Fast Food Chain Adding Automated Kiosks to 1,000 of Its Restaurants in 2017

originally posted by: MyHappyDogShiner
I brought this up at several stores, that if I used the system of self check-out I should get a discount for doing the store's work for them.

You do. Reduced labor leads to lower prices. It's not a percentage discount at time of purchase, but rather is reflected in the price of goods over time. How big of a discount are you expecting? If a cashier is making $8/hour and they spend 5 minutes with you the store spent 67 cents on the cashiers wage. Factor in other expenses and you can call it $1.50. The self checkout probably cost 50 cents, so you're quibbling over how to split a dollar. Say it goes 50/50 to the store and you. Would a 50 cent discount on a $100 purchase really mean anything to you?

a reply to: Sillyolme

Kiosks and automation. Good bad or indifferent?

As I stated in my first post in the thread, I support kiosks and automation in fast food because the quality of the fast food work force sucks.

Not how you feel about teenage girls who stutter.

She didn't stutter, nor did I blame her for doing so.

originally posted by: Vector99
a reply to: butcherguy

Like I said, you have no idea how that "teenyboppers" day was going. She could have just been screamed at by an unruly customer, or an asshole boss, or dealing with a death in her family, or any number of situations, and while trying to maintain focus on doing her job was mentally distracted by it. She got the order right, so she was paying enough attention to the part that matters.

I guess some people will just look for any fault in a teen at a fast food joint no matter how trivial it is.

From age 15 to 18 I worked summers at Six Flags. Back when it was Marriott. My shop I worked at was homemade waffle cones (that we did indeed make in house, even at 90 degrees and above. We also made our own caramel apples.) Between taking orders from people asking what kinds of ice cream we have (we had The Big Three, very noticeable on sign after sign as you wait in line to get your cone.) SO I have to say "chocolate, vanilla and strawberry" a thousand times a day. Along with aforementioned kitchen work. (Which was not in a kitchen, it all happened in view of the guests, for funsies.)

I never screwed up anyone's order or got their change wrong. My register always balanced.

So what is it about kids "these days" other than the entitlement aspect of parenting/teaching that they are subjected to?

That cashier, imo, had better learn that at work, you check your personal # at the door and DO YOUR JOB. No other consideration. You do your job regardless of your personal life. I would get canned so fast if I snapped at a customer or dumbly repeated an already-answered question a la "would you like a cherry on that?" because I wasn't paying attention!

People in general get excused for the worst behavior in professional/public settings it's ridiculous. Just because you can doesn't mean you should ffs.

a reply to: soficrow

They have to push their GMO's on 80% of the population some how. Things are changing fast, like the automated bank machines you no longer need envelopes for. If all the power was cut in the free world, major chaos would be the result.

a reply to: Aazadan

...Reduced labor leads to lower prices. It's not a percentage discount at time of purchase, but rather is reflected in the price of goods over time.

Oh dear no. Not at all. Not in this world. Wherever do you think that might possibly happen?

...The way it really works is Big Box A slashes labor costs, kills the competition, then quadruples the consumer price and walks away with way bigger profits.

Just so ya know.

originally posted by: soficrow
a reply to: Aazadan

...Reduced labor leads to lower prices. It's not a percentage discount at time of purchase, but rather is reflected in the price of goods over time.

Oh dear no. Not at all. Not in this world. Wherever do you think that might possibly happen?

...The way it really works is Big Box A slashes labor costs, kills the competition, then quadruples the consumer price and walks away with way bigger profits.

Just so ya know.

Not always. If A slashes labor costs, then B will also slash labor costs in order to remain competitive. Then you have a whole bunch of unemployed people, but you'll also have lower prices on goods.

The current structure has been very good for keeping prices down, not so great at keeping purchasing power high though. A trend that I'm pretty sure will continue until we fix CPI.

a reply to: Aazadan

Hmm. What about all the small businesses that got plowed under by the Big Box stores?

Big-Box Stores Vs. Small Businesses

a reply to: soficrow

Their prices are always much higher. It was not the big box that puts small business out, it is the consumers that choose to no longer shop there due to lower prices at a larger competitor. Yea, it does not feel good, but unless people walk in to that small business to pay over $5/gal milk or $4 boxes of cereal, or fresh produce that costs an average of 50% more, than its the consumer nailing the coffin shut, not the big box. After all, everyone has a choice

When they introduced the self checkouts years back they were met with resistance. Now they reintroduced them at one of our local retail chains and more people use them now than ever before. They have one employee watching over 10-15 self checkouts for any questions. Definitely reducing the staffing.
They have also introduced them into one of our local gas stations. I've never seen that before.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Exactly. ......Big Box kills the competition, then quadruples the price to consumers. That's the endgame.

And of course, automation takes it much further than the standard 'vertical-and-horizontal integration' strategy - putting more and more people out of jobs. Which leads to the second part of the conversation:

Robot taxes and universal basic income - How do we manage our automated future?

Wait, I thought electing Trump would guarantee to bring all the job back????

originally posted by: Sillyolme
a reply to: soficrow

I'm dying to get a roomba robot vacuum.. I don't know how long they hold a charge and my living room alone is 16 X 30. It would probably run out before it did one room. And there's 13 pieces of furniture to maneuver around in there.

there is another brand that covers much bigger area and much more efficiently,at least according to their commercial

originally posted by: soficrow
a reply to: Aazadan

...Reduced labor leads to lower prices. It's not a percentage discount at time of purchase, but rather is reflected in the price of goods over time.

Oh dear no. Not at all. Not in this world. Wherever do you think that might possibly happen?

...The way it really works is Big Box A slashes labor costs, kills the competition, then quadruples the consumer price and walks away with way bigger profits.

Just so ya know.

Yep
Prices are set based on what they can get in the market and the profit increase goes to execs and shareholders
From $1000 pills to $650 Iphones

Carrier moved to Mexico and plan to keep their prices the same as another example


www.idownloadblog.com...
Your $650 iPhone 6 only cost Apple around $200 to build

originally posted by: worldstarcountry
a reply to: soficrow

Their prices are always much higher. It was not the big box that puts small business out, it is the consumers that choose to no longer shop there due to lower prices at a larger competitor. Yea, it does not feel good, but unless people walk in to that small business to pay over $5/gal milk or $4 boxes of cereal, or fresh produce that costs an average of 50% more, than its the consumer nailing the coffin shut, not the big box. After all, everyone has a choice

Consumers never had a say nor choice in trade pacts with Communist China nor Mexico
Corporate and Banking Lobbyists did that all on their own

Idiocracy is a documentary now... Your balance is Zero...
The Secretary Of Labor--Brought To You By Carl's Jr

a reply to: soficrow

I'm surprised to see this isn't already common. Here in France, all the McDonalds work only with those self serve kiosks. You cannot order from a real person anymore. If it turns out you have only cash, you can place your order at the kiosk, then go pay an employee, but there is much less employees present than there used to be.

Here in France, all the McDonalds are kiosks

of course they are... they always beta test in France, that way it will seem trendy, everyone wants to be trendy...

a reply to: jacobe001

Consumers never had a say nor choice in trade pacts with Communist China nor Mexico

That is understandable. However, neither of these parties are really affecting the price of agriculture produced in America, which is likely what affects prices for food like milk and cereal. Actually, with Mexico it is the opposite. We have flooded their market with our subsidized agriculture and put their small local farmers out of business. Our agriculture industry is badass! Except for Monsanto, they are just horrible!

But yea, I have only been alive three decades plus one year. In my years mingling with diverse communities around the country, I always notice a behavior trait that sticks out as odd to me. People who always want more money to afford things are the ones who waste it the worst! Voluntary consumption of pollution for the body is the number black hole for dollars. Voluntary consumption of pollution for the mind is number two. I think its rather sad really. People just fall into this feedback loop of doing whatever it takes to find more money, to consume more pollution, and become even more bitter with their own lot in life.

Im all for order taking kiosks taking over fast food. Now if only they can figure out a way to just have the people preparing the order actually read the ticket thoroughly. My instructions were clear on a small order of all the same item. Even a kiosk would not have prevented that lack of effort by a worthless crew member. Hit them with a personal one year boybott on strike 3.

a reply to: thegeneraldisarray

I never screwed up anyone's order or got their change wrong. My register always balanced.

Sorry, I have to call BS on this. Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect.

I used a McDonald's Kiosk to order a Fun Meal last month for my Dad. I didn't get my order any faster than the people who placed their order at the counter. What's the incentive for the customer to use the Kiosk method? I thought the Kiosk's purpose is to give you higher priority.