Perhaps you once asked yourself why we ask for receipts to confirm a sighting. The reason we ask for this photo ties back to two issues we have encountered in the past.
1) Call confirmations can be wrong
Today we called around local McDonalds looking for the McRib, after hearing it was available about 45 minutes away. One location said they would be offering it tomorrow, and another said they had it today. We anxiously jumped into the car and headed to the location that said they had it. Upon arriving, we did the drive thru test, pass by the menu and see if it shows the McRib. We didn’t see it on the menu, however went in to see if they had it being they told us on the phone that they did. When we asked if they had it, the employee said not yet, likely not for a few months. He then discussed with a coworker how we were in tune with their registers as the McRib button had only recently been added to the machine. He then told us that nowhere had it yet, but it would be here in a few months.
1) The Hamburglar wants all the McRibs for himself
While the majority of McRib fans are providing reliable sightings (thank you!), we do get reports that are false. Why anyone would do this is beyond us, however our best guess is that it is the Hamburglar attempting to steer McRib fans in the wrong direction so that he may keep the McRibs for himself. This is also the reason behind why some sightings say the Hamburglar reported them, the people that reported those sightings did so anonymously which may hint the Hamburglar is behind those sightings.
If/when you find a McRib, please mark your sighting at McRibLocator.com and be sure to send us a photo (photos@mcriblocator.com) of your receipt showing the purchase so that we may mark it as confirmed.
I applaud the receipt requirement. I went 11 years between bites of McRibs, from the fall of 1998 until 2009. I had discovered this website in between. The Hamburglar triggered many spur-of-the-moment trips only to be denied. I quickly learned to call the McDonald’s, but misunderstanding and the language barrier betrayed me. One time an employee “confirmed” for me over the phone her location had the McRib only to discover she meant McGriddles. Needless to say, the receipt confirmation call is the right call.
I believe that a lot of Hamburglar posts stem from people discovering the website and not taking the time to understand how it works, putting in an address to see if there is a McRib near them.
They think it operates like a “store locater” for a big chain.
Receipts are definitely the right move!
Just made a “certified spotter” suggestion to the webmaster. Let’s see where it goes.