$20.00 to flip burgers. Who needs collage?
I need to drive by McDs to check out their menu. Since I can't afford to eat there at that kind of employee pay. A month or few ago I walked passed their ad for two Big Macs (questionable if they are still "BIG"), two small fries (maybe it was medium) and two small sodas for $18. something?
Be funny if they now have a dress code or maybe made more of a target for armed robbery Samuel L. Jackson style or the Dennis Leary sewer tunnel people.
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"You know they pay workers around $22 per hour in Denmark? At the same McDonald's stores? And a combo meal only costs $11 there while the same meal costs $10 in New York? So what're they doing in Europe that we can't do here?"
The average income tax in Denmark is 35.5%, with some paying as high as just over 56%. Denmark is a socialist economy (by their own admission). I won't be moving to Denmark any time soon.
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NotDracon: 29938475848987/comments/29938506059163
(The following post is still in the context of McDonald's, specifically)
Mmm, around eight posts and I've already got two with the "Disagrees" pouring in. Doesn't bode well for prospects of meshing in here.
But anyway, I'm reminded of a snippet from the first Bioshock, where a character comments on the newly opened city intended for followers of Ayn Rand-style capitalism: "These sad saps. They come to Rapture thinking they're gonna be captains of industry, but they all forget that somebody's gotta scrub the toilets."
There's always going to be (and I'm saying this as they are perceived by the public) "lesser" jobs that still need to be done, and all labor is respectful. Entry level jobs are still jobs that need to be done by SOMEONE so they should at least pay to the degree a person can depend on it to fulfill basic needs, with the occasional luxury here and there.
So they're paying Californian burger flippers more. And the company is responding by raising prices there, to the degree they're banking on public outcry to change the law in their favor. It's not like McDonald's CAN'T afford to pay their workers more, they just don't want to. Gotta look out for the CEO and shareholders, after all. At least in the US.
You know they pay workers around $22 per hour in Denmark? At the same McDonald's stores? And a combo meal only costs $11 there while the same meal costs $10 in New York? So what're they doing in Europe that we can't do here?
Well perhaps your disagrees were because you haven't much knowledge about the subject. Keep in mind 93+% of McDonalds restaurants are owned by franchise operators. Typical costs for them are;
Labor - 30%
Food - 30%
Energy - 15%
Franchise and advertising fee - 15%
Just those 4 add up to 90%. Out of the remaining 10%, taxes, insurance, mortgage and upkeep/repairs and any other expenses need to be covered. If lucky, the franchisee makes around 4% profit. The average McDonalds does around 2.7 million in sales/year so the franchisee gets around a $100,000/yr in profit. Not bad, but certainly not extravagant. Raise his labor cost from $15 to $20, (33%), and add in the extra stuff like FICA increases he will have to pay and suddenly the restaurant is running in the red.
Employers must raise prices to cover higher operating costs and that leads to inflation. Biden has bragged about wages going up but with the inflation of the last 4 years actual buying power has decreased. The government does make more in payroll taxes and McDonalds gets more dollars on franchise fees but since those dollars, like the wages, don't buy more, what has actually been accomplished? Bob
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We slam Dems and Libs for tax-n-spend - but the portion of that designed for job assistance, incentivising local hiring, re-training for displaced workers, even jail-to-work programs - they are all well-intended and necessary on some level. The problem is the Federal Government has a woefull track record of effectiveness. Regan was right - it's the alimentary canal of an infant - endless want on one end and no control on the other.
So - leave it to the employers and the businesses - they have the need, they will solve the problem, yes? NOT! They do the bare minimum and all JIT. I have worked for a few F5's and none of them ever wanted to robustly build out these kinds of programs. Let alone hire one more additional FTE than they ever needed at that particular moment.
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"around eight posts and I've already got two with the "Disagrees" pouring in. Doesn't bode well for prospects of meshing in here."
Yep and you will probably get more, oh wait you just did…
Raising the cost of anything that go in to a product accomplishes nothing beneficial, it will just raise the cost of the product as Bob and others have pointed out. Ever heard the phrase corporations don't pay taxes? The cost of a product will always rise to the demand, if the supply of one factor increases the final price will be affected or the product will no longer be viable…
A large number of the folks that visit these forums probably started there work for pay when minimum wage was under $2.00 I know I did and back then I was ignorant enough to think that if I could only make it to $10.00 an hour back than I would be very well off… Jump ahead 50 years and several degrees, experience etc. and I still have about the same buying power as I did back them. I'm retired now, but my last hourly wage was about 20 times my "if only I could make" thoughts of the early 1970's … but by all means, keep believing raising the minimum wage will solve something.
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Ruger4me: 29938475848987/comments/29938507318555
"around eight posts and I've already got two with the "Disagrees" pouring in. Doesn't bode well for prospects of meshing in here."
Yep and you will probably get more, oh wait you just did…
Raising the cost of anything that go in to a product accomplishes nothing beneficial, it will just raise the cost of the product as Bob and others have pointed out. Ever heard the phrase corporations don't pay taxes? The cost of a product will always rise to the demand, if the supply of one factor increases the final price will be affected or the product will no longer be viable…
A large number of the folks that visit these forums probably started there work for pay when minimum wage was under $2.00 I know I did and back then I was ignorant enough to think that if I could only make it to $10.00 an hour back than I would be very well off… Jump ahead 50 years and several degrees, experience etc. and I still have about the same buying power as I did back them. I'm retired now, but my last hourly wage was about 20 times my "if only I could make" thoughts of the early 1970's … but by all means, keep believing raising the minimum wage will solve something.
Increasing price is an expectation in most all businesses - and so is increasing operating profit - and while that may sound like "duh", its not always intuitive. I work for a business that has regularly through annual cycles increased OP on a flat or even down top line from the prior cycle. How do you do that? "Austerity" - a nice word for a rather cold-blooded approach to staffing mainly - but also through innovation and gaining efficiencies. With a couple of degrees my guess is you know these "theologies" well - Kaizan, 6S, Lean, the OG TQM - and they work. In a pretty sterile and bleak analysis - the minimum wage becomes a moot point for a process that automates virtually all the functions of those working at that wage. And trust me - that's the brass ring that most employee-intensive process owners are reaching for. In other words - someone could lose their job because it's now "made in China" - but it's just as likely to lose it to a machine that now makes it on the same shop floor.
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@NotDracon You say: Mmm around eight posts and I’ve already got two with “disagree” pouring in. Doesn’t bode well for prospects of meshing in here.
Your getting smarter every time it seems I read one of your posts.
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Grew up on a farm . Never had a public job till graduating from college (2 year degree) .$2.38 an hour with state benefits .Yippee I was in high cotton !
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"The average income tax in Denmark is 35.5%, with some paying as high as just over 56%. Denmark is a socialist economy."
Denmark also has free medical care, and it is good medical care. Also free college.
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allen griggs: 29938475848987/comments/29938488610075
"The average income tax in Denmark is 35.5%, with some paying as high as just over 56%. Denmark is a socialist economy."
Denmark also has free medical care, and it is good medical care. Also free college.
No, it's not free. Look at the income tax rates again. As for that free college, look up how many (maybe that should be "how few") Denmark students are able to avail themselves of their free college system. I checked it out and found out I wouldn't have been able to use that benefit back in the day. Yet somehow I was able to get a four year degree here; even went on to do some post-graduate studies.
What it comes down to is everyone pays for the few. When that happens here we hear lots of complaints, especially - but not only - on this forum.
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For what it's worth:
Fresh from Mickey D's late last night. I was getting tired of whole roast chicken at Shoprite for $7.99 and usually a little over a pound of fresh ground 85% lean hamburger at a little over $5.00. I make three burgers from this.
They made me pull around to the front and wait, and wait, and wait for my meal. Finally it arrived. Here are the figures:
Quarter pounder no cheese——————$10.29
1 sm french fries——————$2.69
1 apple pie —————$1.29
tax———$1.16
Total—————-$15.43
Fast food, no way. The fries were raw. The two pieces of burger tasted like they had been cooked at breakfast time and were dried out. They missed the ketchup but I did get a couple tiny pieces of onion.
I may go back next year if i get bored of Shoprites food again, on second thought, I probably will not. If anyone would like to do the math between Shoprite and Mickey D's please be my guest.
Willie Jr. was waiting for me at the door with a sad face but still wiggling his stub. "What took you so long Pa?" I ate about half of the meal and threw the rest in the trash. Would not feed it to a dog. The apple pie was ok. ——————-Ray
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Ruger4me, is right. when I was discharged from the Army started at $1.65 per hour in a machine shop making parts for IBM with corn starch on my hands to keep from making scratches and M60 machine gun parts to go to Nam. ——-Ray
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Last time I ate at a fast food joint for lunch the wrapper most likely tasted better. Cost close to 12.00.
A local restaurant, family owned, I eat at almost 5 days a week for lunch. I can get the daily special for right at 12.00. All but same as home cooked, I know the cooks and they are good. One meat, 3 veggies, dessert and drink, too much for one person to eat for sure. When I get the special it is always a small portion. Always a good healthy variation of food.
Their salad bar is one of the highest rated in the area.
Today I ordered grilled salmon and a baked sweetater. Excellent.
Did I say they will fix about anything you want to eat if the have the fixin's?
Sure beats the heck out of fast food.
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It is obvious that notdracon has never tried to run a business of any kind. It is impossible to stay solvent with a markup of less than about 25% - and in some places that's 50% due to taxes and mandatory social benefits.
Mind you, that's the MINIMUM markup. It generates zero profit.
Oh, and that applies to selling at gun shows, too. Just to bring my comment into topic compliance.
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