McDonald's beginning to replace cashiers with touch screens

[wuliheron]

It's not just the cost of buying and maintaining the equipment. Customer satisfaction is probably a big part of the equation as well I'm sure. The technology has probably been cheaper for a while, but if it isn't easy to use and customers hate it, it would hurt business and they could potentially lose more in sales than they stand to gain from reduced operating costs. Obviously, though, McDonalds now thinks that the technology has finally gotten to the point (both in terms of cost and user friendliness) that it makes sense to deploy, at least in Europe where wages tend to be higher than the US and there's more incentive for automation like this.

Exactly, the difference in the cost to the consumer is secondary to their market share and over all profits. A lot of these places today just microwave your food and they could probably make the highest profit margins using a drive up vending machine they stock from a factory. The problem is customers would be turned off by the blatant reminder of the quality of the food they were eating and the idea of waiting in line to eat such cheap, unhealthy, mass produced food.

Reminds me a soup kitchen in Pennsylvania that fed the homeless. The were caught killing homeless people, and then feeding them to the homeless. Something straight out of Soylent Green, and only a few steps removed from the fast food business. A lot of small city kids when asked where food comes from automatically respond, "The factory!"

 

[HendrixFan]

What store is this?

I can't speak for his store, but I know in my area they are a negative unit unless things change. At the store I work at, the self checkouts average a little above 6 items per minute. We have 4 self checkouts with one person at the monitoring station. That is 24 items per minute with one worker. Compare that to an average speed worker on a checkstand that does around 28 items per minute, or a good one (presumably they put a better worker to oversee self checkout) can do 35 to 40 items per minute.

The self checkout is already reducing throughput at that point.

Then you factor in the time it takes a customer to bag an order at self checkout versus having the worker do it at a checkstand and the gap is widened in favor of the worker. Finally, there is a much more time spent counting and servicing the cash on the self checkout machines versus checker tills. That labor costs more than the regular checker labor. Finally, the machines seem to be much more problematic than the regular checkstands and require more service calls, each running additional expense.

All told, you reduce throughput per man hour, and spend more on backend labor and servicing. Maybe the technology will advance and make it financially feasible one day, but that day has not yet come.

 

[Vette73]

Sounds good until you get the idiots who cause an undecipherable error.

"PC LOAD LETTER" or maybe a Fail Whale.

http://technologizer.com/2008/09/18/errormessage/

No, i'm waiting for the story on how you can push the right button and get to edit the prices on that order.

 

[GTaudiophile]

At least the machines can properly add and subtract.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Another "it sucks to be a minimal-skills worker" news item. Of course, minimum wage laws and the price of labor have nothing whatsoever to do with the decision of employers to utilize automation in place of teenagers and high-school dropouts, nothing at all. Also, developments like this are even more reason to support "living wage" laws, right?

What's weird is that supposedly they just hired 50,000+ people.

There's nothing wrong with real technological innovation. Ideally the cost-savings will be passed on to the customers who will then have more money to spend on other goods and services which will end up employing the people displaced by order screens.

A high price for labor can be beneficial for society (aside from providing more people with a higher standard of living) in that it encourages technological innovation and the implementation of technology-based efficiencies. In contrast, a society with infinite inexpensive labor might not have any incentive to advance technologically.

Do you have some sort of a problem with service industry workers earning more money? You'd probably be amazed to learn that many of them might even have college educations (since there are far more people with college degrees than there are college-education-requiring jobs for them).

I get the sense that under the surface you are manifesting the, "I've got mine, F-you!" mentality.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Anyone actually think the capitalists will pass on the decreased labor costs to the customer instead of hookers and blow?

If all of their competitors utilized the same technology, eventually they would have to pass on a good portion of the cost-savings to the customers (unless they are a cartel or oligopoly).

 

[charrison]

What store is this?

It is an heb. It is not a company wide policy. The machines were replaced with a 4 person checker unit that is only possible to use if you have few items. I have not seens this config in any of the their other stores, so I suspect they are trying to find an option to machines and their costs.

 

[PokerGuy]

If all of their competitors utilized the same technology, eventually they would have to pass on a good portion of the cost-savings to the customers (unless they are a cartel or oligopoly).

Shhhhhhhhh! Don't confuse him with reality. In his world the evil capitalists just set prices wherever they want and make as much profits as they can stuff into their pockets. All at the expense of the poor sap who is forced to buy the product. Wait, that does describe obummercare, maybe he's onto something.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I can't speak for his store, but I know in my area they are a negative unit unless things change. At the store I work at, the self checkouts average a little above 6 items per minute. We have 4 self checkouts with one person at the monitoring station. That is 24 items per minute with one worker. Compare that to an average speed worker on a checkstand that does around 28 items per minute, or a good one (presumably they put a better worker to oversee self checkout) can do 35 to 40 items per minute.

Interesting perspective. Personally, I like the self-checkouts and yeah, I do kinda take my time with them. I'm also one of those assholes who bring reduced price items (day old donuts, etc.) or buy-one-free coupons to the self-checkout and then need to call the attendant to help me.

Also, if a store has 4 self checkouts it seems like at least one of them is non-functional about 25% of the time.

 

[Doppel]

No surprise, many of the big box already have this with automated cashiers. Adoption of those appears very slow, though. Lowes, home depot, walmart around me all have them but most people including me will go to a real person if one's available. A "professional" cashier can still ring items through quicker and doesn't have the stupid "please put item in bagging" issues, which always spring up due to item weight or whatever else. These will become more ubiquitous, though. Low-skill service jobs like that which can be replaced by a machine will be.

Also the average person appears super f*@(kin slow to move items through these machines. If it's more than 2-3 items they would just be better served having somebody else do it for them. RFID merchandise would do it great but that is still too expensive.

 

[Macamus Prime]

How is this a problem? You still need people to make the food and bring the food to the counter. Also, clean the McDonalds location. Manage it. Not much loss here.

Look at supermarkets and CVS - you have self check out, and there are still just as many cashiers. There is even an additional "floater" who clears the self check out when you fuck up the simple act of scanning a bar code.

Also, what are the savings on min wage VS the buying, installing and maintianing these machines? I bet it's a wash - which means, one of two things (or both):

1) McDonalds wants to ensure you get your order as quickly as possible, therefore they cut out the person who has to play the part of translator for your hungry stomach, burnt out brain and food hole.

2) American consumers are so fucking spoiled and bratty, they just got tired of having you give their employees shit over the fact that they missed the part when you mubbled out of your fat mouth 'no onions' and then go totally insane demanding you speak to a manager about how your awful day was ruined because you now have to remove 3 rings of raw onion from food you shouldn't be eating anyway.

Self serve is just fine. They did it in the 40s and 50s with automats. I welcome that model.

Also, you won't have someone offering you apple pies and cookies when ordering.

It's win/win people. Unless you look forward to someone "forcing" you to buy apple pies and cookies when eating McDonalds.

Wake up America - figuring out the simple shit isn't so hard or bad.

 

[Darwin333]

Considering a machine makes $0 and is cheap to buy and maintain, why would minimum wage have anything to do with this?

and is probably much less likely to fuck my order up...

 

[Macamus Prime]

and is probably much less likely to fuck my order up...

Not you per say, but there will be people who will fuck up the touch screen approach.

Have you ever stood behind the average moron at a CVS who can't figure out what "scan the item and place it into your bag" means?

 

[Genx87]

So does this mean no more YouTube videos of people going apeshit over messed up orders?

Probably worse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NstQnUkU0dw

 

[Schadenfroh]

Given the incompetence of the staff at my hometown's McDonalds, this would be a massive improvement, especially in the speed and math skills departments.

 

[ShawnD1]

Jack in the Box in Palo Alto, CA has one of these. After waiting in line for the bumbling fools at the grocery self check outs I don't see how this will speed anything up.

*scan item and put it down*
"please wait for an attendant"

This McDonalds thing is going to fail so hard. The self checkouts at grocery stores are fucking terrible. The ones at the hardware store are pretty ok though.

 

[Vette73]

*scan item and put it down*
"please wait for an attendant"

This McDonalds thing is going to fail so hard. The self checkouts at grocery stores are fucking terrible. The ones at the hardware store are pretty ok though.

Giant (Grocery Store) they work pretty good, same with lowes (Hardware not grocery).

Only place I will never use is wal-mart. Mind you I go to wal-mart maybe once every 6weeks or so. But their machine believes everybody is stealing. Scan item place in bag... PLEASE PLACE ITEM IN BAG... PLEASE PLACE ITEM IN BAG... PLEASE PLACE ITEM IN BAG... I start kicking the weight scale, wal-mart person comes over real fast. 1 item down, 7 more to go.

 

[Vette73]

Oh and they will remove them once they see how much people are stealing in produce.

I got a Fuji apple once and gues I got closer to the Pink Lady than the Fuji button. So I told a employee its wrong and I was undercharged. She did nto understand there is more than 1 type of apple and tried to show me my apple was there. I just gave her a "you're stupid" look and said thanks.

Lets see bananas $.49 a pound... apples $1.50... yep these red round things are my 5 pounds of "bananas". :sneaky:

 

[Jimmah]

This is only happening in Europe...at least for now...

I interviewed recently for a position coordinating the deployment of these across Ontario, so not just Europe. 2000+ stores are getting their networks upgraded, all existing tech ripped out and replaced with touch screens in the next 2 years.

 

[Veliko]

Assuming that the screens result in cheaper and more efficient service why would anyone be against them being introduced?

 

[theevilsharpie]

*scan item and put it down*
"please wait for an attendant"

This McDonalds thing is going to fail so hard. The self checkouts at grocery stores are fucking terrible. The ones at the hardware store are pretty ok though.

If these are like the Jack in the Box touch screen menus (I've used it at one of their San Diego locations), it's nothing like the self-checkout lanes at the supermarket.

 

[Vette73]

Assuming that the screens result in cheaper and more efficient service why would anyone be against them being introduced?

Same reason you don't get behind an old person with a check book in their hand at the grocery store.

I have had to help people at the self-checkout that could not figure that they have to press a button to use a CC, or where to sign, etc...
Hate to see how many people cause problems like "I wanted no mayo on this not extra I know I pressed the right button your machines are broken..." and you behind them waiting for your order.

i.e. you over estimate the intelligence of the average person.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Anyone actually think the capitalists will pass on the decreased labor costs to the customer instead of hookers and blow?

Oh well, it's not like they bothered to pay their employees in the first place. Same difference.

Helps to keep the prices stable for the product when the raw material costs may go up.

 

[Veliko]

Same reason you don't get behind an old person with a check book in their hand at the grocery store.

I have had to help people at the self-checkout that could not figure that they have to press a button to use a CC, or where to sign, etc...
Hate to see how many people cause problems like "I wanted no mayo on this not extra I know I pressed the right button your machines are broken..." and you behind them waiting for your order.

i.e. you over estimate the intelligence of the average person.

McDonalds will be installing these in existing restaurants so there will still be the normal tills for these people to use.

 

[Anubis]

if you have ever been to a Sheetz and gotten an MTO i cant see why you think this is a bad idea, sheetz has been doing it for well over a decade and it works flawlessly