McDonald's to Replace Cashiers with Touch Screen Computers

Originally posted by caladonea
Ok...so what if you want to pay cash?......will the machine take cash too....and make change? Or will they have another machine that you put your cash in and a McDonald's credit card pops out...and then you go to the ordering machine?

I am confused. Help!...lol

Go into the outside world and see for yourself, stop being lazy.

Sweet, I hate dealing with the idiots that take my order

They cant make a decent living working there anyway

I replaced all of my on site managers at my storage rental facilities with touch screen kiosks a couple of years ago, its worked like a charm.

Originally posted by DuceizBack

Originally posted by caladonea
Ok...so what if you want to pay cash?......will the machine take cash too....and make change? Or will they have another machine that you put your cash in and a McDonald's credit card pops out...and then you go to the ordering machine?

I am confused. Help!...lol

Go into the outside world and see for yourself, stop being lazy.

Go back and read my post again...I revised it...and who exactly are you...to tell me what to do and call me lazy....you don't know me and what I am about.....

reply to post by mishigas


All I'll say to that is that sure companies grow and prosper (even one as dirty as McDonalds because backdoor deals run rampant) but there should be a more open and available program out there that would allow people to find their talents when they get layed off not of their own doing (machines taking over their jobs) so both society, and they benefit.

If the government put into place programs to get people into say.. an art class one day, dance class the next, then another sort of thing the day after, they could pick and choose what class to stick with, then get a welfare sort of check each month until they figure something out.

That can't be implanted today because of greed. Because it would take away say.. a cruise boat of some politician. Everyone is equal. Some are misguided (either at the top and hungering for power or at the bottom and lost). There's lots of misguided these days and it must be taken care of before it eats us alive, which it will if this is not resolved. This is only worsening the problem.

reply to post by grey580


Sad as hell, even sadder I can picture the whole scene in my head quite clearly....

It's weird how people defend big corporations moves even when it means nothing good for anyone except for potentially the shareholders of the company.

As someone that has had first hand experience working with automated machines in place of people - they are not reliable, they break down, customers often times don't understand how they work. It's very debatable that a company's line on something like this "it'll be more convenient for the consumer" is even true. In my experience, it isn't.

But again, when more companies implement these in place of actual people, it'll mean even more unemployment.

I get the feeling that people who say "oh, the dropout won't get a job, boo hoo" are the same people that think the US is a nanny state. Well, this will make it even worse! Can't have it both ways...

Originally posted by caladonea
Ok...so what if you want to pay cash?......will the machine take cash too....and make change? Or will they have another machine that you put your cash in and a McDonald's credit card pops out...and then you go to the ordering machine?

I am confused. Help!...lol


I did some more research and answered my own question...lol....they are not going to accept cash...just credit cards and debit cards...and those cards will all be chipped....interesting.

edit on 23-5-2011 by caladonea because: add more info

The Jack in the Box kiosk did take bills and coins and gave back change.

That is so weird!! I was at McDonalds today and thought to myself what if McDonalds replaced their cashiers with touch screen computer system.

OMG OMG OMG
I can't believe my thoughts came true.

reply to post by origamiandurbanism


I can't have it both ways, BUT I can have it "my way" at Burger King......LOL

All they are doing is cutting out the middle man. When you tell the cashier what you want, they are just punching it in to the screen for you.

Smart business move IMO

reply to post by topdog30


when you start replacing the face of the company with computers it will put some people off, some people enjoy the interaction, like to ask a few questions, some people cannot get to grips with computers and may opt instead for a human cashier elsewhere, others may have bad eyesight, it turns the company into an unemotional experience. in my opinion a companies image is important and those who are the face of the company are important. i think it is a bad move in the long run.

but having said that i could not care less and think in this case it would be benefical overall if it equals less people eating mcdonalds.

reply to post by Mdv2


I agree with what you are saying. People think that a job is so important, whats wrong with making things easier. I believe if we can keep it up, eventually we wont have to slave at work every day and actually have the incentive to contribute in society without earning a buck first.

Problem is, more of these "moron" jobs as people like to call them get replaced by machines, that means less "morons" working, and more on welfare. Would you rather a "moron" working a "moron job", or sucking money from the rest of us? Corporations hiring illegals, replacing more with computers, most won't care, until it is their line of work getting the shaft.

Originally posted by lifeform11
reply to post by topdog30

 

when you start replacing the face of the company with computers it will put some people off, some people enjoy the interaction, like to ask a few questions, some people cannot get to grips with computers and may opt instead for a human cashier elsewhere, others may have bad eyesight, it turns the company into an unemotional experience. in my opinion a companies image is important and those who are the face of the company are important. i think it is a bad move in the long run.

but having said that i could not care less and think in this case it would be benefical overall if it equals less people eating mcdonalds.

I understand what you're saying and it was something I had to think long and hard about before making the decision. I first implemented the kiosks so people would be able to rent a storage unit late at night. It was working great so I thought about how it would save me money by not having to pay someone $35k a year to sit on there arse all day in the ac just waiting on people. I figured a machine could do that for a lot less money. Just about all of the other storage facility owners I talk to have made the change as well. It has yet to affect the cash flow.

I was in the grocery store recently and my bill was $10.10. I only had a $20. I gave the middle aged woman at the till the extra 10 cents I found in my pocket after she rang in my $20, and she couldn't figure out how much change to give me.

Neither could the cashier next to her, the cashier on the other side of her, or the cashier supervisor that was called over. She couldn't even figure out how to work a calculator to do if for her. She had to return the dime and give me the change showing at the till - I'm NOT kidding.

Every single person in the lineup behind me went to another register. I met one on the way out and she told me "it wasn't because you were taking too long, it was because we didn't trust the cashier with our money".

I haven't been back to the store since.

What's the difference anyway ... Most of these cashiers are like autonomous robots already.

Originally posted by Jetman44
reply to post by origamiandurbanism

 

I can't have it both ways, BUT I can have it "my way" at Burger King......LOL

That reminds me, is it just me or has fast food in general gotten worse and worse over the past 10 to 20 years? I remember BK actually being pretty good in the 80's. I can't eat there anymore. Same goes for McD's (although they were always pretty gross). Tacobell is another, they used to make most of their food (shredded cheese, refried beans, etc.) at the actual restaurants but now all the food is pre-made and shipped in and boy do they suck now.

Originally posted by mishigas
reply to post by TheWalkingFox

 

Are you employed?

Think you'd do very well if you were unemployed?

No I'm not employed. I get by.

Think you would survive if you were unemployed and nobody was hiring because htey had "streamlined" their operations and no long had any employees beyond the guy who wipes down the touch screens?

Then I'd have to find a way to earn independently. Thankfully I've never been in that position where I couldn't earn, even if only as a 1099. I've delivered newspapers as a second job for years when times were lean. I've done other jobs. When I would get laid off, I would find other menial work. There was always work out there, even during the Carter years.

The point is, if you make a job at McD's the sum total of you career achievement, then life is going to be tough, unless your skills match their needs. That's life in the business world.

It's easy to shake your cane at the sky when you're in a position of privilege over those who you are condemning, isn't it?

I resent that. I'm not condemning anybody, and you are rude to infer that I am. But you do a great disservice to people if you convince them that society owes them a job. So McD's installs touch screens. Learn how to service computer equipment, I guarantee you you'll always have a job for the next 10 years. Plenty of time to gain other skills for your next step.

Ironically, no you probably won't have a job even if you did move over to the tech. side of the business. The global market is literally awash with technicians and engineers,both employed and unemployed, who have far more experience than someone just coming out of tech. school. Everyone's on the techie bandwagon again and it's creating structural and technological unemployment.

No matter how many jobs are replaced by technology, there will still be only so many tech. related jobs available go around. As the technology becomes cheaper,more reliable and efficient, the number of people required to produce and maintain the equipment will decrease over time. At some point, people have to wake up and accept the fact they may be squeezed out of the workforce permanently as time goes by.

how about replacing their burger patty with actual beef.