Days after minimum wage rises, Maine diner near nh cuts staff hours. (Washington: neighborhoods, shoppers)

[G1..]

Originally Posted by kevin5098

Your "discount" is that you will not have to pay a higher price for the burger to cover the cost of the minimum wage hike. Kiosks are being introduced to maintain profit margins in the face of increased labor costs. Define "High profit margin".

No ,that might be your discount,not mine.Overhead is not the same without employees as it with employees, is it?The savings on Insurance alone would be pretty nice.Without employees they could stay open and never close,look at all the extra business they would get,right?No,if they want me to help put people out of work I will need a bigger discount than that.Question if the cost of fuel goes up does this mean he won't raise price's?

[kevin5098]

Originally Posted by G1..

No ,that might be your discount,not mine.Overhead is not the same without employees as it with employees, is it?The savings on Insurance alone would be pretty nice.Without employees they could stay open and never close,look at all the extra business they would get,right?No,if they want me to help put people out of work I will need a bigger discount than that.Question if the cost of fuel goes up does this mean he won't raise price's?

Overhead is higher when the employees receive an increase in pay mandated by "the people". If any costs (including fuel and labor) rise above the point where the owner can't make a profit, the owner or managers must cut costs elsewhere or raise prices. You can only run a business at a loss until your funds are depleted. I know this from experience. You are welcome to find a business that will give you a discount for ordering from a kiosk. Good luck finding one.

There are many places that never close even with employees. Do you expect a discount at LL Bean between 9 PM and 9 AM, because they do not have a full staff? Fewer employees during those hours means lower overhead and they should be obliged to pass the savings on to you, right?

[G1..]

Originally Posted by kevin5098

Overhead is higher when the employees receive an increase in pay mandated by "the people". If any costs (including fuel and labor) rise above the point where the owner can't make a profit, the owner or managers must cut costs elsewhere or raise prices. You can only run a business at a loss until your funds are depleted. I know this from experience. You are welcome to find a business that will give you a discount for ordering from a kiosk. Good luck finding one.

Most employers increase cost of services or product when profit margin is not where they want it to be.I guess sarcasm is not your strong point but as I pointed out your overhead is less without employees and Insurance ,unemployment and workers comp and health ( if offered)goes away or goes down.Here comes a tongue in cheek thing,.....if the employer wants me to help him put people out of a job(with my patronage) then help me with a discount.

[kevin5098]

Employers do not voluntarily increase costs of services or products. They may increase their prices to maintain profit margin when costs (inc. labor) increase. Overhead may or may not be less with fewer employees. Direct labor is not considered overhead. In a fast food store, cooks and counter employees are direct labor. Increasing their pay or benefits results in an increase in the cost of goods sold (COGS). This will reduce the owner's profit margin. In order to maintain the margin, the owners can increase prices to adjust for the increase in COGS. They can also reduce the number of employees to bring the COGS back down. Automation is one way to reduce labor costs while maintaining productivity. Automation is not without its own costs. There are capital costs involved in acquiring the machines and there are maintenance costs involved in keeping the machines running. You can bet that the technician servicing the machine is making more than the laborer that the machine replaced. Of course there has to be a cost savings in implementing the process automation or it would make no sense to automate.

I don't recall using sarcasm in my post, but it seems as though you think that any cost saving measures taken by employers to maintain their profit margins ought to be passed on to the consumer. That can only result in failure o the business. In other words, labor costs go up resulting in lower profits, so I automate to keep my COGS down. Instead of maintaining my profit margin, you expect me to run the business at lower profits and pass the cost savings on to you. If I can make it up with increased sales volume I might consider it. If I am simply doing it to make you feel better about the workers who were displaced, not so much.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by kevin5098

.....Automation is one way to reduce labor costs while maintaining productivity. Automation is not without its own costs. There are capital costs involved in acquiring the machines and there are maintenance costs involved in keeping the machines running. You can bet that the technician servicing the machine is making more than the laborer that the machine replaced. Of course there has to be a cost savings in implementing the process automation or it would make no sense to automate.

I don't recall using sarcasm in my post

I did.


As I said before,the bigger Chain stores ..Grocery store,McDonald's etc are the ones'doing it to dump employees,if they want my help they will give me a discount or lose my business and it will go to someone who has employees,not machines.

[roadrat]

Originally Posted by G1..

I did.


As I said before,the bigger Chain stores ..Grocery store,McDonald's etc are the ones'doing it to dump employees,if they want my help they will give me a discount or lose my business and it will go to someone who has employees,not machines.

Chain stores, Grocery stores, McDonald's are automating because of competition.

Anyway I doubt that the corporate world is too concerned with whether you will buy a burger from a kiosk without getting a discount, although the opposite has occurred at some places, certain large banks have started charging you a fee for using a teller instead of an ATM.

In some cases they just let your own frustration make the choice for you, stand in the line for the one attendant or use one of the 5 open and ready to take your order kiosk.

"or lose my business" LOL to who? try finding an Airline that doesn't have Ticket kiosk, yah sure you can wait in the one single line with the other old folks for 40 minutes, or just scan a bar code at one of the 20 wide open kiosk and 10 seconds later be on your way to the airport lounge.

You might want to stay out of any large city subways or mass transit systems as they are now almost completely automated with ticket kiosk.

Talk is cheap when your still shuffling along in the line and the last four people that came in behind you have already placed and gotten there orders ahead of you.


RR

[Maineac]

Originally Posted by roadrat

Chain stores, Grocery stores, McDonald's are automating because of competition.

Anyway I doubt that the corporate world is too concerned with whether you will buy a burger from a kiosk without getting a discount, although the opposite has occurred at some places, certain large banks have started charging you a fee for using a teller instead of an ATM.

In some cases they just let your own frustration make the choice for you, stand in the line for the one attendant or use one of the 5 open and ready to take your order kiosk.

"or lose my business" LOL to who? try finding an Airline that doesn't have Ticket kiosk, yah sure you can wait in the one single line with the other old folks for 40 minutes, or just scan a bar code at one of the 20 wide open kiosk and 10 seconds later be on your way to the airport lounge.

You might want to stay out of any large city subways or mass transit systems as they are now almost completely automated with ticket kiosk.

Talk is cheap when your still shuffling along in the line and the last four people that came in behind you have already placed and gotten there orders ahead of you.


RR

You don't travel much, do you? The only airport where I didn't have to get a boarding past recently BEFORE getting to the counter was Bangor. In most places the kiosks are mandatory now. With no savings.

[roadrat]

Originally Posted by Maineac

You don't travel much, do you? The only airport where I didn't have to get a boarding past recently BEFORE getting to the counter was Bangor. In most places the kiosks are mandatory now. With no savings.

I travel plenty, I just see no reason to waste my own printer ink on boarding passes. (You do know that you can print your own boarding pass don't you?) I walk in scan a barcode at the kiosk, out comes my passes and I'm off to the TSA screening area.
Why are you wasting time going to any counter? Do you still check bags ?

RR

[Maineac]

Originally Posted by roadrat

I travel plenty, I just see no reason to waste my own printer ink on boarding passes. (You do know that you can print your own boarding pass don't you?) I walk in scan a barcode at the kiosk, out comes my passes and I'm off to the TSA screening area.
Why are you wasting time going to any counter? Do you still check bags ?

RR

Kinda have to if you're not going to wear the same clothes for 3 weeks. Curbside doesn't always work, they're not always there, and each bag has to be weighed and attributed to a passenger.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by roadrat

I travel plenty, I just see no reason to waste my own printer ink on boarding passes. (You do know that you can print your own boarding pass don't you?) I walk in scan a barcode at the kiosk, out comes my passes and I'm off to the TSA screening area.
Why are you wasting time going to any counter? Do you still check bags ?

RR

Many the minion thinks like you which is why I walk right past you while you are inline at the kiosk waiting to print your boarding pass and I cruse right threw.