McDonald's: You buy more from touch-screen kiosks than a person. So expect more kiosks

Probably from a lack of shame because a kilos won't judge you. Just one more step towards Idiocracy...

Fast food dynamics, I totally saw this coming.

Its actually faster to mobile order, which is what I so 😊

Plus, the free and enticing incentives as a result.

I mean, grocery stores were doing this long before.

a reply to: Isurrender73

Dude I am the president of the Hair Club for Men.

Doesn't change the fact that humans are gross, scratch their butt cracks, don't wash well, or not at all, sneeze, cough and spread germs, and that is before the intentional acts of underpaid young teenagers being teenagers are thrown in the mix.

I still eat out, but am cautious just sayin'

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Isurrender73

WHo said anything about blaming the poor?

The point is that either jobs like this are considered entry level or they are supposed to be career level, but they aren't going to be both.

Entry level work like this is not going to support you for life and it's not meant to.

And it's faulty to use the same work to try to argue both angles.

Entry level work needs to support an individual and perhaps a family though. It did in the past, and it's only due to wage stagnation that it doesn't now. It's not an unreasonable request to expect the same standard of living for those at the bottom of the income scale that their parents and grandparents had.

Furthermore, over time all jobs require fewer skills. We learn better ways to do things and business processes become more efficient. I'll give an example.

Back in 1990 plug and play was in it's infancy. Knowing how to build a personal computer from parts was skilled labor. You had to set hardware jumpers, configure IRQ timings/codes, set memory timings, make sure all hardware was compatible, plug things into the right ports because they looked identical but functioned different, ensure voltages were correct, and then once everything ran, install and configure device specific software.

Today, everything is shape coded. You plug it in and it works. The computer auto installs all drivers and configures all hardware behind the scenes and each piece of hardware can only fit in one specific slot, which is color and shape coded. It is nearly impossible to screw up, and someone can figure out how to do it with nothing more than a checklist of needed parts and 15 minutes of instruction. Some don't even need that much.

On a long enough timeline, every single job that humans know how to do today is going to be entry level because everything will be simplified down to a series of single steps that any person, assembly line, or machine can follow.

As a result, a sustainable economy is only possible if entry level work allows for self sufficiency.

originally posted by: Mandroid7
a reply to: Aazadan

Yeah, I hear you, I don't like people making my food, even the high end restaurants, I can't play bathroom hygiene police.

Let alone accidentally rubbing them the wrong way and getting intentional contamination.

I was in a Pizza Hut once where the cook sliced his finger and bled a ton of blood into the sauce on purpose once. It was disgusting.

It doesn't bother me. I eat out for nearly every meal.

originally posted by: Aazadan

Entry level work needs to support an individual and perhaps a family though. It did in the past, and it's only due to wage stagnation that it doesn't now. It's not an unreasonable request to expect the same standard of living for those at the bottom of the income scale that their parents and grandparents had.

Furthermore, over time all jobs require fewer skills. We learn better ways to do things and business processes become more efficient. I'll give an example.

Back in 1990 plug and play was in it's infancy. Knowing how to build a personal computer from parts was skilled labor. You had to set hardware jumpers, configure IRQ timings/codes, set memory timings, make sure all hardware was compatible, plug things into the right ports because they looked identical but functioned different, ensure voltages were correct, and then once everything ran, install and configure device specific software.

Today, everything is shape coded. You plug it in and it works. The computer auto installs all drivers and configures all hardware behind the scenes and each piece of hardware can only fit in one specific slot, which is color and shape coded. It is nearly impossible to screw up, and someone can figure out how to do it with nothing more than a checklist of needed parts and 15 minutes of instruction. Some don't even need that much.

On a long enough timeline, every single job that humans know how to do today is going to be entry level because everything will be simplified down to a series of single steps that any person, assembly line, or machine can follow.

As a result, a sustainable economy is only possible if entry level work allows for self sufficiency.

Very well said. 100% agree

originally posted by: Mandroid7
a reply to: Isurrender73

Dude I am the president of the Hair Club for Men.

Doesn't change the fact that humans are gross, scratch their butt cracks, don't wash well, or not at all, sneeze, cough and spread germs, and that is before the intentional acts of underpaid young teenagers being teenagers are thrown in the mix.

I still eat out, but am cautious just sayin'

Lol

I pay attention to where I eat and the hygiene of the employees. Humans, especially the young adult variety can have some pretty disgusting habits. Much happier when I see the workers wearing and changing disposable gloves regularly.

The outbreak at Chipotle could have been avoided if they were required to wear gloves. It's currently not a requirement in all jurisdictions. They didn't implement gloves.corporate wide until after a few people died. Quite sad actually.

Any recommendations for my balding head? ]

originally posted by: eXia7
Fast food workers demand 15$ an hour, but I've yet to see any of them do anything worthy of 15$ an hour.

If they get 15/ hour I should be getting a 30 dollar/ hour raise sheesh

I don't eat in fast food places ever. Sometime they are staffed with retirees trying to make a few extra bucks.

Those old geezers smell real funky. No thanks!!!

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

are you using your salary as a reason to justify someone elses low wages?

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

are you using your salary as a reason to justify someone elses low wages?

No. I'm using my low wages to wonder where dafuq they're getting 15/hour from

This is a job done by kids as a first job or people who have no ambition other than to go home and smoke up.

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Maybe you're being underpaid too?

A McDonald's I frequent has the kiosks. The first couple of times I used it and didn't care for it. However, after a few times, I now know how they work and can order pretty quick on them. Panera has a similar system as well.

All things equal, I rather just tell a person what I want, but sometimes the kiosks have been quicker if there is a line. The next step is an app that saves your order, so when you walk it you don't just hit one button and it orders your "usual".

We have a restaurant where I live that really doesn't have a cashier at all. Just two kiosks/ipads that everyone uses to place their order. Only time you need a cashier is if something isn't working or a geezer gets confused.

The Target also has the kiosks. They work pretty well too.

The push to raise wages has made the ROI on this type of tech a lot more palatable.

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Maybe you're being underpaid too?

Well yeah. So where's my raise? Why do unskilled workers deserve 15/ hour for something a kiosk can do for them? Explain this to me.

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
Well yeah. So where's my raise?

Why do unskilled workers deserve 15/ hour for something a kiosk can do for them? Explain this to me.

I think the real question is, why does your so called skilled labor deserve more than them?

Why do you believe yourself to be their better?

originally posted by: Edumakated
The push to raise wages has made the ROI on this type of tech a lot more palatable.

The push to raise wages isn't effecting this at all. Think about it, in the places that have agreed to raise minimum wage to $15/hour, they've decided to phase it in over a period of 5 to 10 years. Workers asking for better wages lost this battle.

I heard tonight on an investment radio show I occasionally listen to that they're pegging inflation at about 3% per year right now. The minimum wage in these places that are jumping to $15 was already around $11. 3% inflation over 10 years takes a wage of $11/hour to $14.78. If inflation is above that (and we've had several inflationary economic policies lately, not to mention inflation on several goods in the 4% range for the last couple years) you get to $16.28. In fact, at 6 years you get to just shy of $15/hour at 4%.

By the time $15/hour wages are fully implemented, inflation is going to dictate that workers are going to need $20/hour or more to be where they were fighting to be when the $15 move started.

On the other hand, these kiosks are getting cheaper and cheaper to buy. Even if wages remained stagnant purchasing them would have made a good choice, but when inflation is constantly pushing up wages and new technologies are lowering the costs of hardware you have a situation where it's impossible kiosks to not be viable.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: Edumakated
The push to raise wages has made the ROI on this type of tech a lot more palatable.

The push to raise wages isn't effecting this at all. Think about it, in the places that have agreed to raise minimum wage to $15/hour, they've decided to phase it in over a period of 5 to 10 years. Workers asking for better wages lost this battle.

I heard tonight on an investment radio show I occasionally listen to that they're pegging inflation at about 3% per year right now. The minimum wage in these places that are jumping to $15 was already around $11. 3% inflation over 10 years takes a wage of $11/hour to $14.78. If inflation is above that (and we've had several inflationary economic policies lately, not to mention inflation on several goods in the 4% range for the last couple years) you get to $16.28. In fact, at 6 years you get to just shy of $15/hour at 4%.

By the time $15/hour wages are fully implemented, inflation is going to dictate that workers are going to need $20/hour or more to be where they were fighting to be when the $15 move started.

The push to raise wages most certainly has made these systems more attractive. The reason they haven't shown up sooner was that the math didn't make sense at current wage rates. However, when you start factoring increases in wages, the math starts to look a lot better.

While the companies may not come out and say it, you best believe increased wages is the first bullet point when discussing benefits of these systems in the board room.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha
Well yeah. So where's my raise?

Why do unskilled workers deserve 15/ hour for something a kiosk can do for them? Explain this to me.

I think the real question is, why does your so called skilled labor deserve more than them?

Why do you believe yourself to be their better?

Deserve more? I just said I'm underpaid as well and I ain't complaining.

If you want more money, don't work at McDonald's?

Seems obvious to me...

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

are you using your salary as a reason to justify someone elses low wages?

No. I'm using my low wages to wonder where dafuq they're getting 15/hour from

This is a job done by kids as a first job or people who have no ambition other than to go home and smoke up.

It used to be a job for teens... however, now when I go into fast food joints, the workers are older Hispanic immigrants for the most part.

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: NarcolepticBuddha

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

are you using your salary as a reason to justify someone elses low wages?

No. I'm using my low wages to wonder where dafuq they're getting 15/hour from

This is a job done by kids as a first job or people who have no ambition other than to go home and smoke up.

It used to be a job for teens... however, now when I go into fast food joints, the workers are older Hispanic immigrants for the most part.

Tell you what. When McDonald's starts paying 15/ hour to stand around and give customers extra ketchup, I will go work for them.