Don’t get ripped off when you’re hangry | Savings with Sarah #11
Your urge to get your hands on some food you don't have to make right now is costing you a small fortune.
When you're swiping through UberEats or MenuLog to cure your craving for a cheeseburger and a thickshake, the last thing you're usually thinking about is being sensible with your money.
But some people don't realise, the price you pay for an item on a delivery app is usually much higher than what you'll pay directly.
I have oddly-personal experience with this: I owned an American-style burger joint for a few years (I sold it early 2022).
Delivery platforms charged us a commission of 38.5% on every order, so we in turn put our prices up on the apps to help recover those costs.
We didn't hike it the whole amount (we added 15%), but I notice the average increase is around 30%.
Keep in mind, you'll also generally pay a delivery fee AND a service fee.
Here's an example at my local Maccas: if I order a Happy Meal directly to pick up, in person or through the app, it's $5.75.
If I order it through UberEats, it jumps to $7.70, an increase of 33%.
Once I add in the delivery and service fee, the Happy Meal comes to $11.69.
Same deal at Guzman e Gomez: ordering a chicken burrito direct is $13.70. Through the delivery app it's $17.10 (exactly 25% more).
Sometimes, it's worth paying a small premium for the luxury of delivery.
But if you have the ability and energy to collect your food yourself, your bank account will be much healthier for it.
