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This will only accelerate the trend to automating away these jobs. E.g., serve your own soda -- it is cheaper than having a human make the drink for you. When h

This will only accelerate the trend to automating away these jobs. E.g., serve your own soda -- it is cheaper than having a human make the drink for you. When humans are more expensive than machines, they are replaced.

walterbell 11y ago
Yes, minimum-wage increases are likely to be supported by the robotics lobby, as it makes a robot more competitive. Increased adoption of fast-food robots would then drive down the costs of restaurant mechanization.
deleted 11y ago
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jhugg 11y ago
Seems to me that robot stuff is getting cheaper faster than wages are going up. If a robot can do the job, then another $6 an hour probably isn’t all that different. Might as well pay people a living wage for hard work in the meantime.
- overpaidgoogler 11y ago
  You can't have it both ways. "in the meantime" there will also be cases where $6 an hour would have made the difference between having a job and not having one.
michaelchisari 11y ago
That's not a good reason to keep wages so low, though. That said, the sooner we can automate away jobs like these and move to a basic income, the better.
vparikh 11y ago
I seriously think this will not happen. People like to interact with people when they are conducting transactions. A classic example is the bank teller. For all intensive purposes, you average ATM machine can handle just about 95% of your bank needs. You don't see any less tellers then you did before. Remember how people revolted when banks tried to charge you a fee if you went to see a teller instead of using an ATM machine? I think what will happen is the complete opposite, fast food chains will start hiring more capable workers because that will be the big differentiator. Why would I go to a McDonalds, or Wendy's or Burger King? I'll go to which ever one has the polite and competent people taking my order. Sure they will all jump on the automation bandwagon, but when everyone is doing it, some one is going to go back to "personalized" service as a differentiator. Overall I am glad this is happening - their should be no reason why a person who works 40 hours a week in the wealthiest country ever known to be below the poverty line. Just doesn't make sense. Both economically, and from a human rights perspective.
- jghn 11y ago
  I've seen a teller exactly once in the last 17 years and that one was only because I had to. I'd prefer the place which is fully automated

walterbell 11y ago

Yes, minimum-wage increases are likely to be supported by the robotics lobby, as it makes a robot more competitive. Increased adoption of fast-food robots would then drive down the costs of restaurant mechanization.

deleted 11y ago

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jhugg 11y ago

Seems to me that robot stuff is getting cheaper faster than wages are going up. If a robot can do the job, then another $6 an hour probably isn’t all that different. Might as well pay people a living wage for hard work in the meantime.

overpaidgoogler 11y ago
You can't have it both ways. "in the meantime" there will also be cases where $6 an hour would have made the difference between having a job and not having one.

michaelchisari 11y ago

That's not a good reason to keep wages so low, though. That said, the sooner we can automate away jobs like these and move to a basic income, the better.

vparikh 11y ago

I seriously think this will not happen. People like to interact with people when they are conducting transactions. A classic example is the bank teller. For all intensive purposes, you average ATM machine can handle just about 95% of your bank needs. You don't see any less tellers then you did before. Remember how people revolted when banks tried to charge you a fee if you went to see a teller instead of using an ATM machine? I think what will happen is the complete opposite, fast food chains will start hiring more capable workers because that will be the big differentiator. Why would I go to a McDonalds, or Wendy's or Burger King? I'll go to which ever one has the polite and competent people taking my order. Sure they will all jump on the automation bandwagon, but when everyone is doing it, some one is going to go back to "personalized" service as a differentiator. Overall I am glad this is happening - their should be no reason why a person who works 40 hours a week in the wealthiest country ever known to be below the poverty line. Just doesn't make sense. Both economically, and from a human rights perspective.

jghn 11y ago
I've seen a teller exactly once in the last 17 years and that one was only because I had to. I'd prefer the place which is fully automated