There are some folks who think the rise of the kiosk is directly related to the rise of minimum wage. They obviously don’t pay attention.
Kiosks have been in place for years. Yes, years.
Kiosks are the next evolution of technology in retail and service industries. Now, the self-check at the hardware store and grocery store are common place. They’re at movie theatres. They’re even on the blasted phone when you call any business.
It’s taken fast food a little longer to catch on.
And I don’t use them.
Not in the hardware store, not at the grocery story, not at the movie theatres, and not in restuarants.
I’m not certain where my Luddite tendencies kick in. I don’t have an issue ordering tickets online then printing them out at home.
But when I am forced to go to the store, there better be a person to help. I made the effort; the store better too, or it will lose my business.
I’ve been told this is a generational thing.
Younger folks have no issue ordering at a kiosk then having food delivered to their table or picked up at the take out window.
Recently, the hubbinator and I went to lunch at Olive Garden. There was a kiosk at the table. YOu could order from it. The waitress pointed it out. I said I didn’t want to put her out of a job. She laughed. The thing breaks down often and doesn’t allow special orders. No worries for her job.
Then the screen switched and games popped up along with a notice that you could play more levels if you swiped your credit card. I’d rather talk to the hubbinator. After all, if I’m going to be where the people are, maybe I should interact with the people there.
So I’ll stay kiosk free for a while yet.
What about you? Do yo kiosk when no one is watching?
Linda Andrews 
No- I don’t “kiosk” if I can help it. And that’s saying a lot. I am a fairly “self-contained” hermit, by choice, most of the time. But if I am going to go out- I would prefer to talk to another human. I do think technology will eventually replace them in the workforce- at least most of them. It already has, to a large extent, in the manufacturing industry. After all- you don’t have to pay a machine a living wage. Machines don’t go on vacation or have family issues to keep them from work, or have to be paid incentives like matching funds in a 401k. I don’t consider myself to be a technophobe. Despite an inherent distrust of vending machine machines, I have an engineering degree and possess all the latest Apple toys. I watch more streaming shows than cable TV, have the ECHO for getting my shopping list on my phone and asking it play any song i want to hear or answer any random question I would otherwise have to look up on my computer. It’s verbal like a human- but like a kiosk- woefully short- it’s still limited in its helpfulness by virtue of being a machine).
I don’t know what it is about the service industry these days that “discounts” the human factor in providing actual SERVICE. Customer satisfaction seems to be a priority that is a distant second to making record profits every year. Machines simply do not provide the same level of service- or interaction. Ever see the movie “Wall-E”? We seem to be turning into those people on the space ship. Sad really, and unhealthy. Don’t know how we can survive as a species if we don’t look up from our screens every now and then and actually interact with each other. Yes- this may be a generational thing- but I think it is because the younger generation just wasn’t around when “service with a smile” and “the customer is always right” was an expectation of a service provider. They just don’t know any better than to be treated the way customers are treated now. And as a consequence, younger people also don’t seem to know how they should treat their own customers when they are behind the register. (Spoken like a grumpy old woman).
Well said, said the grumpy old woman II
Only if there is no other option. I think it takes away from human interaction, which with computers, cell phones and all the other gadgetry we have is rare enough