salad daze

[alenxa_classic]

Carl's Jr. is pissing me off. First they introduced the buffalo chicken salad, making it necessary for me to specify a charbroiled chicken salad when ordering. A while later, they redesigned their salad-to-go containers from rectangular to round, reducing the amount of salad that fit inside and making it damn near impossible to open the things without splashing cheese all over. This proved easy to get used to. Then they changed the croutons from plain to garlic cheese "multi-grain" (which inexplicably have no fiber), taking the calorie and fat count up just enough to make a packet 2 points instead of 1. This, too, proved not so bad, as I could save the croutons for my 0-point salad later on. A few months back, they raised the price of the chicken salad by $.20, taking the with-tax price up from a nice round $4.30 to an annoying $4.51. I bitched, I moaned, I've used up several pennies and gotten laundry quarters, and I've stopped bitching and moaning.

Last week, I ordered Italian dressing with my salad and got balsamic vinaigrette. This wouldn't be so bad if it was still nonfat, but their tasting panel apparently felt it was better with some actual olive oil in. This would be worse if I were still points-mongering. At least it doesn't taste terrible.

Today I get in and see a sign advertising their new chicken salads. The price: $4.89 for BBQ ranch or Mandarin. Great, I think, now I can't even get a normal chicken salad. I stayed in line anyway and found that they did, in fact, still have the normal one.

For $.20 more. Bringing the total price to a really nasty $4.73.

Ah well. Maybe I'll use up all our rogue pennies before they phase out the plain model and up the price again. Because if they do that, they won't be seeing my pennies for lunch anymore.

Comments

[sekl.livejournal.com]

stayed in line anyway and found that they did, in fact, still have the normal one.

Whew. I've gotten very fond of that salad.

[maldis.livejournal.com]

Doesn't Carl Karcher give a portion of Carl's Jr. profits to anti-choice organizations?

< /soapbox >

[alenxa.livejournal.com]

Carl Karcher isn't running the company anymore. One of his sons snatched the reins about 10-15 years ago (yup, just about the time the commercials started using Carl's image for promotion) and started running the business into the ground. Then another one of the kids (they have something like 10) took over and averted disaster, but at the cost of decency in commercials. Since then, the cashflow has apparently been OK, but we've seen the creation of the "all over the place" campaign and its hellspawn. It's probably turned out just as well, since the last time I saw Carl he wasn't quite perking on all four, and that was four years ago at my grandfather's memorial service. (My late great-aunt and uncle were personal friends of the Karchers and played important roles in getting Carl's Jr. started.) Though I doubt he'd ever have agreed to any of the marketing that's been done in his name.

And I'm not surprised that the Karchers have donated on their own time (http://www.snopes.com/business/alliance/domino.asp) to anti-abortion causes. The Karchers are highly religious and have been for as long as I can remember. But it's the private citizens, not the corporation, making the donations. Carl, Margaret, and the kids can do whatever they want with their money. It's not like I'm going to have any effect on the right-wing masses by boycotting chicken salad--they have enough disposable income to soak my contribution several times over and make the same size donation as ever.

I am, however, confused as to how a family on the religious right could condone Hugh Hefner endorsing their business. That kind of hypocrisy, even if I didn't recognize it at the time, I'm glad I boycotted for.

</headbiting>