In the late 18th century, Oliver Evans mechanized the flour mill thus saving millers labor costs. The same thing is now happening in many different industries. We are all used to the self-checkout lanes at grocery stores. One clerk can monitor four lanes at once, which saves the store the cost of three additional clerks. Now, according to an article in the September 6, 2004 issue of Time magazine, these self-serve kiosks are becoming more widespread. For example, at airports passengers can now check themselves in using one of these kiosks. This saves the airline $3.52 for every customer who uses a check-in kiosk. Six Denver-area McDonald’s have also begun experimenting with these kiosks for customers to place orders and pay. Apparently, the machines are proving to be profitable; the average bill of a McDonald’s customer raises 39% when using a kiosk. I think these kiosks are a good idea to speed up the check-in/out process. If you are not happy with the customer service, blame yourself. As long as there are live clerks available for help or for people who prefer to not use the technology, everyone can be happy.
