Thursday, August 29, 2013
Today's fast food protests and why I plan to eat at all three
Growing up I never went to work at a McDonald's, it just wasn't for me and I knew going in the pay was low. The pay is still rather low because Mickie D's is basically an entry-level job for teens and other young people first entering the job market. Other people however don't see it that way. The federal minimum wage is now at $7.25/hour and I've never made the case you could survive on the minimum but if you're 42 years old with or without kids why are you even working at a Wendy's or Burger King? Of course many people who have started at a McDonald's are now managing at a McDonald's but all this socialist unrest is not gonna cause me to eat less at any of the Big Three, in fact I think I'll go out later. Everybody has a political statement to make these days it seems and personally I much prefer to work it out through blogging rather than hitting the pavement and causing social disruptions. I'm not the bumper sticker type but I do break for animals.
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if you're 42 years old with or without kids why are you even working at a Wendy's or Burger King?
ReplyDeleteBecause even with your Master's degree you can't find a job anywhere else.
You talk like people have choices and stuff.
You act like we have no choices at all.
ReplyDeleteFolks in Detroit want 15 dollars/hr. That's reasoned debate and compromise telling McDonald's pay me over twice the federal min. wage?
ReplyDeleteI am extremely fortunate that in my career I have never had to work to find a job. Most of the jobs I've had were coldcalled to me and offered. I understand that even for nurses, new grads these days the pickins is slim, and it's no longer a case of 'decide where you'd like to work' like it was when I graduated.
ReplyDeleteThere are very many people with very few choices at all. And there are plenty of people with more education than I'm ever going to have working in menial jobs and fast food jobs because there ARE no other options for them right now. I'm not sure what the color of the sky is in your world, but down here it's work where you can find a job. If you're too good to work fast food you can always go crop tobacco for $7 an hour, but that's some long hours out in the heat, seven days a week. And believe me, people do it.
I've noticed a growing conservative strain-of-thought that college degrees and the whole college experience are often overrated. At least with McD's you're getting your feet wet and learning job skills.
DeleteIf you think that you can work for minimum wage and not require social assistance to make ends meet then we've got a good case to declare you clinically insane. Companies like Costco we've already talked about have discovered that it's possible to be decent to your employees and still make money. McDonalds could raise the pay of every employee to $15/hr and they'd still make billions in profit. It's that they can't bear to part with a penny. This is the fallacy of 'trickle down' economics: the insane belief that if you give rich people more money they're going to be suddenly motivated to give more to their employees. Yeah. Not.
ReplyDeleteRaise wages to 15 dollars/hour and the price of BB's Egg McMuffin would go way up.
DeleteTrickle down-piss on the workers.
ReplyDeleteThey may get some increase, but nothing approaching $15/hr. The
ReplyDeletefast-food chains were built on student part-time workers and the franchise profit margin typically runs about 10%. However, the
corporate structures rake in big $$ because of volume and number
of stores. Here's an excerpt from blogging Micky-D ex-managers-
"My store does about 2.5 millions per year which is about the norm.
This is one of the 3 McDonalds that they first got back in the early 80s.
So the rent is very low comparatively to others.
The breakdown goes like this for this McDonalds.
- Food+paper cost ~28%
- Controllable expenses ~38%
Labor, Ultilities, maintenance, supplies, etc...
- Non-controlable expenses ~15%
Rent, depreciation, etc...
- Management fees 8%
This franchise is very top heavy with president, VC, supervisors not to mention accountants, etc...
So for my store, Net Income is ~10% which is very good.
For $2.5 millions, you're looking at $250K in the owners pocket per year which is fantastic for just 1 store.
But like I was saying, its one of the earlier store so rent is very cheap.
Most of the newer stores Net Income is typically 5-7%"
BB alot of these McDonald's are independent franchisees not under the corporate structure. So is your gut going to protest?
DeleteI will say this though, Obama wants the min. at 9/hr., Saty wants 15. She's WAY to the left of even Obama!
ReplyDeleteMcDonalds: skipped the last couple of weeks-they are undergoing alterations. Been taking the newspaper to Burger King. The 6AM
ReplyDeleteMgr. was so excited to get a customer, she showed me how to recharge the new Coke Machine that is controlled from Georgia.
I like attention as much as anybody-might keep going there. :)
It's taken you this long to come to the conclusion that I'm way to the left of Obama?
ReplyDeleteI've been telling you since 2008 that the man is a centrist.
......just checking in before I get too buzzed. So you finally admit you're not a moderate?
ReplyDeleteJust saw the weirdest commercial by Eliot Spitzer, shows a very pregnant woman's belly touting paid leave or something and IN THE SAME AD right after the belly shot proudly touts a woman's right to choose. Even if you're pro-choice the juxtaposition was weird. What does this have to do with being Comptroller?
ReplyDeleteI have not ever been a moderate nor have I ever claimed to be one. On the political spectrum test I land to the left of Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. I don't personally know anyone further to the left of me. In fact I would resent and argue being labeled a moderate.
ReplyDeleteFood for thought (if anyone gives a shit).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.silverdoctors.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Minimum_wage.png
Saty likes force, coercion, and intimidation. In her distorted mind she's all kumbaya but there's nothing kumbaya about it.
ReplyDeleteGovernment = force.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw_GqL3pW84
DeleteBut Saty you do realize 15 simolians per hour is not realistic or practical?
ReplyDeleteShould a McDonald's worker make as much as a bus driver and should that bus driver make as much as a doctor and should that doctor make as much as a surgeon and should that surgeon...sounds like a Talking Heads song. That's communism.
ReplyDeleteIt is both realistic AND practical and I defy you to prove otherwise. The only people screaming that it's unrealistic and unpractical are the people who own McDonalds franchises who might have to shave a little off their profit.
ReplyDeleteTalk to Costco and ask them how them paying out an average of $20 is realistic and practical.
You need to learn about other business/economic models besides socialism/marxism. Wages go way up like that and the consumer ultimately pays the price, throw in a union and that gets tossed in to the price of the product too. McDonald's made about $500B in profits last year true but as McDonald's has pointed out many of these restaurants are independent franchisees not covered under their corporate structure. McDonald's says they do give out periodic raises and promotions and all that. Even if they could afford to pay each of their workers $15/hr. which is debateable that's not a One-Size-Fits-All economic model nor should it be. Maybe Wendy's or Taco Bell or Duncan Donuts can't afford to pay all their workers $15/hour but you want this across the board it seems and mandated by the federal gov't (soapie's force point).
DeleteSaty has every opportunity. She's not interested. Let her learn the hard way.
ReplyDeleteBusiness model/economic model: essentially fastfood is starting job/part time job. Checking our local ads, the requirements were
ReplyDelete"Customer relation skills a must, no experience needed" and the customer relations would disqualify grumps like me. All 3 of my
kids did the fast food thing; they weren't crazy about it, they
didn't have to support themselves, and it was experience. Given the "model", one would have to be naïve to plan a career behind the ff cash register. The good jobs in this area (healthcare and
education) are industrial; pay is adequate, but some are rotating
shift, all require forced overtime..but healthcare/benefits are
good. Were I just starting out, I'd take up plumbing, electrical, HVAC..those types of critical work, interesting work, that cannot be outsourced, and which offer the chance to start your own business once you have the skill set. Fastfood will never offer
a 'living wage' given the profit margin, the greedy shareholders
and the (our 'row' has Wendy's, Taco Time, Jack-in-The-Box, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, etc) fierce competition.
But it is honest work and I sympathize..they probably come home
more tired than Donald Trump.
Even if you were to pay a McDonald's worker $15+ an hour why the hell would you want to?
ReplyDeleteSo you can continue the perpetual cycle of providing the population with "food" that is completely void of any nutritional value whatsover?
Of course of you work in the healthcare field maybe that's what you want eh? People so completely saturated with every ailment under the sun.
What a racket...what an immoral lot. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.
I myself eat there on occasion, on a weekly basis I've gone there once or twice and there's some weeks I don't go at all. I don't think I'm doing anything bad to my health and they do have salads and wraps and yogurt parfaits as well. I swear though there are some folk who seem to go there everyday, probably sometimes more than once a day and young poor blacks in urban areas seem to fall into this group esp. along shopping strips (see a movie, check out the mags in Barnes & Noble, hey there's a Mickie D's). McDonald's is a part of Americana like Coke and apple pie and little league games and I think they've been largely demonized through the years.
ReplyDeleteCoca Cola is just as bad for you. And don't get me started on little league and municipal youth athletic associations.
DeleteBunch of fucking statists teaching compliance, obedience and general hoop jumping.
yeah yeah they have a few things at McD's but don't kid yourself. It'll catch up with you....and that yogurt isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Fucking corruption everywhere!
DeleteNot everywhere.
DeleteLike in the Mythical Land of Libertarianism.
DeleteActually no. It's in that mythical land where you can change the world for the better by simply sitting around on your fucking ass eating your McShit, watching the Miley Cyrus VMA clip on loop, and blogging incessantly about the same 5 topics until the next election when your beloved leaders put up another puppet you can cast your vote for.
DeleteBB customer service is hard and a challenge imo. After you do it a few years you want your next job to be down underground in some nuclear missile silo doing a crossword puzzle all day.
ReplyDeleteI was occasionally dragged into customer contact in the ammunition business. Spent an hour one time, touring French Interpol around the tech labs and forensics facilities. After they left, the VP
ReplyDeletesmirked and said "they don't speak English". Our marketing tech
support was pretty good, but they passed FBI and foreign stuff on to me. One day, they transferred some hillbilly guy who had a problem: "Say, I dropped a box of ammo primers off'n the front
porch and the chickens ate 'em". I agreed that wasn't so good.
"See here's the thing. If'n I bar-b-que them thar chickens, kin
I get blowed up or lead poisoning?" I reasoned that the chickens
picked them up like they do gravel which is stored in the pre-
stomach ventriculus and offered that he therefore not eat the gizzard. "Damn..the Gizzard?"
Julia Child used to always go on her show "save the gizzards, save the gizzards."
DeleteEvery Wednesday the KFCs around here serve livers and gizzards.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris about McDonalds to the extent that their operations seem built around their deep fryer. I got into the habit during long work days and traveling between mfg. operations:
ReplyDeletethey are quick when you are hungry.
You're better off going without it if you're hungry.
DeleteWhich is why BB McDonald's in moderation is not a bad thing imo. BK flame-broils their burgers of course and I just love it when you drive past with the window rolled down and you smell the smoke. I don't think even Chris can quibble though with one of my favorites Boston Market, everything's healthy and I've been going there more often lately.
ReplyDeleteSubway's pretty healthy.
ReplyDeleteJust read about a sushi place on 43 St that doesn't accept tips because they pay their people a decent wage. As a result they have the best talent that's loyal to them and the Times says they set the standard for sushi. Look what happens when you treat your people like humans! Hot damn, it works! The name of the place is Sushi Yasuda.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that most workers should get paid more. I don't think a living wage however should be mandated by the gov't.
ReplyDeleteOne of my recent early morning peregrinations, ran into a waitress
ReplyDeletethat had left last year to work in a semi-swank hotel in Oregon.
She returned, and is in part of a class-action suit: in her case,
they simply kept $1200 in tips. BTW, Z-Man, I also stopped at a tiny, but great, café & bar in the N mountains. Run by an elderly
woman who wants to sell. I'm thinkin, now THERE's a move for the
Yonkers chef. :)
In my experience it's usually the dumpy scary local places that have the most asskickin food. Years ago when the Carmel Diner was on the same side of the street as the Courthouse it was this little dark greasy filthy place about 5 feet wide and 20 feet deep, just room for a counter, no chairs. They had the best damn coffee and breakfasts in the world. They moved across the street to a big fancyass place and the food was never as good again.
ReplyDeleteI'm now at a McDonald's using the free public wifi.
ReplyDeleteI thought they had Mc-fi. Can you biggy-size it?
ReplyDeleteIt seems much easier to use than the wifi at Barnes & Noble. Went there first with my tablet, set up in the cafe and had problems so decided to go to the evil and nutritionless Mickie D's.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about tablets is you can save stuff for offline reading which reminds me I have to google Christian Science again and homeopathy.
ReplyDeleteMY son-in-law visited this weekend. He is the ultimate e-gadget geek, never puts down his smart thing, like he carries the memory part of his brain in his hand. I kidded him about the two elderly
ReplyDeletewomen in Maine that followed their talking GPS car right into the ocean and drowned. He said that you should have a paper map to back up your idiot machine....he offered to show me how to use his
smartphone, but I couldn't even see the screen.
In one way having a smartphone is like having a pocket computer with you all the time. Know a guy who primarily uses it for porn which you can do with a smartphone of course but like you said the screen is small.
ReplyDeleteOver fifty percent of Americans have smartphones. The rest of us are stuck with dumbphones. BTW, someone just came out with a
ReplyDeletesmartwatch. Ever wannbee like Dick Tracy?
Yeah Samsung but the reviews haven't been that great.
ReplyDeleteMicrosoft buys Nokia. Quite late getting into the game methinks.
ReplyDeleteI think we've reached the point in Technology when we should say "you know something, we're good." Let's get back to curing cancer.
ReplyDeleteThe cure for cancer is keeping your body in an alkaline state.
DeleteCan you elaborate?
DeleteNo but you can google it when you're finished viewing the whatever else.
DeleteThe body maintains a slightly alkaline state through feedback chemical buffering, no matter what is consumed (within reason).
ReplyDeleteThere are other positives with eating alkaline foods (which actually are quite rare) as some vegans do. Most foods, however
are moderately acidic, and some like sodas & coffee are quite
acidic...as is the interior of the stomach. BTW, Z-Man, next time
you are upset with the boss, try this .
BB your link is a good one. These bosses who don't care about the health of their employees or the health of the employees' families the way I see it is they have to come down with the same ailment, say cancer before they can start to have empathy. Like at work I got one day off for the groin pull (Lyme?) and unless your boss experiences the exact same thing and can't put his sock and shoe on in the morning he can't relate and won't have any sympathy.
Delete"...alkaline foods (which actually are quite rare)"
ReplyDeleteAt McDonalds yes.
Soapie I was reading an article the other day there are so many myths re how we get cancer that the real reasons we may get cancer are complicated and random. I actually don't think you can prove McDonald's causes cancer.
ReplyDeleteDid I say McDonalds causes cancer? No, I said
ReplyDeleteA) The cure for cancer is keeping your body in an alkaline state as cancer cannot thrive and exist in an alkaline state; and
B) That McDonalds does not provide alkaline rich foods in its menu options.
But pot is good for you.
DeleteIt is a stated fact that it has medicinal properties. But don't let facts get in the way of your opinion.
DeleteI have a close friend who underwent 2 rounds of traditional treatment for stage 3 non Hodgkin's lymphoma before going to Colorado for hemp oil treatment.
DeleteHe has been cancer free for 2.5 years now. His story is not the only one.
I'm not disputing your pot facts but put it in pill form.
DeletePersonally, I happen to think that cancer has a lot to do with metaphysics. Of course certain lifestyle choices play a part as well.
ReplyDeleteI would question the acid/alkaline concept, as well as the "well,
ReplyDeleteapples (strongly acid) turn to alkaline. There certainly is much
merit in a well-balanced diet and most vegetables fall in that category. I would be concerned a bit about non meat/fish/eggs diets
as they provide high protein and more importantly, B-complexes which we cannot synthesize. Cancer is complicated, different cancers arise for different reasons and ultimately the immune system either eradicates them or breaks down...hence the concentration by many cancer researchers on cellular metabolism,
ongoing DNA replication and endocrine response.
It's been said that Vitamin B-12 leads to lucid dreaming so who needs acid?
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen any scientific studies on the lucid dreaming, but B12
ReplyDeleteis important in the formation of all cells in the body, especially red blood cells and the covering of nerve cells (myelin). The body needs myelin for nerves to function properly. So, one might suppose that a sturdy functioning nervous system might lead to lucid dreams. My dreams are silly nonsense, better hit the vitamins. Since B-12 is mostly found in meat, poultry, seafood, milk, cheese, and eggs, those on odd diets, vegans and the like should take supplemental vitamins..first symptoms are anemia, but
left untreated the deficiency can cause permanent nerve damage..
tingling, balance, depression etc.
Still having those Judge Judy nightmares?
DeleteHad a weird eidetic dream just last night. Been retired now going on 10 years, but there I was in the workplace.
DeleteThere were obnoxious 'consultants' everywhere-screwing things up, insulting people, being arrogant and overall
tiresome and burdensome. So, I walked into the CEO's office to see what the heck was up. He says "oh, its a
new consulting management tool- they specialize in aggravating the workers so much that after they are gone,
our own managers will seem not quite so bad." I swear...
Took a leak, went back to bed and dang if I wasn't piloting
a B-17 bomber. Damn late snacks.
Had a dream once I was walking through this multi-story type business building and looking for a place and on about the third floor I opened up the wrong door and there was Bob Newhart behind a big desk with the glasses on the bridge of his nose, he blinked rapidly at first like he always does and looked up and in my dream he ran an insurance agency so I said I was sorry and went about my way......
DeleteHemp oil. You don't have to smoke pot to get high either. You can infuse it in butter and bake with it as well.
ReplyDeleteor sprinkle it on fish.
ReplyDeleteHeard rumors that there is quite a difference between hemp oil and
ReplyDeletehash oil (including price, I would imagine)
Soapie would probably like Joe Lhota the Republican candidate for NYC Mayor. Rather libertarian fellow kinda a pro-pot guy. Then again maybe soapie wouldn't like him.
ReplyDeleteI like nobody for mayor. Let's get nobody elected.
ReplyDeleteChecked his website. Meh. He's great if you're into platitudes and generalities.
ReplyDeleteEven if he decided to light up a joint in public I'd find him boring. He could piss on the corner in front of a Chinese restaurant for all I care.
ReplyDeleteDunno, they got meat cleavers in those places.
ReplyDelete