Comments for Arby's Coupon Promotion Wastes Trees, Mystifies Customers

Arby's Coupon Promotion Wastes Trees, Mystifies Customers

2009-11-29T18:00:23Z

Mike received this coupon sheet when buying a $5.01 combo at Arby's. We get it, Arby's, the combo is such a good deal that you don't need a coupon. You've made your point. ~~We don't need thousands of useless coupon sheets that will go straight into the trash around to make the point for you.~~ Thanks, commenters--evidently, this is the tray liner, so not so much a waste of paper. But a 1 cent coupon is still inherently silly.

Comment from elephantattack on 2009-12-01

2009-12-01T07:16:26Z

for this EXACT reason. So people on popular blogs will say things like "what's so great about these?" then go buy one. Plus it makes ordering lunch sound like police codes "hey I got a 501 at arby's, proceed en route"

Comment from lighty13 on 2009-11-30

2009-11-30T23:19:49Z

While the picture is of the tray liner, Arby's also sent out coupons like that in the mail. My wife and I received a couple of them a week or two ago. They promptly went in the trash.

Comment from Ceolwulf on 2009-11-30

2009-11-30T18:13:52Z

The French Dip & Swiss combo is the best thing I've ever eaten at a fast food place. I would gladly pay $5.02 or even $5.03 for it.

Comment from Moosehawk on 2009-11-30

2009-11-30T14:16:55Z

it's for the roast beef, sliced to perfection

sorry had to do it

Comment from Southern on 2009-11-30

2009-11-30T12:54:36Z

It's called "Advertising".

If it didn't have a 1cent "Coupon" on it, would anyone be complaining? If all it said was "We were going to put a coupon on here, but our prices are so low we don't need one" would anyone be complaining? Does anyone complain about the 15-20 different "Advertisements" from grocery stores, wal-mart, Sears, etc., that they get in the mail every single week? (I know I get that many, anyway - At least 3 different ones for food stores in my area, all 8-12 pages EACH), One a week from Wal-Mart, and a whole lot of other worthless stuff).

A one-sheet *advertisement* for Arby's is nothing I'm going to get worked up about, sorry.

Comment from Zachary Jacob Zblewski on 2009-11-30

2009-11-30T08:58:47Z

This was supposed to be a reply to Lucky225's reply to pirikapirilala but it ended up down here for some reason...

Comment from Zachary Jacob Zblewski on 2009-11-30

2009-11-30T08:57:33Z

Exactly. This may not seem like much, but multiply that 1 cent by 10,000,000 meals and it's quite a chunk of change. At least this is why McDonald's has a Dollar Menu, rather than a 99 Cent Menu like some fast food places. Then again, the "worth every penny" crap may just be stupid marketing.

Comment from G.O.B.: Come on! on 2009-11-29

2009-11-30T04:02:12Z

"I'm so hungry, I could eat at Arby's. :("

Comment from friday3 on 2009-11-29

2009-11-30T02:55:11Z

The idea is for you to REMEMBER it. Subway changed the game by bringing out $5 footlong subs. Arbys is saying we area penny more, but well worth it. Agree or not, it pokes fun at the $5 concept and separates them from the clutter in advertising. My proof of that is this post at consumerist.com. End of story,

Comment from BoredOOMM on 2009-11-29

2009-11-30T01:59:42Z

Subway is making money on $5 sandwiches, and everyone seems in on the $5 bandwagon. My experience has been such poor service and cold sandwiches that I won't step foot in an Arby's I have not been to before.

http://consumerist.com/2009/11/the-secret-origins-of-subways-5-footlong-revealed.html

Comment from BillyDeeCT on 2009-11-29

2009-11-30T01:19:46Z

I ate at Arby's yesterday and saw this as my tray liner. I didn't think these were coupons, as i thought they were just advertising their $5.01 combos - this didn't seem like anything one would need a coupon for.

Comment from 2 replies on 2009-11-29

2009-11-30T00:16:13Z

If it actually gets you to look at the tray-paper, and is entertaining then good.
Nothing here worth bitch'in about though. No consumers are being cheated.
Especially not when you're talking about coupons and Arby's.
Expired or not, I've NEVER been denied the use of a coupon at Arbys.
The oldest coupon I've used there was over four years past it's expiry.

So just save all you GOOD Arby's coupons, and just have a chuckle at the entertainment value of the penny coupons (worth every penny).

Comment from Lucky225 on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T23:28:08Z

Yea now a penny saved is a penny burned, most likely having a purchasing power of much less then it day prior.

Comment from azntg on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T23:18:39Z

I agree. That saying had some merit... before the US dollar went through several rounds of inflation!

Comment from pittstonjoma on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T22:24:08Z

Well they say a penny saved is a penny earned, but this is just silly.

Comment from WraithSama on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T22:22:26Z

This isn't just a tray liner. I received actual coupons like this in the mail the other day, so your initial observation of wasted paper going directly into the trash was astute.

Comment from travel_nut on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T22:10:27Z

You know, my grandfather actually clips, collects, and uses these coupons...

Comment from Fred E. on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T22:07:47Z

The coupons are good for a penny off something that costs five dollars and a penny? And then at the very bottom it says "worth every penny"?

Pretty clever in my book.

Now was this sent into Consumerist by an Arby's marketing employee?

Comment from H3ion on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T22:02:06Z

It looks like a tray liner and the ad is pretty clever. When you think of one cent, you'll think of Arby's. Either that or finding pennies in your sandwich.

Comment from Leela on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T21:59:34Z

We used to get Arby's coupons that were $3 for $5. Not a good deal at all.

Comment from Kishi on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T21:55:17Z

I thought that being inherently silly was sort of the point of the "coupon".

Comment from zentex on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T21:36:39Z

I think he forgot he was on the internets for a second, it happens to us all.

Comment from osiris73 on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T21:27:30Z

How DARE you use logic! Don't you know where you are?

Comment from Chris J. Stone on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T20:50:19Z

Wow, you guys are TOTALLY missing the point. This is the kind of paper sheet that fast-food places ALWAYS put on top of their trays when they serve food on top of it. To be honest, I think they don't honestly expect you to even use those.

If there weren't coupons on them, you'd accept them as normal, and you wouldn't call it a waste of paper. Why now? Why complain about something when there's nothing to complain about?

Comment from Chris J. Stone on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T20:47:40Z

"Worth every penny." It's just marketing. You know, like "It would be $5, but it's so good, it's worth that extra cent."

Comment from Justin D. Morgan on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T20:42:51Z

That is the tray liner. If you look at the photo, you can see grease stains from the food that was on the tray.

Comment from Lucky225 on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T20:34:26Z

1 cent on 100 meals is $1 profit.

Comment from wickedpixel on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T20:34:20Z

well you might actually save 2 cents depending on how tax is rounded in your municipality...

Comment from superml on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T20:32:47Z

Was that the paper thing they put on the tray, or a separate sheet?

If it was that paper sheet, then it would be an almost clever ad
Otherwise, a waste of trees.

Comment from pirikapirilala on 2009-11-29

2009-11-29T20:32:05Z

It still eludes me: Why have the $.01 tacked on anyway?