Americans Rush To Stuff Their "Stockings" With 5 Big Macs And Fries For $13

McDonald's, unlike its rival Burger King, is not participating in the "Kids LiveWell" program as its young customers are all clearly in peak physical condition.

With 17 hours to go, more than 100,000 people have gone and paid Living Social $13 for a booklet featuring five Big Mac vouchers and five large fries vouchers. That's $1.3 million+ in sales! To pull out an increasingly old cliche: America? This is why you are fat.

Look, we love McDonald's fries as much as the next blog, but something about this particular deal strikes as just gross. Perhaps it is the Living Social copy which pushes the deal as a perfect holiday stocking stuffer?

Travel from Florida to Alaska and the landscape and accents may change, but one thing stays the same: the Big Mac. This holiday season, give those on your wish list a gift they'll really savor. Pay just $13 and receive one voucher booklet good for five Big Mac sandwiches and five large fries that can be shared and redeemed at any participating McDonald's in the US during multiple visits (a $26 value). There are few things as quintessentially American as sinking your teeth into a juicy beef patty topped with pickles and onions... on top of another juicy beef patty with rich, American cheese. Add in lettuce, special sauce, and McDonald's "World Famous Fries," and you have the perfect stocking stuffer for friends and family everywhere.

Maybe, however, this deal—which pretty much gives you enough calories to hibernate through winter—is right up your alley. In which case, you've still got time. Stocking stuffer, gullet stuffer. Same difference!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in Food on December 1, 2011 12:06 PM

Comments [rss]

BottomlessChips

There are plenty of Groupon-like deals for bars, too. Booze is as empty a calorie as they come, and has more immediate negative health effects...and you end up eating crap after you drink.

Where's the vilification of those? McDonald's is not why we're fat.

swampyankeesmom

the food is shitty enough as it is but its the dreaded "McDump" that follows a few hours later. i quit eating that garbage years ago.

Thomas C.

Coupons! That's what I'm talkin' about! I'd have gone to McDonald's years ago, but the food was so expensive. Now that I can get a coupon, I'm going to try one of those Big Macs and see what all the fuss is about!

torchTheMall

waaa, we dont like what you buy, waaaa

whitecastlerock

Nothing gross about any of this. You just hate freedom...

dollarmenu

Can't say I've ever felt the need to save money on a meal at McDonald's.

TimSPC

I'll never get tired of fat McDonalds kid.

chuzzlewit

"you done with that?"

snickerdoodlegoth

Pretty sad when junk food costs less than healthy fruits and vegetables.

I've wondered, everybody loves to use that pic of the fat chinese kids to illustrate how bad fast food is or how fat Americans are, but I don't think that pic was originally taken in the US. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.

BKExcuse

I love when people post stuff like this. In order to get the same amount of energy that you would get from one Big Mac and a Large Fry you would have to eat 30 Green Peppers, 6.6lbs of broccoli, 10lbs of spinach, 4.5lbs of apples, or 7lbs of strawberries.

So no it's not sad or even surprising that junk food is cheaper than fruits and veggies when you would have to eat at least 10X the amount to get the same amount of calories.

delicats

1. This argument is stupid because you're comparing a complete meal (Big Mac and Large Frys" to a single indgredient, ex., strawberries. You'd best compare the Big Mac meal to, say, "a broccoli pasta salad."

2.) Americans don't suffer from a caloric defecit. You can consume too many calories and still be malnourished.

3.) McDonald's isn't cheap, I don't really know why people say that. I mean, it's still what, $40 to feed 4-5 people for one meal, amirite?

CurmudgeonNYC

Exactly, you could go buy some chicken cutlets, vegetables, even a bottle of wine for 4 people and spend less than $40!

grandeur1

Unhealthy food is subsidized by US! that is why its cheaper.

syannelevovna

The photo above? It's not fat Chinese kids, it's fat Russian kids. It was a while ago, but I think they might be young weightlifters.

Jereremy

moving their bulk around doesn't quite count as weightlifting.

whodiditandran

Not Russian. They're Bulge-arians.

Politburo

Can't confirm but the poster in the back has what appear to be non-roman characters. (Even if it's mirrored they still don't make sense, to me at least)