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Want robots at McDonald's? Hike minimum wage: Zell
CNBC ^ | 3 Sep 2014 | Matthew J. Belvedere

Posted on 09/06/2014 7:19:39 AM PDT by KeyLargo

Want robots at McDonald's? Hike minimum wage: Zell Matthew J. Belvedere | @Matt_Belvedere Wednesday, 3 Sep 2014

Video

Federal and state efforts to increase the minimum wage are misguided and pose serious risks to the economy and the job market, billionaire Sam Zell told CNBC on Wednesday.

"The tinkering with the minimum wage is a very dangerous game," the chairman of Equity Group Investments said in a "Squawk Box" interview. "You start talking about a $13 or a $15 minimum wage, and you're going to have robots that are operating McDonald's."

(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: communism; fastfood; marxism; mediabias; minimumwage; robots; seiu; touchscreens; unions
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To: dennisw

They’re already working on that. But what I’m getting at is that there *are* bots fully capable of preparing every item on the McDonalds menu *right now* in the volumes required inside the restaurants.


81 posted on 09/06/2014 4:40:24 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: miss marmelstein
That’s what’s going to happen. I was in one of the northeast “Express” minimarts attached to a gas station and was shocked to meet - not a robot - but a machine in which I paid for my newspaper.

Dang, and all this time I thought that a robot WAS a machine. I feel silly.

82 posted on 09/06/2014 7:43:15 PM PDT by houeto (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: KeyLargo

Please make technology cheaper than labor? Liberals are totally destructive.

Most unemployment is a direct result of urban Democrat policies - licensing, permitting, etc. Toss in a crummy education and abundant welfare...


83 posted on 09/06/2014 7:53:04 PM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: Spktyr
But what I’m getting at is that there *are* bots fully capable of preparing every item on the McDonalds menu *right now* in the volumes required inside the restaurants.

Why stop there? Do you think you could open up a McDonalds today that needs no human workers?

 

84 posted on 09/06/2014 10:44:06 PM PDT by dennisw (The first principle is to find out who you are then you can achieve anything -- Buddhist monk)
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To: dennisw

Nope. Still need a manager and maintenance staff on site. Someone will have to receive shipments, process cash, ensure the machines are running, perform updates, reload the machines, ensure the machines are cleaned, etc. But with existing technology, you could reasonably get it down to 3 people max per shift.


85 posted on 09/06/2014 10:54:31 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: KeyLargo

Best of all the robot doesn’t spit on your ordered food.


86 posted on 09/06/2014 10:58:36 PM PDT by monocle
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To: dennisw

As the tech advances, though? I expect McDonalds locations to become increasingly automated and unattended - not unlike the old 24 hour automats that used to exist, only without human cooks.


87 posted on 09/06/2014 11:03:38 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Spktyr

How about this. At today’s robot prices and workers wages/pay packages would the robot investment pay off for the McDonalds you describe? To make this more interesting, how about if a McDonald’s franchisee who owns 200 of them says he will go this way. This way he pays lower prices for ‘bots.


88 posted on 09/06/2014 11:07:50 PM PDT by dennisw (The first principle is to find out who you are then you can achieve anything -- Buddhist monk)
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To: dennisw

The break even point for McDonalds to replace the cooking and prep staff with burger bots is reportedly at around $10-12 per hour for minimum wage. (Adjusted for regional COL and price differences, of course.)

The $15/hour minimum wage? All of a sudden, the bots don’t just look interesting any more but *mandatory* if they want to stay in business. There’s not a lot of elasticity in fast food prices any more and there’s not a lot of room to increase wages without large price increases.


89 posted on 09/06/2014 11:49:32 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Beagle8U
Walmart sells them in the frozen food section, they are actually better and cheaper!

Likely put together by robots as well.

90 posted on 09/07/2014 12:46:12 AM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: cherry
so what do you do with millions of people age 18 to 65 that have no work at all?

Have to build lots of Git & Go type stores peoples gots needs.

91 posted on 09/07/2014 12:49:08 AM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: houeto

Machines and robots are the same? Or are these machines simply called robots? Is your ATM a robot? People with English degrees want to know.


92 posted on 09/07/2014 4:09:12 AM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard III: Loyalty Binds Me)
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To: itsahoot

If they were the robots did a good job, they are better than the ones at McDonalds!


93 posted on 09/07/2014 6:12:04 AM PDT by Beagle8U (Unions are an Affirmative Action program for Slackers! .)
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To: cherry

Should have thought of that before they tried to vote themselves bread and circuses.


94 posted on 09/07/2014 5:32:48 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: KeyLargo

I met Sam Zell years ago, a dorky looking little guy with more money than all the rest in a room full of multimillionaires. Smart as they come. I always listen to winners, because they tend to know how the world works.

(No, don’t even ask — I never was wealthy, but worked for a big investor and attended the meeting with him. )


95 posted on 09/07/2014 5:38:03 PM PDT by Veto! (OpInions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: DocJhn
This is also about taxes.

EXACTLY. And unions -Their wages are tied to min wage and automatically compensate.

96 posted on 09/07/2014 5:53:37 PM PDT by roamer_1 (Globalism is just socialism in a business suit.)
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To: Veto!
They can't start totally automating businesses and manufacturing plants fast enough as far as I am concerned.

Then the business owners can focus on excellent employees with the desire to begin at entry level and progress fast into higher skill work at the business.

97 posted on 09/08/2014 7:22:09 AM PDT by KeyLargo
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To: bigbob

Burgers via call center? Jack in the Box...outsourcing fast-food orders.
The Christian Underground ^ | n.d. | Craig Portwood

Posted on 9/8/2014, 2:53:05 PM by WhiskeyX

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3201855/posts


98 posted on 09/08/2014 1:17:22 PM PDT by KeyLargo
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To: mrsmel

Very well said...and thought.


99 posted on 09/09/2014 11:00:20 PM PDT by gogeo (If you are Tea Party, the Republican Party does not want you.)
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To: miss marmelstein
I was in one of the northeast “Express” minimarts attached to a gas station and was shocked to meet - not a robot - but a machine in which I paid for my newspaper. Shocked and disturbed!

You've never come across a newspaper vending machine? LOL! You must be very young!

The only difference now is the machines accept credit cards.

But newsprint is a dying medium in any case. These days, folks aren't interested in slanted, stale news printed on dead trees, whether sold by a human or a machine.

100 posted on 09/09/2014 11:08:53 PM PDT by cynwoody
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