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Say goodbye to cashiers in 2,500 U.S. McDonalds by the end of 2017.
- Thread starter KSweeley
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RastaMentality
Banned
It's usually older people. which i'm fine with because self checkout is super quick for me.
Red Liquorice
Member
Awkward conversations like "Can I have a burger please" ?
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
I only worry for the people that have to rely on low paying jobs to make a living. Shit sucks if you don't have a degree in anything.
TheCochese
Banned
I used one of these at a small-town GA one of all places, and it was great.
Sucks for the jobs lost, but it's a better experience. If anything, the switch to automation doesn't need to be smooth and gradual, but a culture shock. It's the only thing that will advance the notion of a guaranteed income. Not that I necessarily agree with such things, but at least the conversation will pick up.
Just wait until they start seriously automating the kitchens, Wall Street's gonna go crazy..
Uber Eats already delivers McDonalds in some places, and once Uber has self driving cars/drones you won't ever have to go near another person.
Uber Eats already delivers McDonalds in some places, and once Uber has self driving cars/drones you won't ever have to go near another person.
2-3 people for 12 machines >>> 12 people on 12 tills.
Low skilled jobs are always at risk of being lost. It has happened before and it will happen again. Sucks for them but there's not other option. Stop making progress? lol. All that can be done is attempting to re-train or trying to find a new job/adapt to the future.
Wolf Akela
Member
This has been a thing in New Zealand for at least a year now. There are still cashiers, and people use the kiosks maybe 1/2 or 2/3 of the time. I personally prefer kiosks, but I hate self checkout in groceries.
Manual jobs get automated. It's really inevitable. No one alive is still lamenting over the loss of manual phone line operators from decades ago.
I still share the sentiment that we still need universal basic income. The jobs that technology made redundant can't exactly be completely covered by new jobs that technology made necessary.
Manual jobs get automated. It's really inevitable. No one alive is still lamenting over the loss of manual phone line operators from decades ago.
I still share the sentiment that we still need universal basic income. The jobs that technology made redundant can't exactly be completely covered by new jobs that technology made necessary.
Byakuya769
Member
Has anyone considered all the programming jobs this will create for those displaced cashiers? Like, at least one per digital kiosk.
Lol yep.
TheOfficeMut
Unconfirmed Member
I don't think the issue is sympathy. I think the issue is that some people would rather things remain forever static while halting change.
Example of the type of mentality I find detrimental.
Sub_Level
wants to fuck an Asian grill.
They got 1 person overseeing 6 machines in my walmart. So I'd still say thats a net gain both for the investors (less wage expense) and the customer (more lines available).
A lot of restaurants already have tablet ordering systems for the staff, so it wouldn't be a gigantic task to pretty it up a bit and do something like this. Here in the UK Wetherspoons have an app you can order and pay on.
The main question is whether people will sacrifice service for convenience. At fast food restaurants and chains I can see it becoming more common, mainly because the service is mostly crap anyway.
I think it's the only charm about going to Mcdonalds and other fast food restaurants of the like... if i wanted good service i'd go somewhere that tasted way better.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
That would suck to be a programmer at McDonalds.
Honestly I would be very very surprised if hardly anyone lost their jobs. Turnover for employment at McDonald's is huge. Employees are more than just a cashier and I would see them doing this through attrition.
Amory
Member
I don't think it "ends" with this, but the calls for universal income on this forum when some cashiers are replaced by basic tablets are pretty ridiculous
Wolf Akela
Member
Nah. Not all cashiers can or are interested in programming or IT. Even then, you don't need one programmer / IT per kiosk.
TheOfficeMut
Unconfirmed Member
To be fair, I think self-checkout at grocery stores is pretty premature and definitely susceptible to malfunction. That definitely needs to be improved, and if the rumors are true, then they'll also be obsolete once people can just add things to their cart and walk right out the store while automatically being charged.
RumblingRosco
Member
I used to operate 4 machines at my old Walmart. They were super easy to manage and rarely broke down - 90% of the time, if they broke down, it was user error and was simple for me to fix. The only failures that ever occurred were mechanical, not digital/software-based, e.g., the change dispenser locked up or the little feeder that accepted bills wouldn't accept any bills anymore.
I suspect many of you don't eat at McDonalds often. In my experience (I eat at McDonalds around 1x per week), there usually is NO dedicated cashier already. There is someone who has the side duty of being a cashier, but they also fill drinks, get ice cream cones, get fries, etc.
There is only a dedicated cashier at very busy, foot traffic heavy McDonalds. Your average suburban McDonalds with a drive-thru is primarily geared to service cars and not the dining room. I don't think the local McDonalds I usually go to would be able to take even one person off of shift with this change.
Edit: and for the "robots take mah jerbs" people.... wake me up when productivity is exceeding 3% growth
There is only a dedicated cashier at very busy, foot traffic heavy McDonalds. Your average suburban McDonalds with a drive-thru is primarily geared to service cars and not the dining room. I don't think the local McDonalds I usually go to would be able to take even one person off of shift with this change.
Edit: and for the "robots take mah jerbs" people.... wake me up when productivity is exceeding 3% growth
Most people in this thread are not saying stay static, they are empathizing. Coming in and telling others they should not say anything if they use technology is not helpful.
diablos991
Can’t stump the diablos
No, it's the dude making the food who messes up your order now.
That's half the failure points.
I'm excited to see what these places can automate in the cooking process as well.
I welcome the robot controlled fast food joints.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
The reality is we'll have more people that can't afford rent and insurance.
TheOfficeMut
Unconfirmed Member
I didn't say most people, I said some.
So we should stop trying to improve technology?
What about the jobs technology will create? What about making progress? What about improving service quality?
None of that is important?
There will be less room for amounts of employees as these take over.
This is a money saving move. You ain't saving money by keeping all these people on and installing these machines.
I think I've seen one so far in this thread.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Sucks for the people losing their jobs, but yeah, I mean, what do they really do? I'd much rather just order from a touch screen, pay with my card, and pick the order up when it's ready.
FreedomFighter
Member
What happens in capitalism when goods and services are made in abundance but not many people can buy them because they have no jobs and no money?
And yeah, the argument is "people should acquire skills useful to the market" and all that but how feasible is this when less and less money is being allocated to education and people have to take out massive student loans?
America is SPD'ing itself into the ground and has only itself to blame.
And yeah, the argument is "people should acquire skills useful to the market" and all that but how feasible is this when less and less money is being allocated to education and people have to take out massive student loans?
America is SPD'ing itself into the ground and has only itself to blame.
Theonik
Member
But I shop at places like this precisely BECAUSE they eliminated cashiers.
theechrisfox
Member
The only technology that republicans do not fearfully shit their pants over.
TurnipFritters
Member
I don't know, it isn't that crazy: A large segment of American jobs are service jobs, and companies are working hard to get rid of them, and it's like, maybe we need to be prepared to handle the mass unemployment that's coming.
Yeah, they've been phasing them in for about a year now.
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
I'm studying for a STEM degree, believe me when I say I'm one of the last people who have a problem with progress. It's not the progress that's bothering me but the fact that people are very clearly going to get hurt as this spreads and barely anyone is concerned about trying to mitigate that.
The Obama administration tried to warn people. No one listened.
And then just starve to death I guess.
TBiddy
Member
It took almost three pages before someone cracked and posted shit like that. I'm impressed.
It sucks for those who are touched by this change, but in reality very few will be fired. People will stop because of natural causes (moving on to a new job, education and what have you) and that's more or less it.
Don't know where you live, but if a supermarket in the US did what your last paragraph did, they would bleed money from shoplifting. What's to stop a person in that situation from only scanning 2 out of 3 items in their bag? Buy enough food and it'd take awhile for any employee to sort out what's amiss.
Epsilon-delta
Banned
Love the sarcasm lol.
I've been using the McDonalds in my town that already is automated.
No os in complaining about the machines being hard to use, they are very intuitive and "stupid-proof". You go to the machine (they are huge vertical touch screens), choose your stuff, wait and when it's your number you just go and pick up your food.
The people that were taking orders, are now handing them out and are available in case someone needs help with something.
Works perfectly tbh. No delays because cashier is slow, or because some asshole is paying with 500 cents... Very straightforward and very consumer-friendly.
Cashier jobs will just turn into assistance and handing out orders.
No os in complaining about the machines being hard to use, they are very intuitive and "stupid-proof". You go to the machine (they are huge vertical touch screens), choose your stuff, wait and when it's your number you just go and pick up your food.
The people that were taking orders, are now handing them out and are available in case someone needs help with something.
Works perfectly tbh. No delays because cashier is slow, or because some asshole is paying with 500 cents... Very straightforward and very consumer-friendly.
Cashier jobs will just turn into assistance and handing out orders.
i won't shop at places that do this. now you do it. now we've banded together.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
McDonalds the new coal industry. Somebody save them!!11
Charles Brandon
Member
Well, basically it's on trust. I've only seen it at an upscale chain (Waitrose) where most of the people there are wealthy enough not to need to steal. You do get audited (very) occasionally but really, unless you get the audit, there is nothing to stop you robbing the store blind. This is in the UK.
Giant Panda
Member
Why would I not shop at places with better service? In my experience the self serve kiosks have been great.
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