the economics of combo meals

I have a vice, it goes by the name of McDonalds. Stop judging me, my wife already does enough of that in relation to this vice. There was a time when I scorned McDonalds just like everyone else out there, but there came a point when I had to stop living a lie and give in to the special sauce and two all-beef patties.

I've come to the harsh realization that buying menu items ala carte is quite spendy. I recently purchased a Big Mac and a large fry which cost $5.37. Another recent (no, I'm not going to divulge how recent) purchase was a Big Mac combo, with a large fry and large drink which cost a scant $4.95 in comparison.

This tells me that their margins on fries and drinks are so high that when you purchase them together they can afford to charge lower prices and the consumer gets a much better deal. Had I purchased the combo ala carte it would have been closer to $7.

So when you go to McDonalds, do the right thing and get a combo.