McDonald's to Replace Cashiers with Touch Screen Computers

Originally posted by TKDRL

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)

edit on Mon, 23 May 2011 12:10:15 -0500 by TKDRL because: (no reason given)

Great news, I prefer the service of a computer above that of a unschooled annoying kid or an ex junk...

Its not just mcdonalds. A jack in the box where i live has a self check out.

Its no difference then the self checkout in the grocery store. Its all downhill from here

reply to post by TKDRL


So they just conducted a national hiring day.And now those that were hired are goin to be let go anyway?
I knew this was a scam or there would be some catch.
What TF??

reply to post by wlasikiewicz


You're wrong about that... At a market you pick your food then you check out. At Mc Dee's you have to order your food first, pay, then recieve the product. If anything, the customer will be the one ripped off when they get the wrong order.

reply to post by TKDRL


It's about time. We don't need any unnessesary workers. We need more ROBOTS to replace them. Why have a worker, anyways. The high technologies of today will hopefully start to replace jobs. High end factories will do all the work with robots. I would enjoy life much more easier and have a robot do the work for me. A buissnessman will yeild more $ than a worker will ever do and do the job better. We need to speed up the building of more robots. We need robots, NOT workers. This touchscreen is headed in the right direction. THANKS, ronauld MCdonnel. You always give us a happy SMILE.

Originally posted by Uncle Gravity
Stopped using this Sh**hole when they gave donations to the IRA.

BS! lol read this pdf

and more debunking

Anyway, this news doesn't surprise me, now they can have more lines open for less cost so it becomes fastfood again
When I want junk/fastfood I want my food in 5 mins and that wasn't the case anymore.

I only liked the McBacon to be honest, but when they stopped producing it, I stopped visiting.

It's frightening that McDonalds is only growing bigger and a real shame that resources will be unnecessarily wasted to create machines to keep that determent to society running. Not to mention further desocialize us and create the illusion of "convenience".
I don't agree with humans or machines serving their food. That corporation needs to be demolished.

Originally posted by thegoods724
your an idiot already.

Hmmm...

I've tried to follow all the pages, and perhaps I overlooked some, but it seems no one brought up the reasons for this?

This is in France (I am not surprised, they already exist at our local McDonalds).

Do any of you know about the laws here in France, concerning employee security?
Do you know it is virtually impossible to fire an employee, unless they actually kill a customer? This makes it very very hard for McDonalds to uphold any exigences upon their employees here.
It is very easy for employees to make claims when disgruntled and get huge amounts of money.

The taxes employers pay for employees are huge! To put it simply, for each employee salary you pay each month, you must pay the exact same amount to the state each month. That severly limits how many you can afford to take on.

If a female employee gets pregnant? She has the right, by law, to get three years off WITH PAY and a guarantee to get her job back after those three years (or six years, if she has a second child, nine if she gets another bun in the oven...). My ex employer was paying salaries for three secretaries at a time- one got pregnant and left, so he had to hire another. The second one got pregnant, while the first decided to get pregnant again at the end of her three year leave, so he had to hire a third.

This is very difficult when you are hiring young people in the height of their reproductive urges.....

A computer costs less, doesn't sue you for asking you to work two hours on a sunday, you can fix it if it isn't performing correctly, and doesn't get pregnant- lots of benefits!

reply to post by TheIrvy


As a parent I appreciate cashiers. When you have to keep track of a toddler, get your card out, having someone do it for you makes life easier.

reply to post by TKDRL


I'd enjoy it, I hate repeating myself 500 times and still getting the wrong thing.

Good time to buy a McDonalds!! Less payroll, payroll tax, insurance expenses to pay.

This is a great idea. Maybe they can finally get your order right then.

still doubtful.

I bet they still [snip] up your order.

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.

Originally posted by Grey Magic

Originally posted by Uncle Gravity
Stopped using this Sh**hole when they gave donations to the IRA.

BS! lol read this pdf

and more debunking

Anyway, this news doesn't surprise me, now they can have more lines open for less cost so it becomes fastfood again
When I want junk/fastfood I want my food in 5 mins and that wasn't the case anymore.

I only liked the McBacon to be honest, but when they stopped producing it, I stopped visiting.

edit on 24-5-2011 by Grey Magic because: added another link

How is it going to make things faster? Consider that -

- Some customers (guaranteed) will be confused with the touchscreen.
- There still will be workers in the back making the food.
- There is absolutely no guarantee the touchscreens will be accurate. And some will definitely breakdown, have errors, etc.

I find it hard to believe they won't have a worker up near the machines. If not that has disaster written all over it.

Isn't McDonalds like a union or something? Regardless, they will simply find other work for the employee's that were cashiers to do. I doubt anyone will lose their job over this. If it increases efficiency like they say it does, and theoretically it makes sense, then they will need more staff in back making the food. It's really just a win-win. I'd prefer this technology.

I think this is a GREAT idea, now there will be no translation problems, special requests will be easier, etc. Id rather a computer terminal than some clueless buffoon who can't even work the register. Now all we need is to hope the people who make the food can read English well enough to understand what is being asked ....

Several fast food chain already do this such as Cheeseburger Cheeseburger and I think it's a great thing.

Nice, McDonald's is combining two of my favorite things: Robots and greasy food.

I can't wait.

Originally posted by TKDRL


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 stopped eating at McDonalds years ago when I learned that they were in support of Shari'a by serving halal foods. Personally, I hope that they do go to the automated tellers and alienate themselves from their customer base, thereby bringing about their own ruination.