everyone and their mother had a website. I ordered a pizza from pizza hut in 1994 via their fucking website. You are 3 years younger than me or something. I was literally going through my prime as a human with web and networking exploding on the side. People like us built a lot of these damn websites.

I don't understand why everyone nowadays wants to download software to their phones full of private data to display a website. I get that part. It's frustrating. But man stop arguing like your dad gosh ohhh wHaT tHe FuCk iS a WeBsItE I'm nOt A pIzZa oRdErInG eXpErT you make me shake my head... You try to cover up with your age on these young folks, decepting them in favour of hiding your incompetence which you are fully aware of and embarrassed about to a point it makes you act up like this. You can just go on the damn website and redeem their goddamn coupons. There are fucking coupons on their shitty site and there are even more fucking shit sites only providing coupons as their ungodly content.

Just knock it off and own up man. It's not too late. Don't pull your age on this. Leave us out of this mess. Yeah you are not a boomer, but you sure act like one. People like you are the reason all these young people coming through at the company always assume I'm an idiot from the last century. Your behavior in this thread makes me shiver.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I will once again ask how I was supposed to know that online coupons exist for pizza when I have literally never used the internet to order pizza before. None of you have explained it to me. Was it supposed to be beamed into my skull?

loudWaterEnjoyer ,
@loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

No you visit the Website and read the big fat banner that they pop into your brain.

Rekorse ,

Just another company thats created two price levels:

  1. Pay full price and dont use the app
  2. Use the app and always ALWAYS get a discount, but we will partner with amazon and google to gather and sell your data to make up the costs of the discounts.

I know 2 is preferable to some but I'm against it purely because of how deceptive it is, so I'm stuck with option 1.

I dont think thats what happened to the OP here, but just wanted to add why the cheaper option isnt always better.

RippleEffect ,

If you call or go in, always ask if they can see if they can get the best price for you and say you saw a good deal somewhere but couldn't remember exactly what it was.

Domino's hates selling smalls so they're typically the most expensive. They sell significantly more medium and large than small.

Rekorse ,

That's a good point, thanks for adding!

negativeyoda ,

Domino's hates selling smalls

Yet that's the only size they sell their gluten free pies in. I rarely buy from there (my kid considers it a treat) but I hate paying $15 for plain 10" gf pizza that's mid at best

RippleEffect ,

They sell so few so they only do smalls to limit the waste. Gluten free is an exception.

I definitely agree the gluten free pizzas are not great.

negativeyoda ,

Yeah, they're fine for what they are, but I'll take that over shitting myself inside out by eating wheat

RippleEffect ,

I definitely understand that

Zoot ,
@Zoot@reddthat.com avatar

They have a coupon now for gluten crusts. Make sure to ask if you call in, otherwise it should already be on the app. Could be a local coupon, but im pretty sure I saw it in national coupons.

Glytch ,

Or just use the website that has the exact same deals. You may have to click the mouse two more times and I know that can be difficult for people sometimes when they just want to be mad.

Rekorse ,

8ts not about being mad its about where you spend your money. I don't give businesses my money if they participate in deceptive practices. Its possible dominoes doesn't sell data though so you maybe got me there.

Glytch ,

Businesses will sell whatever information you give them permission to sell. Don't use your main email for rewards accounts or free trials if you're concerned about having it sold to spammers.

boatsnhos931 ,

Mmmm I trade my data for a p'zone and five cheese bread sticks anyday of the week. I always tell telemarketers to save my number and call anytime... They never call back 😔

Rekorse ,

Lol you accept the risks, all is well!

boatsnhos931 ,

What risk is that

Rekorse ,

Maybe cost is a better word. Although there are risks to allowing companies to use your data, especially since right now they are selling the data to companies that are trying to make money off of you, like say car insurance.

I will say thats more an argument for blocking out all types of tracking possible, rather than saying a single one is bad on its own. One place selling your data isnt actually that bad, its when those single nodes are so numerous that you can actually map out what someone does if you chain them together.

Its up to you if you are okay with that in your life though.

boatsnhos931 ,

They are welcome to try 🙂 Everyone is a stranger until you get to know them.

Rekorse ,

I used to do that but I figured out it was a bit easier for me to just avoid them altogether, which I know is not possible for a lot of people.

boatsnhos931 ,

Keep telling yourself that playa

Rekorse ,

Sure thing, pimp.

I_Has_A_Hat ,

Hell, not even the app. Their website advertises that deal everywhere. OP must have been blind.

solsangraal ,

i always start ordering something for delivery and then get to the checkout screen and see the price and am like LOL NOPE CANNED BEANS AGAIN

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I sure don't blame you! If I could cook, she would be getting a cooked meal.

Kyatto ,
@Kyatto@leminal.space avatar

I wish I had your self control, cravings ruin me. But I am trying to be better lol.

solsangraal ,

it helps me to think that someone somewhere is getting paid by corporate to go through all the data from website analysis and heatmaps etc, and seeing that i added a whole bunch of shit to the cart only to nope the fuck out at the very end when they show the total

Swuden ,

I think it's interesting to see the US cost of living catching up to that of my country (Norway). I've always looked at US prices and envied them, but now I'm just like "Whey! That's a normal price!". Based on what I'm reading I'm guessing wages aren't keeping up in the same manner though...

piyuv ,

lol, except the high prices in your country provide welfare and health benefits to everyone, a safety net for less privileged. High prices in US allow billionaires to buy their 4th yacht

Swuden ,

Oh yeah for sure, the situation in the US is something I dread. The fact that the cost of living in the US is near the equal to ours is mind-blowing to me when I read about their average wage level.

EatATaco ,

Wage growth has been outpacing inflation for well over a year now in the us. The issue is that there was a huge spike of inflation during the pandemic and many people have fallen far behind so there is a lot of catching up to do.

aStonedSanta ,

When does this catching up ever happen. Never seen it myself.

EatATaco ,

During the period when inflation was real hot, my wife got a 35% pay raise and I got around a 28% pay raise. We beat inflation by a long shot.

Should I recognize that my situation was the representative of the general economy? Or should I say something like "my personal situation reflects the general state of people in the economy" and then argue that wage growth was outpacing inflation?

_tezz ,

Pretty sure it's been going on a while, but unless you've changed jobs in the last two years it's unlikely you feel these effects. Employers dont give raises in line with inflation but they're sure paying new employees a lot more than they used to.

https://www.epi.org/blog/average-wages-have-surpassed-inflation-for-12-straight-months/#:~:text=Real%20wage%20growth%20continued%20to,wages%2C%20not%20adjusted%20for%20inflation.

aStonedSanta ,

Yeah. That was my assumption.

Aceticon , (edited )

When I tip the driver in a delivery I literally just give them cash when they deliver (and only if they actually arrive with some promptness, not if they come half an hour late with a cold pizza).

It's a habit I got into when living in the UK because there, like in the US, lots of companies just take the "tip" money and keep it if you tip whilst paying with card.

Granted, I like to pay stuff with cash, both for privacy reasons and because it has actually been shown that people in average spend less if they pay in cash (something to do with the feeling of giving something physical away), so I almost always have some cash to pay and tip.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I like the idea in theory, but ever since COVID, I've preferred to have deliveries left outside the door with no contact between myself and the delivery driver if possible.

It just seems more sensible in general.

Aceticon ,

Well, if you tip because you care enough about the person on the other side, you might want to try and come up with a way to leave them a tip somehow so that there is no risk it's taken away from them, assuming that you can. Put $5 under the rug and let them know, or something.

If you can't, you can't, and I'm hardly going to criticize you for not wanting to catch an airborne infectious disease.

I was pretty miffed in the UK (years ago) when it came out that lots of companies (there it was mainly restaurants) were just keeping the tip money when people payed by card and filled-in a tip amount, so I very much made an effort to as much as possible make sure the actual people got the tip directly - even if I stood out from the crowd by doing it - as I don't see the point in tipping the company.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Hm. Maybe tape an envelope to the door? Not sure. But it's a good idea. Thanks.

Ejh3k ,

We order dominos kinda regularly. Check their coupons next time. I can tell you that I'll get a large 5 topping, stuffed cheesy bread and wings for that price or cheaper. And I'm your friendly neighbor to the west, not in a major or midsized area.

0110010001100010 ,
@0110010001100010@lemmy.world avatar

This is pretty much true of any of the large pizza chains. Watch the specials, use coupons, take advantage of discounts for things like ordering through the app or texting (because reasons). It's dumb, but you have to play their game to get a decent price.

That said, I can't fault OP at all. Trying to grab a quick meal for a kid means you can't spend the time to piss around and try to get a better deal.

Rhaedas ,

The issue isn't the prices. It's that the prices go up but income doesn't. Get out the pitchforks, but let's go after the real villains.

Wrench ,

And the timespan of the increased cost of everything.

Since the pandemic, construction ply more than tripled in price and isn't going down.

That's insane. Income can't keep up with that.

iopq ,

Your income maybe didn't go up, but this isn't true in general

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/db04d45b-4004-4047-9b4f-542a9aa2b4cc.jpeg

STUPIDVIPGUY ,

That graph doesn't help you, it's cropped

iopq ,

Click on it?

explodicle ,

It looks fine on my device, maybe it didn't finish loading?

ChexMax ,

What am I missing about your point?

Looks like income dropped following 2020 and hasn't returned yet.. am I miss reading?

iopq ,

During the shutdowns there's a compositional effect of lower wage workers losing their jobs.

I'm talking about the difference from 2019 to now, people are making more money even accounting for inflation

Rhaedas ,

Curious what shift there has been in full time/part time numbers. Full time wages going up is great for those who are experiencing it, but if there are less actual full timers, is that an improvement?

The art of a good statistician is to make sure what their numbers are saying is an actual reflection of reality. I'm not saying this graph is falsified, I don't know. But numbers can be made to say anything. I learned this years ago in arguments about what "unemployment" meant. It's much more complex than a single number, but a single number is used in the media because it's easier to paint the picture wanted.

iopq ,

More full time jobs

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/f5d1a356-3929-450b-a68b-02e30c51dce9.png

Rhaedas ,

Yes, definitely increased some. Where's the rest of the data, such as part time or unemployed, or even population growth? Like I said, a single number means not so much without context. But it's an impressive graph.

iopq ,

Unemployment is very low

Not really an improvement from 2019, but basically has been around that 4% value for a while

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d79602fd-09f9-4b50-8abc-ffa86f4cec35.png

In fact, president Biden noted "unemployment has been at or below 4% for 30 months—the longest stretch in 50 years."

Rhaedas ,

Yes, there is a low unemployment number. As with the rest, you haven't validated that it's a good measure of the current state of things. It's arguably never been.

iopq ,

But itself, maybe not

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/b4217418-5011-4295-ad0c-be7d4c4bcb7d.jpeg

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/7383d8f5-3329-42ab-87ac-c97d63c70607.jpeg

Gingerlegs , (edited )

My delivery charge is $4.99

Edit: I’m also in indiana

bl_r ,

Dominos is outrageously expensive if you don’t shop the deals.

When I was in college, I’d get dominos with my roommates when they had the 20$ special, which would be about 30$ after tip and delivery. The special had 2 medium pizzas, garlic knots, cinnamon twists, and soda.

After I moved back home, I learned my local dominos doesn’t always have that deal. I’d get something similar to what you got and I’d be upset that I got less food for a bit more…

Now what really pisses me off is the high end neopolitan place near me is cheaper on their dinner special days, where you can get 2 personal pizzas that taste so good I’d accept it as proof that god is real for about 25$ including tips and gas money.

Serinus ,

It's tiered pricing. All the chains are doing it now. Jump through hoops or pay double.

scottywh ,

That's crazy... I can get more than 3 times as much food from Domino's in a HCOL area for less money just by paying attention to the online deals and picking it up instead of delivery.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/e5432c14-3d71-44ed-b49f-d23db95cdb8c.png

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/3f374a4b-0518-445f-b6d9-42d3e831345b.png

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