Well... there goes the weekend.
Apr. 11th, 2004 11:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfwingsOn a random note, and the basis for this journal entry...
I just went to a Carl's Junior that had self-order kiosks as part of a beta-test program.
As in, nobody but me, a menu, and time to decide what I want, and HOW I want it. No 'Did you say with or without tomatoe?' bullshit, just a big fat checkbox or no checkbox next to each topping. Also lets you know very neatly what toppings you can or can't have.
Very, very slick. And very nice, something I hope works for them.
Only two features I hope they add is some way to buy a 'swipe card' that you can program your own combos into, and a way to disable the 'voice prompts' for those that know what to do. A true 'have it your way' where you swipe your CJ card, press 'Personal Combo #1', hit done, pay, then sit down and wait.
Adjust a couple things, like make it more obvious that you click on the item in the item-box to change the toppings, and make the 'pay now' button a little more noticable, and it'll be very nice.
And you know what? I don't think it will lose any 'real' jobs. They still need as many people washing tables, and cooking food. At most, they'll have far, far fewer people that need to handle actual money, and less people needing to work the cash registers is a good thing, spread those folks out to watch the soda machine to keep it full, do maintenance, etc, etc. And it will create jobs, by adding a higher-tech component to the existing job set for a fast food restraunt, to maintain the self-order kiosks.
Sadly, I doubt they'll succeed, because I saw hordes of regulars ignore them to mob the single cashier. I think a good part of that might be that the kiosks run a video loop that has a flashy CJ logo floating around, and occasionally flash 'ORDER HERE' on the screen. Thankfully, the video loop is silent, and definately not an ad loop. There're more ads on the windows that coming that the video terminal, which I can only say is a good thing, and left a note saying as much.
I just went to a Carl's Junior that had self-order kiosks as part of a beta-test program.
As in, nobody but me, a menu, and time to decide what I want, and HOW I want it. No 'Did you say with or without tomatoe?' bullshit, just a big fat checkbox or no checkbox next to each topping. Also lets you know very neatly what toppings you can or can't have.
Very, very slick. And very nice, something I hope works for them.
Only two features I hope they add is some way to buy a 'swipe card' that you can program your own combos into, and a way to disable the 'voice prompts' for those that know what to do. A true 'have it your way' where you swipe your CJ card, press 'Personal Combo #1', hit done, pay, then sit down and wait.
Adjust a couple things, like make it more obvious that you click on the item in the item-box to change the toppings, and make the 'pay now' button a little more noticable, and it'll be very nice.
And you know what? I don't think it will lose any 'real' jobs. They still need as many people washing tables, and cooking food. At most, they'll have far, far fewer people that need to handle actual money, and less people needing to work the cash registers is a good thing, spread those folks out to watch the soda machine to keep it full, do maintenance, etc, etc. And it will create jobs, by adding a higher-tech component to the existing job set for a fast food restraunt, to maintain the self-order kiosks.
Sadly, I doubt they'll succeed, because I saw hordes of regulars ignore them to mob the single cashier. I think a good part of that might be that the kiosks run a video loop that has a flashy CJ logo floating around, and occasionally flash 'ORDER HERE' on the screen. Thankfully, the video loop is silent, and definately not an ad loop. There're more ads on the windows that coming that the video terminal, which I can only say is a good thing, and left a note saying as much.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-14 09:42 am (UTC)> money made by the store.
>
> So tell me again how this is detrimental to society at large?
That's easy. I'm not interested in someone or someones with lots of money (the store owners) making more money faster at the expense of what is a minimum-wage employee. 12 years of Reaganomics and 4 of Bush pro-corporatism show that 'trickle down' theory of economics does NOT function...that there is no 'trickle down'...the stores just pay higher dividends/management salaries/bonuses to execs, etc. The workers do NOT see the advantages of automation, unless you call an unemployment check an advantage. That to me, being as I am not a rapacious capitalist, is a societal disadvantage.
I'm willing to put up with mistaken orders and other personal inconvenience for someone else's job...and that is what it is, inconvenience not anguish. There for a while I was eating out daily...number of mistaken orders in a year, 2. I view what is good/bad by the effect on EVERYONE, not just my personal convenience and benefits to capitalism.
I guess it boils down to outlook and upbringing. If you're an *I* person, this is the best thing since sliced bread for personal convenience. If you're a *WE* person, you see societal ramifications winning out over personal convenience (and yes, I admit it is convenient).