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A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

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Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#41

Post by sh1mmer »

sezna wrote: post #3
moonbug wrote: post #2

Americans: fix your healthcare system.

I vote and I protest, but yet those with money continue to corrupt the system. I feel much more like a victim of the system than a participant. How would you suggest a typical American HN reader go about effecting change?

Have you considered contributing your technical expertise to something like Code for America?

Their two flagship projects (GetCalFresh and Criminal Justice) reform both started off as simple web forms to make it easier to file for SNAP (food stamps) and sealing eligible marijuana convictions respectively. However as they gained traction they were able to engage state and local governments as collaborators and significantly improve the outcomes.

For the criminal justice work that meant fully automating sealing convictions in San Francisco, that then provided the “proof” for a state bill that passed to require all California counties to do the same over then next few years.

So while it seems like getting money out of politics is impossible I’d suggest working on stuff you care about at your state level, and providing working proofs will help people trying to support sensible legislation for reform.

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#42

Post by gruez »

larnmar wrote: post #31
x2f10 wrote: post #18

Her job is already going away; McDonald's around me have already replaced cashiers with kiosks. Unionizing and requiring $15/hr + full benefits is only going to accelerate McDonald's automation plans. Is the answer to fight for $15/hr or is the answer to go back to school, apply to more jobs, and/or go into a trade? Honest question.

Honestly I think the solution is emigration. There are places in the world where you can make a living without any particular skill set, but I don’t think the US, or any other first-world country, should really be among them. The US needs immigration reform to bring more high-skilled people into the country, but it also needs emigration reform to find new homes for people who can’t necessarily make a reasonable livin…

It sounds to me that you're advocating for sending low class/uneducated/low skilled Americans to developing countries. Is this a fair representation of your proposal?

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#43

Post by larrywright »

jdkee wrote: post #9

Unions, unions, unions.

There’s a compelling argument that unions, combined with the fight for $15 minimum wage, will do nothing but make the situation worse. Nobody is going to pay $20 for a burger and fries. McDonald’s would either have to go almost entirely automated or cease to exist as a company.

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#45

Post by tombert »

larnmar wrote: post #31
x2f10 wrote: post #18

Her job is already going away; McDonald's around me have already replaced cashiers with kiosks. Unionizing and requiring $15/hr + full benefits is only going to accelerate McDonald's automation plans. Is the answer to fight for $15/hr or is the answer to go back to school, apply to more jobs, and/or go into a trade? Honest question.

Honestly I think the solution is emigration. There are places in the world where you can make a living without any particular skill set, but I don’t think the US, or any other first-world country, should really be among them. The US needs immigration reform to bring more high-skilled people into the country, but it also needs emigration reform to find new homes for people who can’t necessarily make a reasonable livin…

Please correct me if I misunderstood this, but are you seriously suggesting that the way we solve problems of poverty is to just get rid of the poor people?

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#46

Post by oh_sigh »

lwf wrote: post #7
wil421 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If she’s only making $9.50 an hour she qualifies for some pretty cheap if not free healthcare. When I was in college working in a restaurant it was between $30-40 a month for healthcare I was making approx $20-25k a year. Healthcare is mentioned exactly one time in the article.

Yes, it's mentioned once, in the context of her not having affordable insurance options. > At 29, Brown works approximately 40 hours a week, splitting her time between a McDonald’s in Durham, North Carolina, and a food-service gig a local hospital. “It’s still not enough,” she said. Both jobs are part-time, and she doesn’t receive health insurance through either employer. She can’t afford insurance on her own, either…

I just put her stats into the healthcare.gov calculator. She can get a bronze plan for $370/month, and she qualifies for a $370/month premium tax credit - meaning she can get a bronze level plan for $0/month.

Seems affordable. What am I missing here?

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#47

Post by jumbopapa »

I'm probably going to catch some flak, but I see some optimizations she can make.

- McDonald's offers college tuition reimbursement, when you're low income this is one of the best ROI you have available to you.

- McDonald's offers a 401k plan with up to 7% match. Even if you took the 10% early withdrawal penalty this is money in your pocket.

I don't think the best use of her time is lobbying for a $15/hr minimum wage that will more quickly move her to a $0/hr wage. Gain knowledge, skills, and have a good work ethic and it is not that hard to get ahead in America.

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#48

Post by paggle »

x2f10 wrote: post #18

Her job is already going away; McDonald's around me have already replaced cashiers with kiosks. Unionizing and requiring $15/hr + full benefits is only going to accelerate McDonald's automation plans. Is the answer to fight for $15/hr or is the answer to go back to school, apply to more jobs, and/or go into a trade? Honest question.

The price/performance ratio of kiosks etc will fall so fast that the difference between $8/hr and $15/hr will only make a 5 year difference in the adoption of the kiosks.

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#49

Post by Sebguer »

larnmar wrote: post #31
x2f10 wrote: post #18

Her job is already going away; McDonald's around me have already replaced cashiers with kiosks. Unionizing and requiring $15/hr + full benefits is only going to accelerate McDonald's automation plans. Is the answer to fight for $15/hr or is the answer to go back to school, apply to more jobs, and/or go into a trade? Honest question.

Honestly I think the solution is emigration. There are places in the world where you can make a living without any particular skill set, but I don’t think the US, or any other first-world country, should really be among them. The US needs immigration reform to bring more high-skilled people into the country, but it also needs emigration reform to find new homes for people who can’t necessarily make a reasonable livin…

This is one of the most awful things I've ever read on this site, so thanks for that, I guess.

Re: A Week in the Life of a McDonald’s Cashier

#50

Post by ceejayoz »

NicoJuicy wrote: post #34

One of the best services a supermarket can have is: free-policy when you have to wait > 2 people. They do it with human cashier's and are insanely popular and low-cost. No one truelly cares about self-service, it's just hype. ( Personal opinion)

> No one truelly cares about self-service, it's just hype.

My grocery store recently instituted scan-as-you-go via a smartphone app, and I love it. I bag as I go along, precisely the way I want everything bagged (no crushed bread, no meat juice dripping on the candy) and basically walk out the door.

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