I've just witnessed the coming labor mass extinction.

[RandySF]

I stopped into a fast food place today after a movie and, halfway into the restaurant, there was a kiosk that enabled me to place my order. I did so, paid with my debit card, got my drink and sat down. A short time later, my food was brought out to me. I realize there will always be people who show up to pay with cash, but maybe half at best and, therefore, franchise operators will need fewer people. When the kiosk idea catches on, there will be a significant drop in the demand for labor at the lowest end of the market and even these jobs of "last report" for may will be gone as well.

[msongs]

1. when nobody but wealthy card users can afford the place it will go out of biz nt

[olddots]

2. once again I bore you with

Convenience becomes very inconvenient .

[cantbeserious]

3. Made All The Worse Since TPP Will Eliminate The Last Vestiges Of Factory Jobs In The US

eom

[joshcryer]

5. I think TPP is a symptom of our urge for cheap goods.

Factory jobs are going to fall to automation here as well as elsewhere.

We need a basic income / living wage / negative income tax, pronto.

[joshcryer]

4. Automated cars are where it's at.

7+ million jobs, gone, forever.

But automated restaurants aren't far behind.

Then you get Amazon's drone delivery stuff, it's going to get messed up.

Basic income is 100% necessary. And not 10 years from now. 5. At most.

We're fucked.

[yeoman6987]

7. They really need to raise the jobs to 15 dollars while they are around

Cuz they won't be here in 10 years that's for sure so we should pay them while the job lasts.

[joshcryer]

8. $15 isn't enough.

Once we lose those 7 million jobs, over a 5 year or so span, we're going to have a massive economic downturn. A glut of low specialist jobs will really put a major stress on the economy. And this isn't something the government can control. It can't go "hey, stop making automated cars!"

Even Warren Buffet isn't happy with automated cars.

The sad thing, I think, is that no one is preparing for this, it's just going to happen, and we'll adapt accordingly, but it's going to hurt, badly.

[yeoman6987]

6. I got that too

I love it. Not a wrong order ever. It is a great advancement. Still tip so everyone wins.

[rpannier]

9. i never use them

not in a grocery store, not anywhere.
i want a person, not some machine
i live in Korea and still travel to a travel agent or the office and purchase my ticket
Though, because I fly Korean Air, I always get an actual person on the phone when I have issues and am not charged for the courtesy of talking to a real person

[Cassidy1]

10. Cashless society

I don't think you need cash. Just have electronic transactions.

[Skittles]

12. I use mostly cash

to avoid the data breaches

[Jesus Malverde]

11. Ive said before efforts to unionize fast food workers is a quixotic endeavor....nt

[Javaman]

13. Check out the great book "fast food nation"

briefly, in one of the chapters, one of the main mission of any fast food out fit is to completely simplify the process of making and serving food.

Once upon a time, workers as a fast food outfit had to know all aspects of the process, not anymore, the workers are trained only in the very specific area they are hired for.

and that training? It's simplified to the point that virtually no training of the actual tasks are required.

the workers become plug and play components. At least that's the ultimate goal of the fast food corps.

workers to the fast food corps are nothing but overhead. If they could be eliminated all together they would be.

the sad and disturbing fact is: a worker at a fast food restaurant working in food prep develop virtually no skills that can be used for future employment at future jobs. It's explained much better in the book, but that is the gist of it.

Fast Food nation should be a manual for all to read about the evils of that industry.