McDonald's just raised the price of its popular McPick 2 promotion to $5 from $2, and some customers are upset.
Starting Monday, customers will be able to select two of the following for $5: a Big Mac, 10-piece chicken McNuggets, a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, and a quarter pounder with cheese.
The new promotion replaces the original McPick 2 menu, which was launched in January and cost $2.
The original McPick 2 let customers select two of the following items: a McDouble, a McChicken, small fries, and mozzarella sticks.
The promotion was popular, and now many customers are saying they're devastated that it's ending, Consumerist reports.
@McDonalds How could you get rid of the McPick 2 for $2? It was one of the few things that gave me the will to live
— Cameron James (@cameronjbird) February 24, 2016
mcdonalds got rid of the mcpick 2 and im pretty sure this is the saddest thing that's ever happened
— Allyson (@allyv82699) February 23, 2016
McDonald's went from 2 for $2 to 2 for $5. Joke. I'll go to Wendy's where I can get 4 for $4. 🖕🏼😂
— Miriam Watson (@Miramax7) February 21, 2016
I see @McDonalds stopped "2 for $2" while drive-thru signs were still up. Now it's 2 for 5. @BurgerKing 5 for 4 beats that
— G. Mantarro (@gmantarro) February 9, 2016
Words can't describe how disappointed I am about the discontinued McPick2
— Evan vs. Wild (@evannn420) February 22, 2016The price increase will most likely please franchisees, who have complained that aggressive discounting has been squeezing their profits.
"I am very alarmed about the discounting push," one franchisee wrote in response to a recent survey by Nomura analyst Mark Kalinowski. "I have never seen the corporation be so aggressive with discounts. The regional marketing teams are adding numerous other discounts to the McPick 2, primarily breakfast items. They are encouraging, quite literally, everything being on sale. This is a very hard cultural adjustment for me."
Another wrote: "McPick 2 for $2 must die."
The burger chain upset many customers two years ago when it reformulated the Dollar Menu by axing the $1 price ceiling and turning it into the "Dollar Menu and More" with items that cost up to $5.
"Some of the challenges we've had in the US have been somewhat self-inflicted," McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook said during a conference call in July. "We moved away from the Dollar Menu and didn't replace it with significant-enough value in the eyes of consumers."
Burger King, Wendy's, and KFC have all been offering rival promotions that bundle several items on the menu for $3 to $5.
Burger King is offering a "5 for $4" deal that includes a bacon cheeseburger, small french fries, four-piece chicken nuggets, a small drink, and a chocolate chip cookie.
Wendy's has been offering a "4 for $4" meal that includes a junior bacon cheeseburger, four chicken nuggets, small fries, and a drink, and KFC has a similar offering called the "$5 Fill Up" meal.
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