1052
Burgernomics Δ
(sh.itjust.works)
alt-text: Woman ordering food (photo): “I would like to buy a hamburger for the same price that it was 2 hours ago.”
Cashier (sketched): “Sir, this is a Wendy's”
As long they don't keep the "lowest price" the regular base price, this does have the potential to disrupt fast food purchasing habits. Imagine people always trying to game Wendys to see if they can get the burger cheaper, you'd theoretically see a sine wave develop over a month or so. Then that sine wave would translate laterally as time further progressed and people adapted to the shifting surge pricing. It also has just as much likelihood to ruin Wendy's sales, but time will tell.
Also, if they start to sell cheaper that what use to be the regular price in off-peak hours, it could attract some people.
As long as they are transparent about which hour you'll find which price, that's not so much a problem for the customer. But transparency is important, I don't want to see the illegitimate son of Wendy's and SNCF pricing algorithm. Never.