The McDonalds' Kiosk

[Raissermesser]

Who builds the machines?

That, and changing technologies bring changing employment. There are not hordes of unemployed saddle makers or street cleaners due to the shift from horses to mechanized travel. Periods of transition stink for those involved, and you'll find upheaval as people move to where there is employment and as people find new jobs. But, they are periods of transition. It would be meaningless to speculate just what jobs might arise, because most likely it will be an industry that doesn't yet exist.

That's what's happened as technology shifts.

 

[Esox]

Kiosks for ordering at McMuckies? I havent been in a Mickey D's for years and didnt even know they had them until I saw this thread.

The self checkouts at grocery stores are bad enough. What to do with the 10 cashier lanes, hmmm. I know! Lets close all but one and add machines that no one uses and make 15 people stand in a single checkout lane. The store I go into often even removed the express checkout in favor of the self checkout. Theres always an employee thats usually on a register staffing the self checkout that no one uses too.

Cut back on employee's staffing the cashier lanes, overwork the single cashier and have another standing around doing nothing. Modern management at its best. That may lower overhead but it costs in disgruntled customers and employee's. I avoid that particular store every day except Saturdays when all lanes are open and drive to a different store that has an express lane, staffs multiple lanes all day every day and has no self checkouts. That store has recently added another shift and expanded its hours to midnight giving a few more people a job and widening its customers options.

 

[shavefan]

Kiosks for ordering at McMuckies? I havent been in a Mickey D's for years and didnt even know they had them until I saw this thread.

The self checkouts at grocery stores are bad enough. What to do with the 10 cashier lanes, hmmm. I know! Lets close all but one and add machines that no one uses and make 15 people stand in a single checkout lane. The store I go into often even removed the express checkout in favor of the self checkout. Theres always an employee thats usually on a register staffing the self checkout that no one uses too.

Cut back on employee's staffing the cashier lanes, overwork the single cashier and have another standing around doing nothing. Modern management at its best. That may lower overhead but it costs in disgruntled customers and employee's. I avoid that particular store every day except Saturdays when all lanes are open and drive to a different store that has an express lane, staffs multiple lanes all day every day and has no self checkouts. That store has recently added another shift and expanded its hours to midnight giving a few more people a job and widening its customers options.

Well there's good news for you on that front, maybe...

Currently the retail grocery industry is testing systems that code every product and know exactly what is in your cart ("smart carts'). You just self bag and leave, walking through a scanner. You get billed to whatever payment method you have on file with that store's app (or scan an app like ApplePay). No cashiers, baggers, or lines.

 

[Esox]

Well, there's good news here maybe...

Currently the retail grocery industry is testing systems that code every product and know exactly what is in your cart ("smart carts'). You just self bag and leave, walking through a scanner. You get billed to whatever payment method you have on file with that store's app (or scan an app like ApplePay). No cashiers, baggers, or lines.

Bad news for me. I dont have or want a cell phone. No apps for me. I pay cash for everything, even the last car I bought. A friend however, even pays $0.88c's for a pack of gum on his credit card and doesnt carry any cash.

 

[davent]

Bad news for me. I dont have or want a cell phone. No apps for me. I pay cash for everything, even the last car I bought. A friend however, even pays $0.88c's for a pack of gum on his credit card and doesnt carry any cash.

I'm another one regarding cell phones, never owned one or had one to use.
dave

 

[Jim99]

What will you do when governments eliminate paper currency and coin?

Why the War on Cash?

 

[Alacrity59]

I'm not thrilled with the kiosk concept at McD's. The whole mandatory self service movement sucks. Sometimes I don't mind paying for a bit of service. . . like when the weather is minus 35 and I need to fill up with fuel.

 

[Esox]

I'm another one regarding cell phones, never owned one or had one to use.
dave

I did get a Rogers Pay As You Go years ago when I drove from London to Victoria BC. 75 hours on the road at all hours it was a bit of a comfort but I still didnt need it. That was an analog phone. When they gave me a digital replacement I gave it to my sister without even activating it. I dont need a phone or a computer in my pocket.

What will you do when governments eliminate paper currency and coin?

Why the War on Cash?

Save gas because I wont be carrying $150+ of change in my cup holders lol.

 

[Rhody]

What will you do when governments eliminate paper currency and coin?

Why the War on Cash?

Carry gold

 

[Mr. Bonney]

The McD nearest me went though a remodel, and the new layout is kiosks. Only use the drive-thru now. If/when they stop taking cash I'll stop eating McRibs!

 

[Raissermesser]

What will you do when governments eliminate paper currency and coin?

Why the War on Cash?

Start up a token exchange? Each token a weighted piece of valuable metal of set purity, so that you don't need to take it to a token exchange to redeem for government virtual scrip.

 

[Esox]

Carry gold

Theres vending machines for that too! lol

Abu Dhabi vending machine spits out real gold

 

[Rhody]

Finally technology and kiosk are bringing back the 70/80s doom and gloom financial advice to buy Krugerrands.

Seriously i like cash but use the card more and more for convenience. I find that the biggest hassle with cash is the change. Coins mostly. They end up not being spent. Ash try, seat cushions jars at home. All unused and not spent not earning any interest creates a guilt feeling that i should spend time rolling them doesn't make it worth it

After reading the thread the takeaway is that kiosk idea is annoying and at worst ok when the technology works. We've all had the human cashier that acts like a robot its a terrible low paying job ive done it but at a liquor store. I broke up the drudgery by being friendly to customers

 

[Proinsias]

Not a fan of the place but if I take the kids in they like to use the kiosk thingys.

I suspect many of these things don't take cash as they'd rather just not take cash and encourage people to use contactless or whatever. A machine that deals with notes and coins requires far more staff maintenance with jams & errors and may require the place to lock up the doors or close to fix a machine full of cash on the shop floor. If the card machine goes down you just switch it off and on again.

 

[preidy]

This isn't new, of course. McDonalds has been putting Kiosks in their burger joints for a while. Apparently, the expectation was that customers would use an app or the kiosk in conjunction with credit cards, streamlining the ordering process. In actuality, they seem to take longer, especially for those of us who dislike using a debit or credit card to buy a hamburger.

This got filed in the back of my mind until today, when circumstances had me eating at two different McDonalds about a hundred miles apart. In the first, there was a clerk beside the kiosk to place the order for the customers. In the second, the kiosk had a not available message, meaning customers had to place orders at the counter, just like the pre-kiosk days. The problem is that McDonalds bought into the kiosk idea to the point that they took out cash registers and apparently have less employees.

OTOH, that McDonalds wasn't overrun with customers, either.

Thoughts on this? I've never had problems using the kiosks, but they don't seem to be living up to expectations.

I just take my grandson to help me navigate things such as this; that is unless he's busy reprogramming my VCR.

 

[Raissermesser]

I just take my grandson to help me navigate things such as this; that is unless he's busy reprogramming my VCR.

Ironically, this old fogey could navigate the screens faster than the clerk stationed beside it. Maybe it's because I use a finger joint instead of a finger tip to make the selection. Seems to work better.

 

[Raissermesser]

Ironically, this old fogey could navigate the screens faster than the clerk stationed beside it. Maybe it's because I use a finger joint instead of a finger tip to make the selection. Seems to work better.

BTW, while in theory this would help a little with any nasties on the touch screen, I use a finger joint simply because the screens seem to respond better. Discovered this on the soda fountain kiosks.

 

[Jim99]

You might want to use gloves next time.

McDonald’s touchscreens test positive for traces of feces, deadly bacteria

 

[Jim99]

You might want to use gloves next time.

McDonald’s touchscreens test positive for traces of feces, deadly bacteria

And then you pick up your Big Mac and fries to eat. Mmmmm...

 

[Raissermesser]

You might want to use gloves next time.

McDonald’s touchscreens test positive for traces of feces, deadly bacteria

Compared to money? All sorts of stuff on that, Gives a new meaning to "filthy lucre." Even that plastic card is probably not germ free.