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"McDonald's is the top fast food chain in the world, known for its affordable dollar menu. Yet one of its mascots, the masked Hamburglar, has made a career of stealing these cheap burgers for decades.\nYou may wonder how one profits from such questionable business practices.\nSee also: 15 Happy Meal Toys That Made Your McChildhood\nComedian Michael Ian Black got to the bottom of the Hamburglar's business strategy in a healthy debate with comic Mike Birbiglia on Twitter.\n\n\nHamburglar Business Discussion\n\n\n\n\n\nHamburglar must have some income for housing, mask, etc. Why doesn't he just use a little of it to buy inexpensive McDonald's hamburgers?\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@michaelianblack The actual Hamburglar got out of that racket years ago. Now he has a guy that does it for him.\u2014 Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@birbigs But the cost of hiring a guy to steal hamburgers HAS to exceed the value of the hamburgers. Terrible business strategy.\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@michaelianblack It's a volume business. McDonalds serves BILLIONS. All Hamburglar has to do is steal roughly a million hamburgers a year.\u2014 Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@birbigs This makes sense, but after costs of transportation, warehousing, legal bills, etc, how much could he possibly make? Seems dumb.\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@michaelianblack The problem is that he's a known thief (mask, silly hat). So it's hard to unload those burgers at retail. cc: @HarvardBiz\u2014 Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@birbigs @HarvardBiz Exactly!!! And the resale market for McDonald's hamburgers has to be TINY!!! I don't see how he's making any profit.\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@michaelianblack @HarvardBiz I don't think ur getting that Hamburglar has NO COSTS and NO OVERHEAD. How much did that mask cost? A nickel?\u2014 Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@birbigs @HarvardBiz You think he steals a MILLION hamburgers a year, but has no costs? Where does he keep them? Refrigeration alone: $$$!\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@birbigs @HarvardBiz The thing about the mask is probably a fair point, though.\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n@Wordsicle @birbigs @HarvardBiz Possibly, but McDonalds is such a buttoned-up operation, it seems difficult to get away with it.\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\nThe takeaway from all of this?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreak down the math: McDonald's hamburger retail value: $1. Hamburglar steals a million. Retail value $1M, BUT...\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlack market resale market for McDonald's hamburgers has to be pennies on the dollar. Even 20% is $200k. After costs...\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n(Employees, trans., legal, warehousing, masks, etc.) It has to be a razor thin profit margin. Some years he probably LOSES money.\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWith his managerial skills, Hamburglar would be MUCH better off opening his own McDonald's franchise.\u2014 Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) November 19, 2013\n\n\n\n\nConclusion:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage: Flickr, sonofbreakit"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/11/19/hamburglar-business/>