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McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a [W:391]

Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

There will never be a time in any country, ever, without low skill, poorly educated workers. They're in that position for all kinds of reasons, many of them their own doing, many of them factors beyond their control. And if you immediately made every worker in the U.S. skilled and responsible according to your metrics, we'd still need cashiers, McD workers, janitors, yard guys, etc. Millions and millions of them to make the economy hum. Now what are you going to blame for their low wages?

But the bottom line is I have a hard time calling people WORKING a JOB an example of their "utter irresponsibility" because it's low paid. Not everyone can be above average intelligence, with above average skills making above average wages.

Those jobs are supposed to be filled by teenagers, kids living at home with most of their expenses covered, as a place to learn basic work skills and develop a work ethic. Then they move on, either up the ladder to better paying jobs, or elsewhere once they get their education. These jobs were never intended for a living wage and anyone who is trying to do so is doing it wrong. And I'm not talking about people who, due to the economic downturn, got stuck in a low-paying job, I'm talking about people who have NEVER had a decent job in their lives, yet they have kids and other expenses, voluntary expenses I might add, that now they expect society to cover because they are irresponsible. Anyone who doesn't live within their means is, by definition, irresponsible. It isn't the job of McDonalds or Walmart or anyone else to pay them more because they made bad life choices, it certainly isn't the job of the American taxpayer to pay for their stupid decisions. It is theirs. They need to get it through their heads and man up.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

There will never be a time in any country, ever, without low skill, poorly educated workers. They're in that position for all kinds of reasons, many of them their own doing, many of them factors beyond their control. And if you immediately made every worker in the U.S. skilled and responsible according to your metrics, we'd still need cashiers, McD workers, janitors, yard guys, etc. Millions and millions of them to make the economy hum. Now what are you going to blame for their low wages?

But the bottom line is I have a hard time calling people WORKING a JOB an example of their "utter irresponsibility" because it's low paid. Not everyone can be above average intelligence, with above average skills making above average wages in high skill positions.

An individual's wage is not determined by their skill. It's determined by their replaceability.

A fast food employee is highly replaceable because pretty much anyone can walk into the job and achieve competence in a week or less. The cost of quality machinery to replace these highly replaceable employees is rapidly approaching the current wage base and when it does those positions will be replaced. Now, if the people currently holding those positions or seeking those positions want to maintain their economic viability they need to adjust their skill set to accommodate a position that is not as easily replaceable.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

I can see it now.

"Big mac please"
"You just need to bring up the MacDonald's app on your tablet."
"I don't have a tablet. I have cash and an appetite, though."
"Sorry, we don't take cash any longer. We don't have anyone to handle it. The Mac App will allow you to pay electronically."
"You mean I can't get a hamburger unless I order it with a tablet and a Mac App and pay for it electronically?"
"That's right."
"Shoot, now I guess I'll have to go buy a tablet. Anything else I can do with it?"
"Sure you can access the internet and play games."
"I just want to buy a hamburger."
"Sorry, Sir. Next."
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

An individual's wage is not determined by their skill. It's determined by their replaceability.

A fast food employee is highly replaceable because pretty much anyone can walk into the job and achieve competence in a week or less. The cost of quality machinery to replace these highly replaceable employees is rapidly approaching the current wage base and when it does those positions will be replaced. Now, if the people currently holding those positions or seeking those positions want to maintain their economic viability they need to adjust their skill set to accommodate a position that is not as easily replaceable.

Well, let's be honest, the more skilled a person is, the less replaceable they are, so maybe both positions are correct. If McDonalds can get a machine that will do all of the things a cashier can do, and do it more efficiently, with less error and for less money, why wouldn't they automate? Maybe those workers need to be more valuable to their employer? Maybe they need to stop being little more than sacks of meat in a uniform? I was just in McDonalds last night and someone came up to the counter complaining that the drinks coming out of the drink machine didn't taste right and I swear, the cashier looked like a deer in the headlights. They had no clue what to even say. These are not people who are worth minimum wage.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

It's more complicated than that. But then you obviously don't run a business. I own and run two.


please explain

i am second in command of a 100 million dollar company

it really is that simple

revenue - costs = gross profit
less all expenses = net profit (bit) before income taxes

what else factors in?

been doing this 30+ years.....gonna learn something new maybe
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

They'll pay them more when Congress gets off its fat ass and increases the Federal minimum wage.


it will be raised

probably to around 9.00 or 9.25 hour

it will be a 3 year jump

but it will not be to 15.00 hour

the chamber of commerce, and business wont stand for that % of increase
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

I can see it now.

"Big mac please"
"You just need to bring up the MacDonald's app on your tablet."
"I don't have a tablet. I have cash and an appetite, though."
"Sorry, we don't take cash any longer. We don't have anyone to handle it. The Mac App will allow you to pay electronically."
"You mean I can't get a hamburger unless I order it with a tablet and a Mac App and pay for it electronically?"
"That's right."
"Shoot, now I guess I'll have to go buy a tablet. Anything else I can do with it?"
"Sure you can access the internet and play games."
"I just want to buy a hamburger."
"Sorry, Sir. Next."

Please. First off there will ways be a way to accept cash at automated counters. Secondly, that's how things are going. Technology replaces replaceable jobs in a sophisticated society.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

Please. First off there will ways be a way to accept cash at automated counters. Secondly, that's how things are going. Technology replaces replaceable jobs in a sophisticated society.

Long live sophistication. :)
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

Those jobs are supposed to be filled by teenagers, kids living at home with most of their expenses covered, as a place to learn basic work skills and develop a work ethic. Then they move on, either up the ladder to better paying jobs, or elsewhere once they get their education. These jobs were never intended for a living wage and anyone who is trying to do so is doing it wrong. And I'm not talking about people who, due to the economic downturn, got stuck in a low-paying job, I'm talking about people who have NEVER had a decent job in their lives, yet they have kids and other expenses, voluntary expenses I might add, that now they expect society to cover because they are irresponsible. Anyone who doesn't live within their means is, by definition, irresponsible. It isn't the job of McDonalds or Walmart or anyone else to pay them more because they made bad life choices, it certainly isn't the job of the American taxpayer to pay for their stupid decisions. It is theirs. They need to get it through their heads and man up.

I'm not sure what your point is. We have millions of low wage jobs that will always be filled by someone. And after we offshored 10 million or so good paying production jobs to lowest common denominator locations, there aren't many options for people to move up to. My uncle married a woman from a family where NONE of the family had ever graduated from HS. It worked out OK for them because they lived near a bunch of manufacturing plants, and they worked hard and made a decent living. Those are gone now, and there isn't much left. They get their GED and then what?

We eliminated perhaps 10 million production jobs that create real value and replaced them with low value added service jobs. And you're blaming people who fill those jobs for being low paid in positions that will always be low paid. You can blame democrats for the offshoring, high taxes and regulations or whatever, but it sure as hell isn't the fault of workers in towns hollowed out when the manufacturing left and all that came in to replace them was a job at Walmart making 1/3 the pay. I guess everyone should be an engineer or something.

There's this weird strain in the republican party that is proudly contemptuous of poor people.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

An individual's wage is not determined by their skill. It's determined by their replaceability.

A fast food employee is highly replaceable because pretty much anyone can walk into the job and achieve competence in a week or less. The cost of quality machinery to replace these highly replaceable employees is rapidly approaching the current wage base and when it does those positions will be replaced. Now, if the people currently holding those positions or seeking those positions want to maintain their economic viability they need to adjust their skill set to accommodate a position that is not as easily replaceable.

I have no doubt machines will replace every worker that machines CAN replace eventually.

So, everyone should be high skilled. I'm sure that is good advice, but not everyone is capable, and even if they were capable we'd still need low skill jobs. Mowing your lawn doesn't require any skill either, nor does cleaning a building, stocking shelves, etc.

This stream of comments is a nice way to avoid the issue of what to do about poor workers by just blaming them for being poor, and then concluding, as far as I can tell, that because it's their fault that society has no obligations. If they are only worth $1 an hour, well, that's too bad - guess they'll need to beg for the remainder? I'm not sure what the 'solution' is.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

McDonalds lost it when they changed their fry oil. Piping hot burn your mouth salty french fries cooked in oil from beef fat made McDonalds worth going to. Add to that a 'mini-mac' off their dollar menu and a drink...great drive through fast food.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

The problem is, we're paying for the utter irresponsibility of these low-wage workers, these are people who are trying to live off of wages never intended to be living wages.
Those jobs are supposed to be filled by teenagers, kids living at home with most of their expenses covered, as a place to learn basic work skills and develop a work ethic. Then they move on, either up the ladder to better paying jobs, or elsewhere once they get their education. These jobs were never intended for a living wage and anyone who is trying to do so is doing it wrong.-

That is a lie put out by those against minimum wage and minimum wage increases. It was not created as some sort of mythical training wage that those against minimum wage and minimum wage increases like to claim it is.

Clearly it was created so someone can live off it.
Minimum wage | Wex Legal Dictionary / Encyclopedia | LII / Legal Information Institute
The purpose of the minimum wage was to stabilize the post-depression economy and protect the workers in the labor force. The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees. Others have argued that the primary purpose was to aid the lowest paid of the nation's working population, those who lacked sufficient bargaining power to secure for themselves a minimum subsistence wage.
 
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Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

I'm not sure what your point is. We have millions of low wage jobs that will always be filled by someone. And after we offshored 10 million or so good paying production jobs to lowest common denominator locations, there aren't many options for people to move up to. My uncle married a woman from a family where NONE of the family had ever graduated from HS. It worked out OK for them because they lived near a bunch of manufacturing plants, and they worked hard and made a decent living. Those are gone now, and there isn't much left. They get their GED and then what?

We eliminated perhaps 10 million production jobs that create real value and replaced them with low value added service jobs. And you're blaming people who fill those jobs for being low paid in positions that will always be low paid. You can blame democrats for the offshoring, high taxes and regulations or whatever, but it sure as hell isn't the fault of workers in towns hollowed out when the manufacturing left and all that came in to replace them was a job at Walmart making 1/3 the pay. I guess everyone should be an engineer or something.

There's this weird strain in the republican party that is proudly contemptuous of poor people.

Manufacturing will be replaced with high tech. A GED or HS diploma will no longer cut it, as it should be for any society that is advancing and becoming more technological and complicated.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

I'm not sure what the 'solution' is.

Education.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

Education.

Education is great and I'm all for making college and vocational training like K-12. I don't see why a person needs to go 10s of thousands in debt just to gain the basic skills to hold a decent job in our economy. For most of the 20th century, the basic skills were covered by a HS or GED, and society funded that for everyone. It's time we recognized the new reality that a HS diploma = poverty wages and doesn't qualify a person for decent employment.

But education isn't really the solution. It's not like we have these good jobs with good pay sitting empty for lack of skilled workers. Only at the far end of the most "skilled" margin is that true. Everywhere else wages have been flat, and most especially including those with a decent education - college degree or more. The basic core problem, IMO, that no one wants to admit is blue collar workers in America are 'competing' with people all over the globe making $1 an hour or less, and even skilled workers (like accountants, and radiologists, and more) are seeing their jobs offshored to places like India with a fraction of the pay scale, or their jobs automated out of existence.

Anyway, "education" is just a feel good answer to an incredibly difficult question in my view. Focusing on it is ESSENTIAL, but will only get us marginal gains I'm afraid and leave the bigger problem unsolved.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

Education is great and I'm all for making college and vocational training like K-12. I don't see why a person needs to go 10s of thousands in debt just to gain the basic skills to hold a decent job in our economy. For most of the 20th century, the basic skills were covered by a HS or GED, and society funded that for everyone. It's time we recognized the new reality that a HS diploma = poverty wages and doesn't qualify a person for decent employment.

But education isn't really the solution. It's not like we have these good jobs with good pay sitting empty for lack of skilled workers. Only at the far end of the most "skilled" margin is that true. Everywhere else wages have been flat, and most especially including those with a decent education - college degree or more. The basic core problem, IMO, that no one wants to admit is blue collar workers in America are 'competing' with people all over the globe making $1 an hour or less.

You'll always need good scientists and engineers. But yes, it is a lot more of an entangled, non-linear differential than anything else and there is quite a bit that would need to be fixed in order to ensure the education necessary to keeping a Republic and the freedom and ingenuity of Free Market Capitalism.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

McDonalds lost it when they changed their fry oil. Piping hot burn your mouth salty french fries cooked in oil from beef fat made McDonalds worth going to. Add to that a 'mini-mac' off their dollar menu and a drink...great drive through fast food.

I used to love McDonalds chicken nuggets when they were made with dark meat.But McDonalds decided they wanted to make their food healthier.I do not go to a liquor store for non-alcholohic soda pop. I do not go to a Chinese restaurant for pizza. Nor would I go to a outback steak house or Texas Roadhouse steakhouse for Chicago style deep dish pizza.So who in the hell goes to a place that mostly sells burgers and fries for healthy food?
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

You act like they wouldn't turn to automatons and mass layoffs regardless. The one constant in capitalism is it's not a charity. They strive to only hire as many workers as necessary, and pay as little as they can get away with, by definition. Why? Because the CEO of a company with declining sales making 4600x the pay of the employees is just not enough.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

I have seen two stores like this recently, that had kiosks for ordering.
No one seems to have trouble using it.
Sheetz and Buc-ee's both have Kiosks for placing food orders.
As Government increases the minimum wage, look for more and more phase out
of the low end jobs.
In the Case of Buc-ee's, they pay higher than the other places, and the employees seem
in good spirits.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

Education is great and I'm all for making college and vocational training like K-12. I don't see why a person needs to go 10s of thousands in debt just to gain the basic skills to hold a decent job in our economy. For most of the 20th century, the basic skills were covered by a HS or GED, and society funded that for everyone. It's time we recognized the new reality that a HS diploma = poverty wages and doesn't qualify a person for decent employment.

But education isn't really the solution. It's not like we have these good jobs with good pay sitting empty for lack of skilled workers. Only at the far end of the most "skilled" margin is that true. Everywhere else wages have been flat, and most especially including those with a decent education - college degree or more. The basic core problem, IMO, that no one wants to admit is blue collar workers in America are 'competing' with people all over the globe making $1 an hour or less, and even skilled workers (like accountants, and radiologists, and more) are seeing their jobs offshored to places like India with a fraction of the pay scale, or their jobs automated out of existence.

Anyway, "education" is just a feel good answer to an incredibly difficult question in my view. Focusing on it is ESSENTIAL, but will only get us marginal gains I'm afraid and leave the bigger problem unsolved.

That's all true, but the problem is without education there's no hope for acquiring what skilled jobs there are. Whether that means an old-fashioned apprenticeship, military tech training, or a degree, there's little denying that HS diplomas have failed. College has become very much a gamble, as you said, thousands in debt and a few years of earning potential lost, but without taking that risk, what's left? Minimum wage or slightly above, if employed at all. It's not an "answer" so much as the best of bad options for many 17 year olds.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

That's all true, but the problem is without education there's no hope for acquiring what skilled jobs there are. Whether that means an old-fashioned apprenticeship, military tech training, or a degree, there's little denying that HS diplomas have failed. College has become very much a gamble, as you said, thousands in debt and a few years of earning potential lost, but without taking that risk, what's left? Minimum wage or slightly above, if employed at all. It's not an "answer" so much as the best of bad options for many 17 year olds.
I have to disagree a bit. You need to be careful is selecting the college, and also ask what you are buying.
If you want to purchase the traditional college experience, with dorms and keg parties,
that can be very expensive.
If on the other hand a student wants an education and a degree from an accredited school,
there are less expensive options.
Living at home and and attending a community college, and then the state university,
can get a BS degree for as little as $25K over 4 years. (Like buying a car, but with better return).
Another option are state technical schools,
Texas State Technical College Waco | Programs | A-Z Listing
They offer AS degrees that are accredited and transferable, but more importantly,
they work closely with employers, so that most of the graduates have jobs when they graduate.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

From a business standpoint this is a ridiculous move.

The reason McDonalds's sales are slumping is because they have an inferior product as compared to their competition. 5 Guys, In 'n' Out, and others offer a better burger at more or less the same price.

If McD's wants to get back their market share they need to go back to their roots and start offering a marginal burger really, really fast. For decades the whole reason people went to McD's is because by the time you finished ordering your meal was on the tray in front of you. Yeah, the burger had been sitting under a heat lamp for 10 minutes and it really wasn't that great but it was also 29 cents and in your hand damned near before you could blink. They don't need specialty burgers and coffee lounges. They just need clean restaurants and lickity split service with the same old mediocre burgers they've always had.

Right on the money there brother. They tried to fix what wasn't broke in the first place. Take a look at IN and OUT and how they have operated over the years and they haven't changed much if anything. Talk about profitable. Not only that they don't even know what minimum wage is because they pay well above it and it shows.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

That's all true, but the problem is without education there's no hope for acquiring what skilled jobs there are. Whether that means an old-fashioned apprenticeship, military tech training, or a degree, there's little denying that HS diplomas have failed. College has become very much a gamble, as you said, thousands in debt and a few years of earning potential lost, but without taking that risk, what's left? Minimum wage or slightly above, if employed at all. It's not an "answer" so much as the best of bad options for many 17 year olds.

actually

i think a combination is going to be the new thing

a couple of years at a community college

then maybe a 4 year tour in the military

between the two, you will be exposed to lots of potential careers

and you wont be tens of thousands of dollars in debt

i got my degree while active duty.....it is hard to do

but more than anything else, it made me grow up, and face the world
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

Their sausage biscuit and iced mocha are pretty good.

Their iced mocha sucks IMO. In fact all their iced and frappes do. Their regular coffee is actually decent.
 
Re: McDonald’s fresh hope to turn around slumping sales: Ordering burgers from a mach

Uhh..no.

If you raise your profits per item sold, then sales do not need to be as large.

The best way to do that is lower costs.

Revenue – Costs = Profit or Loss

Everyone who has ever owned a business knows this.

What you describe is the easiest way to increase profits also its the one you have the most control over. Raising rates is a bitch. In the past three years I have done that once.
 
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