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A McDonald's employee shared their yearly 'bonus' and people couldn't believe it

Employees were hoping for appreciation—what they got was a cardboard bag and a useless movie ticket.

McDonald's, employee bonus, bad boss, corporate culture, Reddit, viral story, worker appreciation, low wages, fast food, employee gift

Woman at work looks at her laptop

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By Adam Albright Hanna,
Adam Albright Hanna
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GOOD Staff
GOOD Staff
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Oct 09, 2025

At the end of a long year, a gesture of appreciation from an employer can go a long way. But for one McDonald's worker, the company's attempt at a "bonus" was so underwhelming it went viral, sparking a wave of online outrage and commiseration.

In a post on Reddit, user u/MMS37 shared a photo of the gift they received from the fast-food giant. "I work for one of the biggest companies in the world. This was my bonus," they wrote.

The so-called bonus package included a flimsy cardboard bag that would allegedly "disintegrate" if wet, a single movie ticket to a cinema in another city, and a few pin-up badges. The post immediately took off, with commenters—including other McDonald's employees—slamming the gift as a tone-deaf and disrespectful gesture.

McDonald's, employee bonus, bad boss, corporate culture, Reddit, viral story, worker appreciation, low wages, fast food, employee gift A fast food employee hands over a bag of food to a drive-thru customerCanva

"I actually appreciated when my company just stopped doing bonuses altogether," one user, u/ShiftWorth5734, commented. "It’s actually more dignified than this insulting stuff."

The bizarre cardboard bag drew particular scorn. "What’s with this cardboard backpack thing?" asked u/godefroy15. "Unpractical as hell. Wore it a few times, and it’s all crumpled."


McDonald's, employee bonus, bad boss, corporate culture, Reddit, viral story, worker appreciation, low wages, fast food, employee giftGif of Ronald McDonald losing his hat via Giphy


Many users argued that the gift wasn't a bonus at all, but a thinly veiled attempt at free marketing. "Even calling it branded company merchandise feels generous," wrote u/CategoryKiwi. "They’re trying to make their employees into living advertisements. They should be (separately/additively) paying people to use that garbage."

The post also prompted a bit of nostalgia for a time when things were apparently different. User u/rustys_shackled_ford recalled, "In the '80s, McDonald's used to give every single employee a turkey for Thanksgiving and a ham for Christmas."


McDonald's, employee bonus, bad boss, corporate culture, Reddit, viral story, worker appreciation, low wages, fast food, employee gift A fancy turkey dinnerCanva

The overwhelming response on Reddit made it clear: the so-called bonus was seen not just as cheap, but as a fundamental sign of disrespect from a multi-billion dollar corporation to its frontline workers.

This article originally appeared earlier this year. It has been updated.

bad bosscorporate cultureemployee bonusemployee giftfast foodlow wagesmcdonald'sredditviral storyworker appreciationpast events

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