McDonald’s Automated Kiosks, Greed vs. Need

McDonald’s Restaurants across the country are bringing in new automate ordering kiosks and cashier systems to replace human workers! Of course there’s a lot of opinions from both sides. Excited customers can rest easy knowing that “no one will mess up my order now” to “the pricing will stay the same!” and unhappy workers who cry “greed” to the corporate heads. What is the verdict?

We Already Knew This Day Would Come

In the futuristic movies, science fiction shows, etc.. Holograms or robots take orders and handle the most basic, mechanical tasks. We all knew this day was coming! But it doesn’t necessarily eliminate the need for these type of human workers.

 

As a fast food joint, it really makes sense for McDonald’s to be incorporating automated ordering systems. It is, in essence, a giant, fancy vending machine. People who come to fast food restaurants want a quick meal with little hassle. Automated ordering systems can speed up lines, confusions, and frustration, fitting for a fast food restaurant!

The future is here! Embrace it! We already knew this day would come…

This Does Not Mean Doomsday For Cashiers!

Just as GMO’s were on the rise and mass producing vegetables took over the market, new industries always rise! We saw it with the rise of “organic” labeled food and drinks. A new niche is born for those who wanted “healthier,” high class alternatives.

In the same respect, human interaction is always a warm welcome at high end restaurants and places where the environment is less “rushed.” So cheer up cashiers, your life isn’t over! Though you should seriously reconsider if being a minimum wage cashier or waiter is really a viable career path?

There will always be those cunning, entrepreneurs who will see an opening for this new type of niche as automation takes over! Even as we see fast food, $1 burgers taking over the market, there is still a demand for good,, delicious hand made $20 burgers! The same is true for any industry and will be true of an industry requiring human interaction!

Protesters Brought This Upon Themselves

So many riots, protests, and marches, all in the name of a “living wage.” What these protesters didn’t realize is how the economy works. In a world where labor costs increase, but everything else remains at equilibrium, the only logical option would be to reduce labor!

 

Many arguments were made such as, “The consumer can handle an extra $2 increase for their food…” What these greedy workers blatantly ignored was the fact that they were totally and completely replaceable by machines.

They set themselves up for their own loss! Just as the minimum wage would be unnaturally raised, so the protesters unnaturally accelerated their own inevitable doom!

Just as the minimum wage would be unnaturally raised, so the protesters unnaturally accelerated their own inevitable doom!

Perhaps it was pure greed that blinded them from the truth. Economists, business owners, analysts told them that the labor force would be reduced and/or replaced if the minimum wage was converted into a “living wage.” Instead they blinded themselves from that truth, refused to believe it, all they could focus on was the dollar signs that they so desperately wanted.

Maybe deep down inside, they knew all along this would happen. That half of their co-workers would get fired. And maybe, deep down inside, they truly hoped that you would be the “chosen” one to keep their job with a fancy new wage! Greed truly leaves “every man for himself.”

The solution: Workers should equip themselves with marketable skills, not sob stories. Governments should address poverty through practical education and non-monetary resources, not via proxy, through managers and the private sector.

The Media Criticizes McDonald’s!

Forbes discussed in a recent article that the automated kiosks would be “useless to 70%” of the customers.[1] Perhaps inferring that McDonald’s decision to automate was unwise or not as helpful as it seems?

The rationale behind their reasoning was that 70% of McDonald’s business comes via the drive thru. Did they not expect a kiosk to work at the drive thru such as how many banks operate?

And even if kiosks are impractical for drive thru needs, why would one assume that whoever you are speaking to over the microphone is necessarily inside that McDonalds? Shouldn’t it be obvious that if the minimum wage continues to rise unnaturally, that outsourcing to other countries such as India is a definite possibility?

Imagine speaking to someone from India at a drive thru speaker. That person, on the other side of the world punches in your order and that order gets sent back to that McDonald’s location. That is a future that could very well become reality if people continue to demand higher pay jobs that other countries and workers are totally willing to take over for a fraction of the cost!

This is the Future, Don’t Fight it, Adapt!

As always, the best advice I can give to those who will be inevitably hurt by automation is: “Have skillets that can’t be automated!”

Some may make up excuses such as, “In the future, all jobs will be automated.” And although that statement is not necessarily true or false, it’s probably safe to assume that it won’t happen within any of our lifetimes… and your own lifetime is what you should be concerned with in regards to your own salary.

While many cry that they don’t want to go back to school or “don’t have the time” to learn new skills, others are out there, innovating, creating new opportunities for themselves and adapting to the market!

Please don’t curl up in a ball and cry if you loose your job to a machine! This is America, and capitalism is the economy of opportunity! With the internet one can do anything from selling on ebay, to learning just about any skill to do pretty much anything! Free information awaits!

We are here to support those who need an increase in their pay, don’t allow yourself to suffer by merely crying about it. By not taking action and setting yourself apart from the crowd, you are only hurting yourself and your future! Please don’t feel helpless in the greatest economy of our time! Look to the future and you will see opportunities can still be achieved!

Source:

  1. http://fortune.com/2015/08/25/mcdonalds-self-service-kiosk-problem/