hoosier500

After Biglari Holdings acquired Steak & Shake, it has never been the same. Now with the kiosk order system that's being instituted to cut labor costs, they aren't addressing their biggest problem: quality of the food.

One Rude Dawg Loc: Athol, ID

Might not be a bad idea to go to all robots?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Some of you might remember the Automat in Manhattan, NY. I loved those places as a kid.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Horn and Hardart in Philly. I remember when Dad took me there to see one of the wonders of technology of the day

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

True, but what they are actually doing is maintaining their profit margins without increasing prices. FYI, "profit" is not a dirty word. It is a necessary component of the free market system.

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Self-checkouts are on the way out. There won't be any in a few years. Good thing, if you ask me. When one of the store employees invites me to use the self-checkout I always ask if I will get an employee discount. The answer is invariably "no" or an embarrassed silence so I go directly to a full service register.

One Rude Dawg Loc: Athol, ID

Yep, been there done that, long long ago.

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

The DIY check outs are a win/win situation. It saves the store money and replaces a scarce commodity(labor) and it also saves most of the customers quite a bit time checking out for themselves. If everything I'm buying has a UPC code, I head for the DIY check out every time. Some stores have apps that you can check out as you shop and just have the cashier scan your phone when you leave.

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

If you like them, more power to you. I think of them as a device to shift the labor cost from the store to the customer and I don't like that. I also don't like the fact that they are putting people out of work at a time when no one needs that. I don't believe labor is a scarce commodity. Pay a fair wage for the time and effort expended and you have all the labor you need.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

I see them less and less. One article said that stores were losing more money than paying people. This was because of the high rate of incidents of cheating, which is much easier to do

JustJill Loc: Iowa

I read a book on the Automat. It was very interesting.

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

I also read a book on the Automat. It was very self-serving.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

I saw an interesting television show about these stores. I also see where H & H Coffee is being marketed again.

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

I believe the reason that stores are using the DIY checkouts is because they are using whatever technology they can to be able to provide products and services without raising prices in spite of today's 8% inflation rate. Labor is a scarce commodity because the work force is smaller today than it was 5 years ago even though the population continues to increase. Part of that is that part of the work force is going off the books and working for themselves via cash and barter. Add to this that some people choose to not work and rely on government-provided benefits like welfare, medicaid, food stamps, unemployment insurance. Many companies are finding that even when they offer fair wages and benefits, they cannot fill all their openings. There are more job openings today than during the last administration when the economy was booming.

You have a choice of using either a live cashier or the DIY so the store is not transferring labor cost to you. I think that DIY is a win/win because it is a lot faster to check out using that system as opposed a live cashier. I use it for that reason. If I have a lot to check out with produce that requires looking items up in their system, I go to the cashiers. Some stores are offering cell phone apps to scan items when you purchase the and avoid the check out entirely. Technology benefits both that saves money for the business and is more convenient for the customer and faster too.

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

I have several differences with your point of view but not worth pursuing here. One point that is, I think, significant is that just because the customer has a choice does not mean that labor cost is not being transferred. If the customers were coerced into using self-checkout would that make a difference?

For every customer who uses self-checkout, whether voluntary or involuntary, there is a transfer of labor cost from the store to the customer.