McDonald's to Replace Cashiers with Touch Screen Computers

McDonald's to Replace Cashiers with Touch Screen Computers

ca.news.yahoo.com

McDonald's restaurants in Europe will soon be swapping the chain's legendary "service with a smile" with "service with a beep." European McDonald's restaurants are preparing to replace cashiers with touch screen computers at terminals where customers will be able to order up their hamburgers and fries and pay with credit cards.

About 7,000 of the fast food franchise's locations in the United Kingdom will be fitted with the touch screen technology, which aims to make the McDonald's experience more convenient and accommodating.

The touch screen method of ordering will improve efficiency and make the average transaction three to four seconds faster for each customer, Steve Easterbrook, president of the European branch of McDonald's, told the Financial Times.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, I remember someone posting a feelgood story earlier this year about mcdonalds hiring a bunch of people in the US. Is this their scheme now? To replace workers with machines elsewhere? If I was in the UK, I would not be spending my money there, that is for sure... Then again their food is nasty, I wouldn't eat there regardless.

ca.news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I am not sure how bad this is, its either you get a mexican that can barely speak english, or a kiosk that forces you to think on how to make an order. Both suck, if only they could pass the saving onto the customer. But if your actually eating mcdonalds to begin with well, your an idiot already.

McDonalds isnt that bad if you only have it every now and then, but replacing hum and for simple touch screens isnt the way to go. Supermarkets here (UK) have self service cashier machines where you scan your own food and pay with either cash or card and thats gets ripped off loads so the McDonalds one will only be the same. McDonalds will loose more than they make with this one.

I seldom eat their swill but I can see the advantages if this. This didn't happen at McDonald's, Tim Horton's actually(Canada's major coffee chain), The kids couldn't make change without me telling them, "That's 1 quarter, a dime and a nickle." I weep for the future.

I have to admit that this news is dreadful in the amount of spotty teens that will lose their jobs but I guess that is the way it is going.. as many supermarkets here already have self service bleep bleep tills..

fortunately I have never met a smiling McD cashier so I'm guessing I won't miss that part on the very very rare times I buy one of their coffees.

People have always feared innovation, but it's actually helping us. Sometimes I feel like saying to these people: get over it. Why should humans do work that computers can easily handle. I understand the controversy due to the high employment rate, but that's caused humans who destroyed the world economy, not by computers.

I doubt McDonalds will stop taking cash any time soon, these self service tills are just going to be along side the normal tills like they do in supermarkets.

I guess the feel good moment of 62,000 new jobs is gone. Obama needed the news to divert the masses from all the crap he's been pulling but how can eliminating all the cashiers be an increase in jobs?

This new tech will surely leap to N. America and take jobs away here also. McD's is a cookie cutter whereas everything they do is spread to all other chain outlets.

Obama got a boost in popularity, McD's got a pass from ObamaCare....hmmm.

McDonald’s Hires 62,000 in U.S. Event, 24% More Than Planned

www.bloomberg.com...

McDonald’s and its franchisees hired 62,000 people in the U.S. after receiving more than one million applications, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said today in an e-mailed statement. Previously, it said it planned to hire 50,000.

Well they've already replaced the chicken in the chicken nuggets and the beef in the hamburgers, why not the cashiers too!

reply to post by jude11


I think a better question is, "Why is Obama being brought into a topic on European business?"

reply to post by TKDRL


Ha Ha!

This story deserves to drag this gem out of hiding:

Originally posted by jjkenobi
Well they've already replaced the chicken in the chicken nuggets and the beef in the hamburgers, why not the cashiers too!

So even less reason to be sentimental. You'd think one has plenty of reason to boycott McDonald's anyway.

When have people ever been known to go to Mcdonalds for the warm customer service? It's about fast food and if computers can do it quicker then it makes the food faster right?

yeay....more nasty things to touch just before i eat...great!

personally
i dont like giving money to machines...a phonebox ate mt money the other day and none believed me...i prefer giving my money to a person with a name tag...somone i can hunt if there is a problem with the financial side.

reply to post by thegoods724


I think its better than the current model. I'd much rather be frustrated with a terminal than at some slouch who barely speaks English and keeps needing to get the manager to over ride a transaction they buggered up.

As far as McDonalds goes - its smart. Tough to give the terminal a beat down the way some of their staffs have been getting hammered recently and they don't have the liability of having some worker stand by and watch a customer get nearly beat to death by a couple of animals.

My only issue is that these screens will be absolutely filthy.

Maybe this will help their pathetic service.

I have not seen a teen working at McDonalds in years.

Where I live you don't even see a teen working.

Beside it being beneath their cradle to grave entitlement thought process.

One of their friends might see them.

A teenage fate worse than death...

For the bacterially conscientious. Or whatever they call it in your country.

Originally posted by intrepid
reply to post by jude11

 

I think a better question is, "Why is Obama being brought into a topic on European business?"

finally a bit of sense....why is he responsible for unemployment caused by industries that have nought to do with the public sector....

for years industries boycott presidents and print stories claiming the president is responsible for unemployment.
you should ask why they boycott and not allow growth in obamas 4yrs....republicans hey

ps...cute sanitizer....what do you think will happen if we all use these for the next 10 yrs...immune bacteria or a weakened tollerance...?

What happens when I don't use a credit/debt card?