Stephane Jourdain/AFP/Getty Images If you stop by a McDonald's (MCD) and find some franchise owner looking wistfully at you, and then gazing over at a poster for the company's annual Monopoly promotion or the return of the McRib, don't be surprised. Things are tough for franchisees standing under the golden arches, and they're really hoping for something -- anything -- that can reverse the trend of dropping sales. For a fast food company that for a long time could do no wrong , McDonald's is in a not-so-happy place now. In September, the chain announced its worst sales dip since 2003, according to Bloomberg. Between slow demand in the U.S. and health scares over a Chinese meat supplier, same-store sales were down in August 3.2 percent in the U.S. and 7.3 percent in Asia, for an overall 3.7 percent hit. And it's expected that the chain will see another 2.7 percent drop in September, according to the site BurgerBusiness.com. Same-store sales, or sales in locations that have been open more than a year, are a critical measurement in retail. They show how well a company's operations are doing without the distorting factor of new outlets opening. So same-store sales declines are a problem not just for McDonald's, but its franchise owners.
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