Please see @bbqboy’s post. We are (I hope) entering a world in which people will demand a living wage, as they should. Your argument seems to be “pay people shit wages or I will have to shell out more for a burger.” To which I say, good. You should not be paying artificially deflated prices so that some poor CEO doesn’t have to downsize to a smaller yacht.
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In a free and competitive market for labor,
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Employees will accept not one penny less than they value their time, skills, and opportunities when looking for honest work.
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Employers will not pay one penny more than it takes to hire a person they deem has the skills to do the job, the reliability to show up and do the job, and the character to make everyone around them – customers and co-workers alike – glad that person is on the job.
We’ve been on both sides of that bargain, and while we might be oversimplifying the math, at root, that’s the way the labor market works, or should, in a free world that politics do not constrain.
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Daym atarts singing at the 6:25 mark about the new Sonic Steak and Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
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I have to admit to watching more of Daym’s reviews than I probably should but the guy makes it so entertaining. I do not eat a LOT of fast food, usually a McD’s McDouble with a medium coke, but his reviews actually got me to Burger King to try the Ch’King sandwich. Which was sold out both times I went, but that is another story…
Anyway, Daym is a good entertainer though his videos may tend to be too long of late but they are good entertainment on a slow day.
The other foodie reviewer I like is the suit guy on Report of the Week: Food Review. Complete opposite in presentation but again, really loves the food.
Let me see if i can link to his famous Suicide Wings video…
The pain starts around 2:25.
When he started wiping the tears out of his eyes i was ready to yell at my computer, “Be careful, dude. You are going to burn your eyes, too!”
I did not, but it was a near run thing.
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I’d agree completely. I also like JL Jupiter although he only does chains on Friday.
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how are you going to regulate paying popeyes dishwashers less than $20’per hour? the reality is that for the most part the labor market is governed by supply and demand. if popeyes cant hire dishwashers they need to pay more. if that doesnt work within their business model they need to raise prices, go out of business or innovate ie robots.
my sense is that our work forces is going to experience a huge disruption over the next 50 years die to AI. I’m glad I won’t be around to see the dislocation in our society.
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I eat no fast food if it ever possible. That last time was several years ago between barrel tastings. I rarely eat fast food unless I’m given no other choice
I think we are going to see a great shift in both fast food and Mom and Pop cafes. The price of labor is going to go up and that labor will frequently be replaced w automated processes of varying expense levels. McD’s will survive by automating much of the “dining experience”. Some smaller chains and many of the Mom and Pop’s will disappear, taking many family businesses and jobs with them.
Most of the people that lose those jobs will find work elsewhere at varying levels of compensation, some doing noticeably better.
Some will not do as well.
But inexpensive dining is going to change in the US.
Hi Ziv,
Daym is good whether you eat fast food or not. I think that he does a comedy tour and had a Netflix series.
I also like Report of the Week who I call the Walter Cronkite of food reviews - his persona is brilliant. He also does a shortwave radio program but I haven’t listened to it.
About a month ago Daym did an imitation of Report of the Week and it was very funny.
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Daym doing a spoof on Report of the Week?
I have to look that one up!
Hi Ziv,
Found it. Here’s Daym, in suit and tie, doing a spoof of Report of the Week.
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I liked the crappy tacos from taco bell . The cheap ones . Easy to eat fills that void . Mc Donalds big Mac . Always my favorite. Now occasionally I order it . And say to myself " Are you ready for this ."
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The thing is, artificially raising the wages of sht jobs does nothing but increase prices and salaries all the way around, so I see it as a wash. MCD’s employee makes $20 instead of $10, now the employees making $15 want $25; and they’ll get it. The prices will rise likewise, and we’re in the same place; just throwing more money that’s worth less around. Now $20 becomes sht money.
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But at least the $20 FF employee can pay their rent.
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Barely, if that.
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- What @bbqboy said.
- Here’s how it’s not a wash, scenario 1: Company pays workers more, raises price of burgers, you and others like you stop patronizing company. Company loses money, stockholders weep, CEO (etc.) loses job or takes a cut in pay. Now company has more money to lower price of burgers, you and others like you start patronizing company again.
- Here’s how it’s not a wash, scenario 2: Company refuses to pay workers more, workers leave. Or company automates, obviating workers altogether. Service and/or food quality plummets, you and others like you stop patronizing company. Company loses money, stockholders weep, CEO (etc.) loses job or takes a cut in pay. Now company has more money to rehire workers, improving service and/or food quality, you and others like you start patronizing company again.
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Actually that’s how it would most likely work in real life.
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Perhaps. But I still don’t think the only option is to throw up your hands and say, welp! leave things as they are, everything’s working fine, at least for the guys in the C-suite.
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Agreed.
But raising wages is not the panacea that many (esp. in the press) make it out to be. Wage inflation is not something that occurs in a vacuum.
Not to derail this too much, but if hourly wages increase by X dollars, then the cost of a widget will also increase.
You say, well that’s good, because at the least hourly worker can now afford to pay rent.
But then that landlord may also be a consumer of said widget and now has to pay more for that widget.
So what does landlord do? Raise rents.
Now what? Said hourly worker now has to pay more to live in apartment rented out by landlord.
And we are back to square one.
Simplistic perhaps, but I think we all get the point that nothing happens in a vacuum.
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You’re saying the same thing as has been said upthread, that inflation is the inevitable result of higher wages. But we’re at a point now where income inequality is much, much greater than it’s been in at least some points in the past. I’m no economist (as should be abundantly clear), but even I can see that there’s more at risk here than inflation.
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