Customer Claims McDonald’s ‘Tricked’ Him At The Touch-Screen Checkout After Being Charged $26.75 For A Meal: ‘We Came In To Spend $4 Or $5 For A Burger’

Video Goes Viral Showing McDonald's 'Tricks'

In the viral video, digital creator Manvir Dosanjh outlines the several ways that McDonald's displays menu items, "rewards" customers for adding items to their cart, hides the price and reroutes customers to more menu items rather than the checkout option.

First, he notes that McDonald’s lists the most expensive items at the top of the display menu, so you see them first and they are at eye-level when ordering, similar to how supermarkets and other retail stores get you to spend more.

Next, he shows other display features on the kiosks that he claims McDonald's uses to incentivize customers to keep adding more and more items to their carts, rather than checking out when they've already added what they came in for, or when they've spend what they had allocated in their budget to spend on the meal.

"We just came in here to spend maybe $4 or $5 on a burger, and now we're spending $26.75," Dosanjh points out. That is a truly wild markup!

So: is McDonald's *really* tricking their customers?

According to McDonald's former CEO Steve Easterbrook, the tactic is working and they are indeed successfully getting their customers to spend more money from these tactics. Easterbrook told CNBC in 2018 that when customer "dwell" longer at the kiosk stations "there is a little bit of an average check boost that comes with it." But this doesn't appear to be anything "new" or unique to the 2024 landscape.

READ MORE: McDonald's Customers Are Outraged And Threatening To Boycott After Being Served A 'Flatter Than A Pancake' Burger Amid Shrinkflation Claims

TikTok Reacts: 'Not Falling For Any Tricks'

While many TikTok users commented that these are classic marketing techniques that businesses use to drive up sales, some were quick to respond that they wouldn't be falling for them--especially not in this economy.

"I know what I'm ordering before I go in. Not falling for any tricks," wrote one user.

"I only order happy meals now," added another.

A third advised that fellow patrons should "Go straight to the coupons," adding: "Would never pay full price at McDonald’s anymore." Good advice!

READ MORE: McDonald's Customers Are Outraged After A Customer Pays $17 For 3 Sandwiches: 'Just Way Too Expensive'