Universal Studios Florida uses RFID technology in their paper cups

[rcjordan]

 .....to deny you a reflll on a $4.19 soda.
https://old.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/jep9lh/universal_studios_florida_uses_rfid_technology_in/

[ergophobe]

Wow! That is fantastic and petrifying.

Fantastic because if someone had told me when I was a kid, or even just a few years ago, that it would be so cheap to implement a tracking technology that we would embed trackable chips in throwaway paper cups because it was worth it in order to prevent people from getting ten cents worth of soda (roughly 5-20 cents at cost), I would have been astounded.

Petrifying for the exact same reason.

[littleman]

>roughly 5-20 cents at cost


It is not the loss of soda, but maximizing sales.

[ergophobe]

Sure, but I bet 90% of the people who "steal" the second cup have no intention of buying another cup at $4.19.

No matter how you cut it, it's indicative of a toxic relationship with your customer.

[buckworks]

Toxic indeed.

The markup on sodas is crazy. When you eat out, the food portion of your meal is usually much better value than the beverages. it can save a lot of $$$ to just drink water, or else choose a drink that has some actual food value, not just sugar.

[littleman]

I'm curious as to how it works.  I'm guessing it is some self-serve soda dispenser with an RFID reader built in.  This way they get to maximize profits with both sales and lower labor costs.

>drink water

I've been to parks where they will charge a person the same price for tap water as soda.  They'll give a line like "we charge for the cup not for the content".  Also, there are plenty of places that go around this by only giving consumers access to bottled water instead of tap.   I tend to avoid places like these.

[rcjordan]

>markup on sodas is crazy.

I once had a neighbor who owned a small fast food / burger chain.  He told me that iced tea was his biggest profit-maker, followed by french fries.  "That's all I need to sell, the rest is just to get them in the door."

[ergophobe]

>> french fries.

Most profitable restaurant in the region where I grew up. The guys who bought it in 1983 are now near the top of the list in the "Who Owns Burlington" article. They got very wealthy off those fries and the real estate they bought to diversify.

http://www.alsfrenchfrys.com/

https://vtdigger.org/2019/11/03/who-owns-burlington-the-largest-holdings-are-in-the-hands-of-a-few/