Domino’s Pizza and Epic Theories of Pizza Pricing Structure

UPDATE: WHOA. Apparently pricing differs depending on location and method of placing the order. Trippy.

Not very long ago, maybe twenty minutes, during the course of writing a tax research final and chatting with my buddy at the Duke East Campus Coffee House (I should review this place, it’s pretty sweet), we decided to order a pizza. Being Durham at about midnight on a Wednesday, the city naturally did not have too many options for pizza – pretty much Domino’s or nothing around where we’re at. Anyway, I’m not feeling very hungry, but some pizza sounds good, and my buddy apparently had a serious pizza hankering going, and the order was going to happen. I figured splitting a pizza would be fine even though Domino’s has a deal where you get two (2-topping) medium pizzas for $5.99 each. I assumed, perhaps naively, that a single medium, two topping pizza would cost between $6.00 and $11.99. I was wrong. The pricing is as follows:



Now, one might think that this sort of pricing arrangement might have something to do with, perhaps, getting customers to…well, uh…nope, not making sense. A 2-topping large is still like $14.00, so I’m still not seeing the incentives here. I’m pretty sure two mediums nets you more pizza than one large anyway (although I think there’s also a large pizza special much like the medium pizza special).



Anyway, I’m sure there’s a very simple, logical reason for this, but that’s no fun. So my friend and I decided to attempt to come up with some theories to explain why pizza would be priced in such a way. They are described below.

• Domino’s Pizza’s Warehouses Have Way Too Many Tomatoes.
  
  Maybe, somehow and some way, Domino’s really needs to clear out some extra warehouse space. Like, maybe there are just waaaaay too many tomatoes in there right now, and the price of pepperoni just took a nosedive and dangit, the company needs to stock up! So they’re moving some pizzas!
  
  
• The pizzas are being stocked with nicotine. And they’re trying to make addicts out of us all! I need a slice of cheese pizza right now. Right now. Now.
  
  
• Per unit pizza tax credit that makes it more profitable to sell two pizzas than one, given the pricing scheme above.
  
  Let me ask you this: Given what you know about the tax code and Congress, would you seriously doubt that this is a legitimate possibility? Exactly.
  
  Also, here is an amusing piece of a Superman comic strip:
  
  

Quitting Facebook

Yup.

I have done it. A great achievement indeed. Probably one of my best achievements since I started law school. I beat Facebook. I have broken the addiction. Huzzah!

Some may question the severity of this addiction. To counter any such arguments, I put forth this fact: The first thing I wanted to do, upon quitting Facebook, was to post on Facebook about quitting Facebook. An odd feeling, to say the least.



Why did I do it? Well, let me put forth just a few reasons.

• Zuckerberg is a pretty creepy looking dude.
• The privacy-setting shifting, addition of new auto-sharing features, and Zuckerberg’s own beliefs on privacy (see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34825225/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/).
• A lack of any real sort of security (though I will acknowledge that internet privacy is something of an oxymoron) (see http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/sns-cnn-zuckerberg-facebook-page-hacked,0,4370718.story).
• Way too many people on there. This creates some social dangers including crisscrossing social circles that you do not want to crisscross, occasional friend requests from people you’re on good terms with but don’t want to know details of your life, and the possibility of being associated with ideas, people, and events that you do not want to be associated with.
• Way too much time spent on there when bored, which could have been spent blogging.
• There are better chat programs (GMail Chat) and more useful social networking services (LinkedIn).

What have I done with my time since I quit Facebook? What could you be doing with your time if you quit Facebook? Here are some answers to these questions:

• Bowling a 163.
• Trying fried chicken and waffles (with a shout out to a great Durham blog, Carpe Durham).
• Watching football with Dean Levi
• Interviewing for BIGAIRPLANELAW
• Playing QWOP
• Also, this. Although they haven’t given me a gavel yet.
• Write a review of my last two semesters. Coming soon.

And now you can see what quitting Facebook can do for you! And suddenly I want to post a link to this article on Facebook. Man, tough habit to break.

Also, side note – shout out to Doug for finishing his first semester of law school. Only five to go buddy.