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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.

PhlubbaDubba ,

It could be the "haven't been able to eat solid foods myself in over a month", but this post just reminded me of my favorite order from dominos that'd usually cover me for a couple nights

Cheesy breadsticks and a large thincrust with fixins, and now I'm doing the Homer Simpson drool, yes it was garbage pizza but it was good tasting garbage pizza to a lonely college student!

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Almost a year, not over a month. Well, technically that's over a month, but yeah, it sucks not being able to eat when food is one of the most important things in pretty much every culture (unsurprisingly). You literally cannot escape food. It's everywhere. Restaurants, supermarkets, billboards, you name it. And when you can't eat it, it's just torture. Especially if you really want to eat it, which I do.

PhlubbaDubba ,

I've started craving nostalgic foods for myself as a coping mechanism, for me it's being unable to keep anything down save for like 2 things consistently

Nougat ,

I hope you come out of the other side of that, and I'll bring you a pizza myself.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I hope so too, thanks.

bolexforsoup ,

1-2 people ordering out doesn’t make sense anymore sadly. It’s just too expensive. You need 4+ people typically dividing the cost to justify it now.

HeyJoe ,

Sadly, I do order from crap places like this more than I would like to admit. Key these days to keeping semi low prices or get more food for the price is to have an account and order from the app. You can see all the deals and pick one that may work best for you. Some places are better than others. Most of Domino's is a scam because the deal price should just be the real price. It basically penalizes people who don't go out of their way. Good luck next time!

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I told my wife about the price and she said, "you should have used the coupons on the app!" And I was like, "why would I have the app? I almost never order pizza and I don't want them harvesting my data when I do." So I guess that's the trade-off now. Your data for lower prices.

KevonLooney ,

What data? Your pizza order data? What extra data does the app look at?

I genuinely don't know because I have pizza places that don't suck. You can get a real pizza for $20.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

You have no idea how insidious they are.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/04/06/big-data-driven-decision-making-at-dominos-pizza/

sunzu ,

The bigger issue is having their app on your phone which provides access to things like your location etc

Cryophilia ,

You don't need the app for Dominos, unlike most other restaurants out there. I actually order from Dominos more than other places because of that.

sturlabragason ,

I went to check the prices here in Iceland for a similar order to find to my complete surprise that your order was slightly more expensive, when I expected it to be half the local price. That’s crazy.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Wow! That is crazy! I can't imagine anything on her pizza had to be imported and I'm guessing a lot of it has to be in Iceland.

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

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

Limonene ,

If you want to get a fair price at Dominos, you have to play their game. At least look through the website for special offers on pizza, because the "menu prices" are 2.5x higher than the average price a person pays. After that, if you still want a lower price, search the Internet for coupons (although that doesn't work as well nowadays since they use account-locked rewards systems instead of coupons).

Even if you play the game, it will still be more expensive than you remember, due to massive inflation.

I don't go to Dominos any more due to repeated bad customer service, their website malfunctioning in a lot of ways, and the last time I visited the store it smelled strongly like ammonia.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Wow. That's some bullshit, but I'll remember that if I have to do this again.

IHeartBadCode ,

Usually, there's a coupon that lets you get a medium 1 topping pizza and a stuffed cheese bread (+1 free dip), for $7 each item. That said, I absolutely recommend making your own pizza dough if you have the time for it. Way better tasting pizza.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I wouldn't even be able to get near pizza dough. I can imagine the smell in my head right now and that's enough of the thought of a food smell to disgust me.

Rozz ,

Honest question, not a real suggestion, would the smell get through one of those double filter strap face masks for painting? I just don't know about your situation.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I haven't tried it, but I also don't really want to take the chance.

nokturne213 ,
@nokturne213@sopuli.xyz avatar

I replicated the order using their coupons. It saved $2, almost $3. But it’s for a medium pizza.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

That's definitely better, but still significantly more expensive than it was 5 years ago. Do websites have coupons you can just use before you order? I didn't bother to look. I didn't even know that was a thing.

kismattic ,
@kismattic@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, as a person who’s ordered dominoes more than I like you have to start a coupon before you order and it makes it significantly cheaper (specifically the $7 per item coupon previously mentioned).

Also, I highly recommend switching the pizza crust from hand tossed to pan. It’s always been a free change when I’ve done it and the pizza always comes out significantly better. If you’re optimizing it’s also more calories/dollar.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

This place doesn't offer pan. Just regular and thin crust.

mascarasnake ,

Large one-topping pizzas are only $7.99 if you order on the Domino's website with their coupon, which is usually located on the home page. Make sure you click "see all coupons" if prompted, because they bury some of them.

I once had a problem picking up an order I'd made online that never went through. They tried to resubmit the order themselves in-store so they could make the pizza on the spot, but the total was almost twice as much without the online coupons. I had to place my online order in the store since they couldn't access those deals themselves.

Bonus, though, is that you can get the extra large "Brooklyn style" for only $10 (instead of $15+ regular price) by up-sizing that $7.99 large pizza for $2 more when you check out.

Source: am kinda poor in a rural area where Domino's is about the best you can get, and buying in bulk is the cheapest way to go.

Cryophilia ,

Speaking of buying in bulk, Dominos pasta is pretty good and filling and refrigerates/reheats much better than the pizza. If you're ever doing dominos, add a pasta on for tomorrow's lunch.

nokturne213 , (edited )
@nokturne213@sopuli.xyz avatar

Their “deal” pizza went from $5.99 in ~2010 to $6.99 and now $7.99. I do not remember when the changes happened exactly, but I do remember back around 2010 ordering the pizza at that price when our friend group would get together to watch Doctor Who.

The $6.99 to $7.99 increase happened in the last yearish (I checked an order email from May 2023 and it was $6.99). I only get delivery when I am at work and my wife is unable to bring dinner, but I know the delivery fee has been increasing too.

ETA: went and looked back further at order emails, in June 2022 it was $5.99. My earliest order email is from 2012, and they were $5.99 then as well. So at least 10 years at $5.99.

Edit2: the $7.99 is because of the extra toppings. Medium pizzas are still $6.99 with coupon. I was up way past my bedtime last night, thus the mistake.

Cryophilia ,

Tangent, but please stop using ETA. That acronym is already taken by something important, and saving one character over "edit" doesn't help anything.

subignition ,
@subignition@fedia.io avatar

Yeah Domino's is one of those places that the price with a coupon, is the regular price. And the food's not terribly worth it even then IMO.

Mango ,

Yeah, Domino's is only worth it if you do the coupon shit right. I got me and my roomie a pizza each, Parmesan bites, and cinnamon twists the other day for $20 + a fiver for the driver.

scytale ,

Do you have grocery delivery in your area? If she isn't picky with the brand of pizza, maybe a $6 frozen pizza heated in the oven would be an alternative. Not sure if you have to tip, I haven't tried it myself.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Cooking a frozen pizza is not an option due to the smell sensitivity. If we order a pizza (which my wife usually does), I can go into my garage office while it is here, they can turn on the kitchen fan for 15 minutes, then I can come back in.

BearOfaTime ,

Wow, that's pretty out there.

scottywh ,

Because it's completely bullshit.

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.

UltraGiGaGigantic , (edited )

Frozen pizzas exist. If she won't eat frozen pizzas... just keep one pizza box from where she likes the most and put the frozen pizza in there after it's cooked.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Please read the body of the post.

Lojcs ,

Last time I got domino's a single pizza was the same price as the 3 pizza menu (excluding upcharges). Maybe that's what's going on

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.

CodexArcanum ,

I can pretty rarely get under $30 for just myself ($50 for two i consider quite the deal now) and we live in a city with many options, and most places i would order from are about a 10 minute drive. I'm not saying it's right or good, just that the prices you see are in line with what I've been seeing. Food is quite a bit more expensive right now.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

It's a good 1/3 more expensive than it was pre-pandemic though. I could have gotten that order for $20 in 2019.

CodexArcanum ,

Absolutely. Pandemic "inflation" threw all kinds of prices too high and nothing is coming back down because most industries are so small that they're all essentially oligarchies now.

I am dead certain that the pandemic has actually put the US into a hard recession which the Fed has been covering up with various tricks. I'm pretty sure that after the presidential election, whichever way it goes, the economy is going to tank.

Mac ,

Ordered pizza last saturday. Two large pies, one sau+pep, one pep+olives. $30.
Local joint/non-chain.

tiredofsametab ,

Me, living in Japan: that's cheap for pizza and a side!

Not even any places deliver to where I live now so I have to drive a couple towns over.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Not even 5 years ago it would have been maybe $20 here.

In general, people don't live in Indiana because it's a great place to live. People live here because it's affordable. In our case, it's our elderly parents, but the fact that things used to be cheaper here is another reason we moved back.

Veedem ,
@Veedem@lemmy.world avatar

It would have only cost $22.40 if you picked it up yourself.

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

See "smell sensitive" in the body of the post.

audiomodder ,

1: read the post
2: that’s still a ridiculous price

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