Teacher, this is Wendy’s. Despite some fun jokes about the CEO’s recent proposal to try “dynamic pricing,” this fast food chain is in no danger of ending up on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, people can stop the populist hype about dynamic pricing. Katherine Rampel is written.
Dynamic pricing is everywhere, she writes. Have you ever been to happy hour? Dynamic pricing. Are you having an early dinner? Dynamic pricing. Get $4 off on Dune: Part 2 this weekend. Screening at 3:15 a.m.? OK? But yeah, it’s dynamic pricing.
“Lowering prices during quiet times of the day is arithmetically equivalent to raising prices during busy periods,” Catherine points out. “But for whatever reason, consumers seem to prefer a ‘discounted’ price, where demand is low, to a ‘surge’ price, where demand is high.”
Wendy’s quickly realized this and made it clear that they had no intention of raising the price of their fries, but rather lowering them during the off-season. Critics have mostly backed off, proving that like stock price fluctuations, fast food pricing is mostly due to proper hype.
In another part of capitalist hell that may not be as hellish as it seems, Macy’s plans to close 150 of its department stores over the next three years. But don’t listen to the conservative argument that out-of-control shoplifting is to blame. Megan McArdle Say.
The real story is more interesting. “This is a story about the power of technology that created the department store and the power of technology that is now destroying it,” Megan writes.
She provides a fascinating little history of big box stores, from the advent of railroads, to the model’s current downsizing, and its future consignment to the realm of “happy memories.”
from the doctor Hashem Zikri Editorial exposes systemic flaws that drove up the amount of time patients spent “in the hospital.” It can be double digits or even days. He begins with a personal experience in which he directed the admission of her 84-year-old patient with congestive heart failure, after which he met her still in the ER. two nights later.
Zikri explains that the hospitalization crisis began in earnest during the pandemic, and hospitals’ revenue structures collapsed. Now, he is trying to regain his footing, saying, “The financial incentive structure that underpins U.S. health care has become overstretched.”
In part, that means reserving inpatient beds for those whose procedures make the most money for hospitals, rather than those who need them most or who have been in the ER the longest.
What was the hell picture of capitalism?
Chaser: manga artist Edith Pritchett I envision a future where the only healthcare we need is a smartwatch… that tells us how much our brain activity actually drops during those 4pm meetings.
“Donald Trump plays the Republican nominee as deftly, if not more melodiously, than Yo-Yo Ma plays the cello.” george will In his complaint, he writes about the “crybaby conservatives” and self-styled “saviors of democracy” currently in American politics. (This column also includes his concerns about how Democrats might actually try to subvert democracy in January.)
But the opinion section admin Rachel Mantufel An unexpected long-term idea to break or at least bend President Trump’s bow: the swamp vote.
Rachel is a registered Republican in Washington, D.C. (an interesting reason revealed in her article), and she mentions that the party’s primary in the district is this weekend.
“This is a primary that Haley can actually win, and probably the only one left,” she wrote. “If you want to stop Trump, there is no better time to start than now.”
Chaser: President Trump’s immunity claim is a failure Jason Wyrick is written. But so are the charges against him on January 6, 2021.
- Biden looks increasingly helpless and weak on Gaza; Fareed Zakaria opinion. meanwhile, Shadi Hamid This week, we consider the undoubted conviction of a man who self-immolated in the name of war, and wonder how some suicidal protests can be heroic while others are insane.
- you’re late, editorial committee However, Mike Johnson still has time to do the right thing regarding Ukraine and pass aid in the House of Representatives. or Jim Geraghty Please be colorful, be patient or shut up, Mr. Speaker.
- Eric Wemple The Atlantic reported on a little-noticed but highly embarrassing episode that has just been settled in a Japanese court.
Goodbye. It’s a haiku. That’s… Bye-Ku.
plus! Friday bye-ku (Fri-ku!) from reader Verah B:
Do you have a popular haiku of your own? please email mePlease let us know if you have any questions/comments/clarifications. Have a nice weekend!