Month: October 2010

When you think of coffee, a certain brand will certainly come to mind: Starbucks. For years, Starbucks has dominated most in the coffee business but does it have the best coffee?

Consumers have reported that McDonald’s coffee was better than Starbucks in terms of consistency and price. Being known for fast food, who would expect to find great coffee at McDonald’s? Although this consumer report might not be true for all people, it still shows that a part of the population finds coffee from a fast food restaurant to be better than a coffee shop’s coffee. So next time you want to get some coffee, don’t just think about Starbucks, try considering McDonald’s.

Ever notice that many products are always buy one get one free? Walking in a store, your attention is drawn to those huge block letters stating “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE” and you automatically head towards it to check out this phenomenon. After taking a glimpse at the product( which is something you will probably won’t buy on a regular basis) you decide you are going to purchase it. So what just happened?

These buy one get one free deals are actually just a 50% discount of the product. The stores are purposely lowering the price of their good in order to attract customers to buy their good. This decrease in cost is known as the contribution margin, and in most cases can lead to an increase of business. In addition to the discount, the store uses the word “free” in order to make this deal even more appealing. Let’s face it, who isn’t attracted to free stuff?

Next time you encounter the phrase “buy one get one free”, whether it be on a sign or verbally from a salesperson, consider if this deal is actually beneficial to you.

As teenagers, we have many ways in which we can find entertainment. From playing video games, to just hanging out with friends, we always come across ways to kill time. Adults on the other hand, go gambling for their source of fun and excitement.

Although adults might have a lot of enjoyment in participating in gambling, not all of them would go all the way to casinos to spend money on this type of entertainment. So what do the casinos do in order to attract these non-gamblers? They use various tactics to persuade these adults to go. For example, River Rock Casino Resort recently sent a ten dollar coupon to my parents to go gamble. Although my parents are not that interested in gambling, they still pay a visit to the casino to use up the ten dollars. However, gambling is not something you can stop that easily, thus causing my parents lost several dollars to the casino. Next time you receive a coupon, be sure to think twice before using it.

When you are to think of an Asian cultured drink, what would you think of? To me, the first thing that comes to mind is bubble tea. This sweet beverage which was invented in Taiwan has spread all over Canada, with it being quite popular in Vancouver. Since I can remember, I have always preferred bubble tea rather than any sodas.

Over the past couple of years, I have noticed the price of bubble tea is increasing ever so slowly. And yet, the quantity demanded does not seem to have much of a decrease. People, including me, are ignoring the 25 cents increase in price and continuing with purchasing those delicious tea beverages.

In addition to the increase of the drink, they started charging for the tapioca which is, for some people, the reason why they buy the drink. But is this extra expense worth it? If we think about it, this whole drink is not a need, but rather a want. It all comes down to personal preference and an individual’s view of the bubble tea’s opportunity cost.