So I went to one of those Taco Bell/KFC hybrids in Morrisville, NC and all the ordering was done through the gigantic touchscreens. No humans take orders there.
You think that’s bad, how about a vending machine that cooks the pizza!
But the Japanese still has the US beat, as usual.
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Call me old fashioned, but I actually enjoy good service.
The pizza vending machine won’t work very well when people want to order a pizza with “half sausage and bell peppers, half olives, anchovies and mushrooms.” And a pizza served “in 90 seconds” can’t possibly be any good.
I like the touch screen concept. Wawa uses something similar for their deli. You punch in your sandwich order and they make it for you. No telling the stupid employee 5 times your sandwich order only to have it wrong anyway. It works very well, I wish everything was like that.
Heh, no worries, even if the computer takes your order – a human still has plenty of time to screw it up.
And about the wanting good service comment – just don’t shop there anymore. Buy elsewhere. I hate the auto checkout lines in the supermarket – so I make sure I a) try to stay away from markets with them and b) never use them if they are offered.
People still need labor jobs – I’d rather pay a little more and have real people honestly employed – rather than Mr. Big Bucks making a couple more cents on my purchase. What happens when all of the cashier jobs are gone? Do you think everyone will go and become college graduates? Nope.
good now mayby they will stop putting tomatos on my taco supreme’s.
with every solution to a problem, a new problem arises. pepsi is probably eliminating some problems and alot of jobs by putting machines in their place, but other problems will occur because of it. they will probably spend more money maintaining the machines than they would have spent on a teenage cashier at min wage anyway
If you look at the ordering system for these places, the move makes sense. Usually you have some guy behind the counter pressing buttons on a touch screen (one designed so that even the stupidest of people can do it accurately). Why not just flip the screen around and let the customer do it himself?
And who do you complain to about the onions when you don’t like, or want, onions?
I too think I’d steer clear of kiosk order taking.
Have I heard someone complain about the jobs lost? What would you rather have: an illegal alien being paid minimum wage or a citizen (or legal H1B) being paid a living wage repairing these machines?
Pepsi is just doing their part to stop creating “jobs Americans won’t do.”
Reminds me of the staff-less cafeterias that used to be popular in NYC.
Fantastic idea. Those who complain about people losing their jobs – where do you think the money goes that the consumer saves? How about the higher-paying labor jobs that are created by these new machines which break down and need service, or need to be designed and built in the first place?
If anything, labor laws have created this trend. Employees cost more than they produce – machines don’t. If you want people to be employed, then eliminate the minimum wage laws so that those without experience can get it.
If you have ever stood in lline waiting for one of those “self service” registers at Home Depot, you know how horribly the system works. Most people are just too dumb to operate systems like this. They stare at the screen interminably, have two options and invariably pick the wrong one, get to the end of the ordering process and realize that they punched the wrong button 10 screens ago.
here do you think the money goes that the consumer saves? How about the higher-paying labor jobs that are created by these new machines which break down and need service,
How about you think before you write?
A Mcjob might have dozens of employees laid for every tech job created.
It would not come even close to compensating.
The poor, dumb and minorities need jobs too….
Actually, I’ve used the Home Depot self checkout system and it works great about 99% of the time. Only once did I encounter a problem which required going to a standard checkout line.
And who do you complain to about the onions when you don’t like, or want, onions?
One of the reasons some people will not miss working at the counter: fielding complaints from people – when the person behind the counter is not the one who screwed-up… especially if the complaint is stupid and/or unreasonable.
The ones I feel sorry for are the people who work the drive-through window. Have you ever heard some of the rambling orders people make – with several corrections and back-tracks along the way?? The employees should be allowed to throw a cup of ice-water on anybody who orders like that, when said moron finally pulls-up to the window. 🙂
First – Pepsi hasn’t owned Taco Bell for quite awhile. YUM! Brands was spun out years ago.
Second – Nobody in a chain fast food restaurant makes minimum wage. $7 is more the norm, unless they are in the sticks. Somehow I don’t think that minimum wage thing is keeping those desperately seeking work from finding it.
WOW its like the Jetsons cartoon has come to life!
When I used to live in Pittsburgh, we had a gas station/c-store place called Sheetz . They had 4-8 screens depending on the size of the store. It was nice being able to take your time to look though the menu, and customize your order without it getting screwed up. I sure do miss the heart attack on a bun(steak&swiss w/ dbl cheese, sauted onions, tomatoes, parm., and ranch).
Plus it was fun to walk up to the screen, and get my order in before everyone else who was already there was finished.
Cory
How often do those machines break down anyway? And how many minimum wage jobs are being traded for that one $12 / hr job. Usually it is just a matter of replacing the machine with another, which most managers would do anyway. The machines are all modular, so it is just a matter of replacing the bad component.
And if an employee costs more then they produce then I think you are in the wrong business. Machines can not see shades of gray, they can only understand black or white. Either you want the onions or you don’t. You can’t specify that you want the onions well cooked, lightly browned, or raw unless the machine lists that as an option. Heck, even McDonald’s or Burger King will do that for you.
Can the machine even tell you which kind of onion the restaurant uses? Or how many grams of fat in their super deluxe fat burger? Can the machine understand that you don’t like your buns toasted?
The thought that labor laws cost jobs is baloney. It is a proven fact that the more disposable cash a person has, the more they spend. The more they spend, the more money is in the economy making the rounds. The more money in the economy means greater wealth for everyone and a higher standard of living for all. Minimum wages are actual government subsidies to the businesses paying these low wages.
Pat –
Ummm…. Have you ever been to a Taco Bell? I dare you to visit one and ask what kind of onions are used “ummm they come from the big onion gun in the back” or try specifying that you would like your onions “lightly cooked”. If you bring a video camera you may have a chance of winning $10,000 on Americas Funniest Videos.
You said “The thought that labor laws cost jobs is baloney”. Really?
Try buying a TV, a bicycle, or a pair of jeans made in the USA.
The job of fast food cashier could literally be done by a young child. It is not even required that the cashier be able to read.
I do not like onions but have completely given up on trying to communicate this fact to the mouth breathers who staff fast food restaurants. It’s easier to scrape them off myself.
Im a big fan of the robot cashiers at Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Albertsons.
Giving people jobs that require absolutely no education and little brain power dooms these people (and often the children they begin producing in their teens) to a lifetime of meaningless zombie work.
When I lived in Japan, I got addicted to those vending machines. Especially the hot noodles and ice coffee.
But, I assume, they are only finanically viable where thousands of people spend time lingering around, day and night…. Japan has lots of places like that. (train stations, especially) even in the smaller cities.
But, only a few American cities have that scene.
my grandfather lives in a small town in Ohio. They got a new business in a few years ago….a company that makes machines that will serve hot, fully cooked and sauced pasta…..that was one cool machine. Of course it put 24 old italian ladies out of work.
I doubt any jobs wil be lost due to vending machine.
Someones got to stock them!
This a great concept. in the future you may be able to purchase your dose of indigestion anywhere without to go out of your way to a KFuC Stincko Bell .
Bdg Bil
You said “The thought that labor laws cost jobs is baloney”. Really?
Try buying a TV, a bicycle, or a pair of jeans made in the USA.
Different set of economics. That has to do with American manufacturers outsourcing their jobs to the lowest wage, sweatshops available. The Nike, Adidas, Roots and other clothing makers have been well documented as setting up shop in Honduras, El Salvatore, Guatemala, Panama, Indonesia and other countries. There are no “labor laws”. Consequently people are treated as slaves. Paid as slaves. Beaten, denied washroom breaks or meals. Earning ten cents for sewing a shirt that sells in the US for $30.
Outsourcing has to with pure greed. Of course, if you enjoy paying exorbitant amount of money for clothing made in sweatshops, then it only shows your own mindset. The same mind set that Wal-Mart uses when it pays its employees so little and then offers them a health plan they can’t afford. Whenever something happens, we the taxpaying public end up paying their health bill. Yes, we subsidize Wal-Mart’s low prices for merchandise they bought from outsourced jobs.
Im a big fan of the robot cashiers at Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Albertsons.
Is that because you can curse at the robot and it won’t refuse to serve you?
Giving people jobs that require absolutely no education and little brain power dooms these people (and often the children they begin producing in their teens) to a lifetime of meaningless zombie work.
Do you make this statement because you have worked in a fast food restaurant? How do you know how much skill it takes handle an order desk? Those who have done it will tell you the hardest jobs are those serving the public. The tenor of your comment demonstrates why serving the public is so difficult. Do them a favor and stick with the self service machines.
I used to work at a Burger King (actually many of them, I floated around) during high school and after. Most of the time it is the customer that is making the mistakes. The drive-thru people ordering would back track many times and we would end up having to clear out a bunch of their order to get to the one that they want to adjust. Working in a fast food joint didn’t mean we were stupid. Some were, but not all. It didn’t mean that I was undereducated. I had a H.S. diploma and could go work at a sheet metal factory for more money. The reason I stayed so long was because it was actually pretty fun. If you heard most of the jokes that we made about the customers you would be rather red faced. We would poke fun at the huge 400+ lb women in the Geo Metro in the drive-thru, ordering a #2 (Double Whopper), with cheese, heavy all, hold the onions. Oh, and King size the meal, with a diet coke. That was my favorite customer. It was hard completing their order without laughing. It was a fun place to work. Yes the stress was rather hard to deal with, but dealing with a public that assumes that you are an invalid punk and treating you as such, that is where alot of the problems arise. Toss those machines in, I don’t care. I don’t work in a fast food place anymore. You do have to realize that these folks that are replaced by the machines will walk right over to the welfare/gov. assist/whatever other program and apply. And one last thing, most of the time when the order was messed up, it was the people in the kitchen making errors. You can blame the front folk, but it was the second in the chain of operations, and with the machines you will still have the second in the chain. You will recieve very little improvements with these machines, besides the fact that people don’t wash their hands and you get to touch the same screen that they just did =) Enjoy your e-coli. Yea that is extreme, but hey, might as well get a few more comments on here.
The great thing about these machines is that the corporation can make them do exactly what they want… They can design them with deceptive instructions so as to confuse many people into buying more than they wanted to. That is the real advantage for the corporations. This will affect not just dumb people but people in a hurry or who are tired. I think we’ve all seen these techniques at work. As has been pointed out above you can certainly complain… Just fill out the registration form…
>> You said “The thought that labor laws cost jobs is baloney”. Really?
>> Try buying a TV, a bicycle, or a pair of jeans made in the USA.
>
> Different set of economics. That has to do with American
> manufacturers outsourcing their jobs to the lowest wage
> , sweatshops available.
Actually, it’s the same set of economics: supply and demand for labor. If a company can acquire labor to produce their product cheaper in a foreign country given other costs such as tariffs and transportation, they will. The working conditions of those workers have nothing to do with that fundamental concept. The outsourcing of software development work to Indian is based on the same principle.
> Outsourcing has to with pure greed.
Outsourcing has to do with fundamental concepts of economics. Companies strive to maximize profits both in the short term and the long term. Labor is merely a cost that must be incurred to produce their product. If companies could produce products as effectively and cheaper with no labor they would. If companies can produce their product as effectively and cheaper in a foreign country all things considered they will. Companies are not obliged to provide work for people. They do it because it is part of the cost of doing business.
Dear Mr Dvorak,
How did you come to the point where you spent all of those years in technology, yet you have a website (www.dvorak.org/blog – had to do that for your TWIT fans) visited by so many who hate machines?
My second question is “Do the machines respond with a Spanish or Middle Easter accented English?”
> But what you’re forgetting is the concept that wages are supposed to
> rise to meet the demand of employees. Many people talk about how
> Mexicans are coming into the US to do jobs we won’t do. However, if
> wages rose enough, we would do them.
Wages will only rise if the laborers provide some benefit that exceeds their additional cost or if the supply of labor is constrained and the demand for labor rises. However, it has always been the case that if a company can manufacturer its product in another country with comparable quality and overcome location costs (e.g. tariffs, transportation etc.) that they will. Don’t forget that not only are individual businesses competing globally, countries are competing with each other for businesses. If manufacturing textiles in the US is cost prohibitive because of US labor laws, that business will choose a different country. If a local laborer wants a job, they need to provide a benefit that exceeds the wage they are demanding and the cost of equivalent foreign laborer given the additional overhead (e.g. tariffs, transportation).
> Outsourcing eliminates supply and demand for wages and it puts the
> entire US wage structure on par with third world countries.
Nonsense. Outsourcing is a direct effect of the supply and demand for labor. ALL wage structures are competing and have always been competing globally whether they realized it or not. The difference is that it is becoming easier to improve productivity of foreign labor to bring it on par with some US labor and to move operations from country to country. Eventually, third world wages will rise as they are in India for example and those cheap jobs will be moved yet again to another country where productivity can be matched and costs are lower.
Your argument is on par with people in affluent neighborhoods arguing that people from poor neighborhoods are taking jobs from their kids because the affluent kids won’t work for minimum wage because they can’t live on minimum wage in their affluent neighborhood.
> It was to our advantage to break down barriers to selling our crap to
> the rest of the world. But now the tables have turned and there are
> no barriers to keep the Chinese and everyone else from undercutting
> us and selling their stuff here.
There is no question that we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to devise new ways of competing beyond pure labor cost. That’s how market economics works. Take these machines in John’s blog entry. I doubt that these companies would have invested any time into a device like this if labor cost were not an issue.
Thomas
I guess you failed your Grade 9 economics class. In order to sell something, you need people to buy. If no one has a job, because all the greedy companies decided to outsource the work, then who is going to buy their products. The American economy is based upon good paying jobs to sustain itself. Otherwise we end up with massive unemployment and underemployment, just like what we have today. AND a massive, historically high trade deficit.
Gee, the new dubya economics. Give the wealthy tax breaks and stick it to the working class. Give tax incentives to companies that site their Head Office off shore in tax havens. Give more tax breaks to companies that outsource skilled jobs to low paying countries. Then give the wealthy some more tax breaks. And don’t forget to reduce any health and safety regulations; it are only workers getting killed or hurt. Then reduce any spending for mandated programs so there will be more to give to your wealthy friends through back door gifts.
No Thomas, outsourcing is greedy. Because it shifts the social load to fewer people. The remainder of the tax base has to support your lack of social contributions. It is just Corporate Welfare by another name.