Who's Gonna Wear Their Paper Hats or The Robots are Replacing Us
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25797)
United States
June 20, 2019 8:39am CST
I saw an article today saying the US House was close to passing a $15-an-hour minimum wage law. This is mostly symbolic since the GOP led Senate will never agree to such an increase.
One of the consequences of such a law being seriously considered is the replacement of minimum wage workers with kiosks, such as the one recently installed at a local McDonalds restaurant. The kiosks are faster, more accurate, and don't get attitudes with customers. They don't call in sick, take vacations, or want holidays off. Thousands of such kiosks have already replaced workers in fast-food restaurants around the country. Many retail stores - Target, Lowes, Harris Teeter, WalMart, just to name a few around here - have already installed self-checkout registers and reduced the number of employees needed from 4 to 1.
A $15-an-hour minimum wage law is sure to accelerate the replacement of more workers.
Do you use kiosks and/or self-checkout registers? What have your experiences been?
11 people like this
11 responses
@Scrapper88 (5980)
• United States
20 Jun 19
I would rather deal with a person than a machine when I go out,
3 people like this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jun 19
@DWDavis I truly do not like those tabletop kiosks at restaurants. One of the first times we used it to pay, it felt rather awkward and incomplete. We weren't exactly sure if we should say bye and thank you at least to the waitress before we left - we weren't even sure if we should leave at that point. We did, but no one said bye and thank you to us . . . it was just weird.
2 people like this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
20 Jun 19
There is a growing discussion in developed countries about providing a minimum sustainment income to people who once filled jobs now being done by machines. Years ago, I would have scoffed at the idea. The "invasion" of the kiosks into restaurants and retail stores now has me wondering if such a thing might not become a necessity.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (209240)
• United States
20 Jun 19
Self checkouts from time to time..I have used kiosks other places, but not McDonalds. I think it would be quite silly to raise the minimum wage to 15 because as soon as they do, the price of everything else will go up, and we will be in the same situation in 10 years or sooner.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
20 Jun 19
The inflation an increase in the minimum wage would cause is always downplayed by supporters of the increase. They are counting on the fact that most Americans don't understand just how far reaching the effects would be.
Everyone who is now making less than $15-an-hour would see a raise, not just those making the current minimum. Anyone working a 40-hour-a-week job making less than $31,200 a year would get a raise.
Also, many union contracts are tied to the minimum wage. Wages for union workers are a multiple of the minimum. So, a working currently making 3 times by minimum wage under their contract is earning $21.75-an-hour. Their pay would increase to $45-an-hour automatically if the minimum wage increases to $15. A union member making $36.25-an-hour under the same type of contract would get a pay increase to $75-an-hour. Just imagine how many layoffs would result.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86939)
• United States
20 Jun 19
The kiosks have made things worse in Mickey D’s. Humans don’t man the registers so you have to wait or else use the kiosk.
They’re getting slower than Taco Bell!
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
20 Jun 19
It depends on the store's management. Our local McDonalds seems to have it worked out pretty well. If you're eating in, you take a number tent and find a table. Then an employee brings you your food. If you're taking out, there is a queue you stand in until your order # is called. The still have 2 registers for people who won't use the kiosks, but those are only manned if someone stands there and waits for an associate to come to help them.
1 person likes this
@Dena91 (17038)
• United States
20 Jun 19
We do use self check outs and have had no problems with it. Don't eat fast food often so haven't seen anything in any place like that.
I think this is a be careful what you wish for situation. Do I think people who work those jobs ought to make that much per hour? Not really. I think they ought to make a decent wage but $15 seems a bit much. This coming from one who worked in her youth at places like that for $3.35/hour. I was satisfied then that I was making a decent wage for the work I was doing.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jun 19
Such devices were inevitable and wage increases just hastens the process. Everyone who loves tech will have to realize this is a negative side effect and yet more jobs lost to modern tech. People can't complain about self checkout replacing humans because anyone who buys online is helping to kill jobs and stores.
So far, I have no problems using self checkout but see the day of long lines waiting to use them.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
20 Jun 19
Today for lunch, I used a kiosk at Panera Bread to place my order. There was a cashier on duty and a long line of people waiting to place orders. Using the kiosk made sense for me and I was sitting waiting for my buzzer to go off while the people in line were still waiting to place their order.
1 person likes this
@popciclecold (40214)
• United States
21 Jun 19
They have them in the Walmart I shop. They have taken at least 5 registers, I have never used one, but I bet in the future I will have too.
1 person likes this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Jun 19
Although I use it on occasion - I try not to. In fact my son and I were at WalMart earlier and we skipped out on the self-checkout . . . I explained to him we take away jobs by using them. So we went in line and dealt with a real cashier - much more pleasant, I think!
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (136091)
• Marion, Ohio
20 Jun 19
I dont use them. As you said it can replace several workers. A better minimum wage does nothing if there is no jobs.
1 person likes this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
22 Jun 19
I use the ATM at the bank. I don't know if any bank tellers lost their jobs when those came along.
The grocery store has self checkouts. Hubby asked a cashier if they reduced the number of positions and was told they didn't.
He uses it, I don't. He says mostly people with a small number of items uses self checkout.
A lot of staff are going around the grocery store with huge carts, filling orders for people who shop online. Maybe that took up the extra cashier's time.
The kiosk at McDonald's doesn't prepare or package the food orders, so I don't see that it has reduced jobs either.
Alberta's minimum wage is $15/ hour. $13 for students under 18.
1 person likes this
