Wendy's unethical new upsize question

Sooner or later, I guess all companies will take a turn for the worst and try to implement a practice, like Wendy's has done, that is unethical, but will result in an increase in profit.

If you haven't been to a Wendy's lately, or have and didn't know what was happening, Wendy's has started asking "Do you want that Medium or Large?" when you order a combo meal. Ordinarily, this wouldn't present a problem. Asking to upsize is an annoyance that's present at almost every fast food burger chain, but it's hardly unethical. The problem with the question now is the pricing system, and the way the employees ask.

When you order your combo, the Wendy's employees ask you whether you'd like your combo medium or large in the same fashion a supermarket bagger would ask "Would you like paper or plastic?" - in a tone that suggests that your two choices are medium or large. Since they ask in this way, most customers just say medium, thinking that they just want the smallest option. The reason this is unethical, in my opinion, is that most people don't realize that the combo they're ordering (for the price they see on the menu) is with a small drink and fry. When you say medium, without knowing that you're upsizing, you're paying an extra 49 cents.

So, basically, Wendy's is being tricky to get an extra 49 cents from unknowing consumers. In my opinion, that's unethical. I shouldn't have to be on my guard when I go to grab a burger... the pricing should be simple and the questions fair.

The situation would be much different if the employees asked the question with a different emphasis, other than that of the paper or plastic type emphasis. It's a nitpicky distinction, but one that's easily understood by any english speaker. If I hadn't heard the question spoken in similar fashion at 2-3 different Wendy's I would be less suspicious that it was intentional.