Can you have FOMO for a Crispy McBacon?

Last Thursday, traffic was particularly heavy, not only in major cities but in all the main Italian provinces, at least those with a McDonald's outlet. On November 30, a promotion called Winterdays, which allowed the purchase of a Crispy McBacon and a large menu at less than half price, caused significant mobility limitations, resulting in queues and crowds at McDonald's outlets throughout Italy. This was promptly documented by numerous videos on social media showing clustered customers, many of them very young, waiting to enter and take advantage of the discount. A 3-euro sandwich had the power to immobilize entire streets due to the lines at the McDrive, and this phenomenon may not be isolated, as the offers will continue every day with different products until December 25. The scope of the event also sparked a whirlwind of fake news on social media, such as the alleged operation by the Finance Guard and the seizure of 4 warehouses, complete with intervention by the NAS of the Carabinieri (Anti-Counterfeiting and Health Units) responsible for investigations in the food sector. There is no factual confirmation of these rumors, but the dismay of the spectators in the queues on Thursday is tangible. What drives people to endure hours of crowds for a simple hamburger? It seems that there can even be a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) for food discounts.

Sales, discounts, and discounts in general work on our most basic instincts to push us to buy items that we often wouldn't feel the need for in our daily lives. These are strategies that sellers use to play on the sense of urgency, so that buyers tend to act impulsively and make impulse purchases without evaluating their real needs or exploring other possibilities. Something very similar happens when there is a danger, when an instinct called "croc brain" drives us to act totally irrationally because we are under stress. Just as that 50% off coat is very different from the style we would consider if it were full price, similarly, a sandwich that we may not really desire appears much more appetizing if it only costs 3 euros. The strength of McDonald's branding adds to the sense of urgency, an iconic brand in the collective imagination, to the point that for many, it becomes unthinkable to be excluded from an event day or a discount, especially if it's one of the most recognizable brands, an icon of Americana worldwide. Just as we perceive discounted items as the train that passes only once and fear regretting any hesitation, the same goes for a Crispy McBacon, even if it means waiting a bit (or blocking traffic).