Anyone out there looking at the calendar and salivating at that special time of year between late October and early November, the time when the McRib returns to McDonald’s, might need to sit down for a second. According to reportedly leaked internal memo, McDonald’s wants to score a home run in the fourth quarter of the year and is going to delay the McRib’s return until the second half of December. Commence screams of rage.
Ad Age says it has a memo from McDonald’s Operators National Advertising Fund, which is the the chain’s national-franchise council. The memo shifts the McRib’s marketing blitz to closer to Christmas, because last year’s December sales were 9.8%. That’s partly due to the milder winter weather much of the nation enjoyed.
The McRib is apparently Mickey D’s great hope, as its fan base is known to be dedicated and intensely passionate about the sandwich. When you can only get something for a short period of time once a year, you’re gonna go bonkers over it — even if it’s a restructured pork product formed into the shape of ribs.
It remains to be seen if that same coveted, dedicated group of super fans will turn on McDonald’s in rage over having to wait for that sweet, sweet pork to hit their mouths, however.
A spokeswoman for McDonald’s told Ad Age: “We cannot comment on leaked documents, information.”
Just tell us when the McRib is coming and everyone will remain calm.
Can the McRib Save Christmas? [Ad Age]
More From Consumerist
-
Facebook Hopes You Want To Back Up Your Boring ‘Happy Birthday’ Messages With Actual Boring Gifts
-
Target Sends Out Poorly Worded Coupon, Raises False Hopes
-
Consumer Reports Thinks Justin Bieber’s Car Sucks
-
Bank Of America Fires Investment Banker Over 1998 Dine & Dash At Denny’s
-
Unpaid $16 Buffalo Wild Wings Bill Leads To High-Speed Police Chase
Not to be a Party McPoopiepants here, but those things are so intensly awful, I ended up with an emergency room trip from my bowels turning inside out from it…
Gave you the McSquirts, eh?
It’s a lean finely textured meat product.
PORK SLIME! BAN IT! BAN IT NOW! BAN IT AGAIN!
/full retard
But what are all the animal shelters supposed to do in the meantime with the excess dogs and cats that will result from this delay?
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo….
*gasp*…ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I don’t like the sandwich, but isn’t the holiday time already crammed with more special food items than we can possibly eat? It would seem that they’d get more sales from it being outside the holiday season.
Maybe they’re hoping you buy a McRib and Eggnog Shake at the same time!
My God, that may be the worst thing I have ever heard of.
I feel my McRage rising.
I used to gobble these up every year when they came out. Then I had a heart attack this summer. So no happy holidays for McDonalds, at least from my family, this year.
9.8% up or 9.8% down?
Yeah, the stat was a little vague. “December sales were 9.8%” isn’t excatly dripping with details, context or even a complete thought.
They were 9.8% verklempt. Which isn’t bad, considering. I’ve seen some old ladies in NYC who seemed to be permanently at least 90% verklempt…at least when their son who decided to be a musician but should have been a doctor is around.
10% down in the worst recession in 60 years, and they’re upset.
Prime example of the morons running companies all over the US, who shit themselves if they aren’t up 40% year-over-year no matter the economic climate.
Kirby is not happy (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
I remember reading that the McRibs timing is due to arbitrage in the pork market. Is there a problem with the market this year to cause such a delay?
WTF does pork have to do with the McRib
OK, that made me laugh.
think smaller, and more legs
I heard the same thing. Then this summer I heard that with all the drought animals were just getting too expensive to feed, and would soon be sold off (less than) wholesale.
Still waiting for bacon prices to drop, though.
Explaining the Existence of the McRib
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/explaining-existence-mcrib
Meh! Wake me up when the Shamrock Shakes make the rounds again.
I don’t need to eat that crap. I’m trying to do better. *really really wants some chicken planks, though……*
I can’t have a McRib anyway.
It’s on the top of my cardiologist’s NO-NO FOR CHARLIE list…
Had one last year when they came back, and was in the hospital 4 hours later with severe chest pain. Cardiologist walked in, looked at my chart, and said “You ate a McRib, didn’t you. I told you not to.”
Clearly, you need to find a new doctor.
AM DISSAPOINT
This seems appropriate:
http://nooooooooooooooo.com/
(The only time I will think of going to McD’s is when the McRib is around)
<3
I really enjoy the McRib and would make extra trips to my nearest McDonalds (100 km away) to eat them. If this memo is genuine, I’m not sure if I should feel played or not because the fact is that every business times product releases to suit their schedules based on a large number of factors. Delaying them to fatten up December numbers is probably just as valid as waiting for a seasonal drop in the price of pigmeat. The only thing is that for me the weather in December can be dodgy and if I miss a weekend McVisit, it’s not like I’m going to eat two the next time! Wait… that’s not a bad idea!
Pre-formed Pink Pig Slime
Nope. Not this time Keeggib. Good punt. There is no such thing.
Too much turkey at that time of year to enjoy a McRib.
Indiana is a major high-quality pork producer in the U.S. and
McDonald’s get a non-trivial amount of the McRib pork from
Indiana pork producers. Why is Indiana such a big pork state?
Because we use everything but the oink. Eli Lilly still taps
our pigs for life-saving insulin precursors for those folks
that cannot use synthetic, so the quality and treatment of our
pigs must be higher so that they can quality for uses in medicine.
So we enjoy great pork barbeque, pulled-pork, McRibs, etc.
Problem this year is that due to the severe drought, many pigs
had to be culled and sold early which will likely interfere with McDonald’s
using a lot of Indiana pork in the McRib as it usually does.
I was guessing it was due to a shortage in whatever food science pork substitute they use.
Ah the McRib. Where even the bone is made of meat.