Carter County Times
This past week, DoorDash announced its partnership with Klarna, the buy now, pay later lender. DoorDash customers, “will now be able to pay in full at checkout, split payments into four equal interest-free installments, or defer to dates that align conveniently with payday schedules.” So, can someone pay for their Chipotle burrito in installments on a rough day? This is dystopian. We’re now financing burritos. It’s not just the system squeezing people—it’s doing it while asking if they want to split the cost of their child’s dinner into four payments. While the kids need to eat, this is the real problem in American society: we’re all broke as hell, and now there’s a payment plan for a turkey sub. It’s hard for a working mom to have a few extra bucks before payday when the freezer’s empty, but this entire process feels greasy.
We used to finance sofas. Now we’re financing sandwiches. The normalization of debt culture isn’t creeping in—it’s already here. I know because I bought a bed using a predatory loan. I thought I could make the payments easily, but when other debts demanded attention, that expense ended up costing me double. What used to be reserved for big-ticket items like furniture or electronics is now applied to fast food and groceries. It’s a trap that keeps people paying off small debts indefinitely…