Sign on bonus for fast food?

[gotomu212]

One other big factor is that the workers and the demand are no longer in the same place- some of which may be temporary. During the pandemic a lot of people at the lower rungs of the economy relocated (I know at least 20 different people in their 20s that left DC, NY, and Boston to move back with relatives during the pandemic-some could continue to remote work from there, some were furloughed and couldn’t afford to live in those cities or had to live in tiny spaces when the options to go out were limited.

So those workers left at the same time that people in the mid/high rungs decamped to vacation homes and other locations to remote work. We did that last summer and early fall and the demand in a normally sleepy area was insane.

As things start to reopen, the demand and supply for out of whack for in person locations.

That coupled with a continuing shortage of daycare, retirements, reduced immigration, and workers appetite for certain jobs is coming together. It takes time to shake out supply/demand.

 

[belle032]

This pandemic just ripped the veil off a lot of people's eyes. Remote working, job stress, the amount their families can live on, the actual ridiculous costs of daycare, etc were all brought to the forefront. And it changed what potential workers are willing to accept. Sounds like businesses need to adapt and adjust to meet the needs of a changing workforce.

Also, where we live now is losing more and more residents every year - people are taking off for less winter and lower taxes (plan on being one of those people in 5 years or so). Remote working plays a huge part in this, but so does people realizing that work/life balance is a real possibility and they're going to jump on it. Those moving in tend to be second home & vacation home buyers, not permanent residents looking for jobs. NYC residents and the like are scooping up lake houses and apartment rentals because they're so cheap to them - they aren't going to be applying to the local fast food place or restaurant anytime soon.

 

[dvcgirl67]

One other big factor is that the workers and the demand are no longer in the same place- some of which may be temporary. During the pandemic a lot of people at the lower rungs of the economy relocated (I know at least 20 different people in their 20s that left DC, NY, and Boston to move back with relatives during the pandemic-some could continue to remote work from there, some were furloughed and couldn’t afford to live in those cities or had to live in tiny spaces when the options to go out were limited.

So those workers left at the same time that people in the mid/high rungs decamped to vacation homes and other locations to remote work. We did that last summer and early fall and the demand in a normally sleepy area was insane.

As things start to reopen, the demand and supply for out of whack for in person locations.

That coupled with a continuing shortage of daycare, retirements, reduced immigration, and workers appetite for certain jobs is coming together. It takes time to shake out supply/demand.

This is 100% true....we're seeing it in the suburbs of NJ. Normally, at this time of the year, once schools are out for the summer, we have a real lull in traffic away from everywhere but the roads in the oceanfront beach towns. In fact, on really warm days like today, traffic is dead. Not anymore...there's more traffic all of the time. And especially around lunch time when those who are still working remotely venture out for lunch...etc.

There are just more people here now, and there's just more demand....for everything.

 

[tvguy]

@spiders said they also got a meal (or that's how I read it). Many of the meals (at least around here) are $7-9. Add that to the cost of the double and fries, and you're close to the $16.

A meal includes a burger, Fries and a drink. Drinks are currently $1 for any size. Still nowhere near $16.

 

[DisLiss]

Do you know a lot of people who are not working?

I don't.

Yes, as I pointed out in my original post we do know a lot of young people who are traveling instead of working this summer. I mean, it's nothing like I've seen before with the younger crowd. Normally they're all working like crazy before school re-starts and this year, many that we know just are not working at all.

And we also know some people at the opposite end of the work spectrum--those who are reaching retirement or who were already semi-retired who decided to pack it in early and not go back.

But the young group far out-numbers the group nearing retirement in terms of non-workers that we personally know. (It just so happens that my family has several older teens/young 20s in it right now, and of course I know my own older teens' friends/classmates/teammates, as well as the young adult/teen sons & daughters of friends/co-workers of DH's & mine.)

 

[DisLiss]

One other big factor is that the workers and the demand are no longer in the same place- some of which may be temporary.

True--we keep seeing/hearing new of the "great reshuffling" going on, and we're seeing it right in our own backyard.

 

[Southernmiss]

Yes, as I pointed out in my original post we do know a lot of young people who are traveling instead of working this summer. I mean, it's nothing like I've seen before with the younger crowd. Normally they're all working like crazy before school re-starts and this year, many that we know just are not working at all.

And we also know some people at the opposite end of the work spectrum--those who are reaching retirement or who were already semi-retired who decided to pack it in early and not go back.

But the young group far out-numbers the group nearing retirement in terms of non-workers that we personally know. (It just so happens that my family has several older teens/young 20s in it right now, and of course I know my own older teens' friends/classmates/teammates, as well as the young adult/teen sons & daughters of friends/co-workers of DH's & mine.)

In our own family, we are traveling a lot this summer and if our young adults are available, they are going with us, too.

But many make it out that the young people just don't want to work and are sitting home doing nothing or "collecting a check". Which simply is not true this year.

I think there are a lot of family trips and events to catch up on and I don't begrudge anyone from taking those or going to events.

The pandemic made people realize what is truly important.

 

[DisLiss]

In our own family, we are traveling a lot this summer and if our young adults are available, they are going with us, too.

But many make it out that the young people just don't want to work and are sitting home doing nothing or "collecting a check". Which simply is not true this year.

I think there are a lot of family trips and events to catch up on and I don't begrudge anyone from taking those or going to events.

The pandemic made people realize what is truly important.

Yep. I agree on all points.

 

[dez1978]

Now that's interesting.

The narrative is that with the added unemployment paying everyone $15/hour to stay home, no one is trying to get back to work.

We talked about this at work, 6 of us and not one of us could say they knew anyone who wasn't working and was staying home. So now my thoughts have changed to, where are all these people who aren't working that everywhere is under staffed?

I encountered my first call of a place saying they couldn't open because of staffing. Mom wanted KFC, I don't like to do the drive-thru, especially a place I don't know their menu. I went to the door and the dining room was closed due to staffing. Drive-thru only. I had no choice but to sit there in my car and study the half menu as I do know they have more than what was listed, just didn't know what it would be called and didn't see it.

Where I live at most of the fast food places have not re opened their dining rooms at all due to staffing. Even in the state capital city you can't go inside a starbucks, mcd's anything. And we've never really had Covid restrictions that would have kept anything closed since May 2020. It's just lack of staff

 

[sam_gordon]

A meal includes a burger, Fries and a drink. Drinks are currently $1 for any size. Still nowhere near $16.

Meal: $9
Double Cheeseburger: $2
Medium (because they don't sell small anymore) Fry: $2.50

$13.

 

[GAN]

My husband and I were out the other day, and I saw a sign on a Wendy's: Now hiring. $300 sign-on bonus. We talked about it and said to each other, "Workers must be hard to get these days. Is it about getting people back as the pandemic stumbles towards an end?"

Yesterday I was out running errands and I saw the same thing on a Ruby Tuesday: Now hiring $200 sign-on bonus.

I know that fast food (here) pays more than minimum wage -- my students talk about making $10-11/hour. This certainly wasn't true when I was young and working such jobs! And a sign-on bonus? I never would've expected it for a low-skill job.

Has anyone else seen this?

In the my area of the Northeast $15/hour is pretty common -even for teens. And if they're interested in waiting tables they can earn a lot more then $15/hour

 

[dez1978]

Wow, that is nuts. A double cheeseburger here at McDonalds is $2.86 and a medium fry is $3.87 (I could not find the price for small fries on Uber Eats) for a total of $6.73 And I'm in California where the minimum wage is $14 an hour, and McDonalds has a big sign in the window saying their starting wage is $17 an hour and $20 an hour after 90 days.

I'm in an area that doesn't have any uber eats or door dash. But if I order that on the app for pick up here it's 7.99 plus tax. And we are in a LCOL area

 

[monsterkitty]

I disagree with the argument that this is happening because people would rather collect unemployment. Many food service workers weren’t or aren’t eligible for unemployment and most high school and college kids simply aren’t eligible for unemployment. And, many of them missed out on any stimulus money.

Exactly!

And while they sit at home demanding that living wage that no one can define, how are they paying their bills? If the answer is because they are collecting unemployment, then the problem isn't a they-aren't-paying-enough problem. It's a government meddling problem. If they aren't going to work and not getting any kind of income replacement, then yes, it would be a work/employer pay relationship problem.

I know several people who would enjoy going back to work, but can't because they can no longer find childcare or affordable childcare.


A very good friend of mine has a 20 year-old, 11 -year old, and an almost 2 year-old. She herself is doing her internship for degree and therefore needs childcare for the youngest two. She's had the youngest two on waitlists for childcare since January when she received her internship placement. The oldest tried to re-arrange her shifts so that she and her mother wouldn't be working at the same time but her employer wouldn't budge on her shifts. My friend is now doing the over-night shifts for her internship so she can be home during the day and her DH takes over when he gets home from his job.

We need to stop thinking that people don't want to work because of the unemployment benefits. Many, especially single moms, can't work because there isn't someone to take care of their children.

 

[tvguy]

Meal: $9
Double Cheeseburger: $2
Medium (because they don't sell small anymore) Fry: $2.50

$13.

Closest I find here in a meal
2 Double Quarter Pounders
Medium Fries
Drink
$11.99

Going with the smaller double cheeseburgers should shave a couple bucks off that price.

 

[tvguy]

I'm in an area that doesn't have any uber eats or door dash. But if I order that on the app for pick up here it's 7.99 plus tax. And we are in a LCOL area

Yup. So $16 is way out of line

 

[Kestryl]

Something something supply and demand, right?

Yeah, I don't know anyone choosing unemployment over working either.

I do think there are a lot of factors at play that are creating this problem. My own personal example: I am a teacher and after a difficult year in so many ways, I have chosen to take the summer off from teaching summer school. The pay was not worth the aggravation and my spending was down during the pandemic so I can afford it. Most teachers and support staff felt that way. As a result, they have had to hire a lot of younger, less qualified, people for the summer. My DD18 (fresh out of high school) is working as a paraprofessional in the summer school program for $25 an hour, no nights, no weekends or holidays. Hiring her would have been unheard of just 2 years ago. Because of this she doesn't need to work the ice cream shop job she had originally planned on. Many of her friends are in similar situations, working jobs that they never would have been considered for a couple years ago. There's a real domino affect in play in some of these situations.

My husband’s school had 120 kids sign up for summer school. The only people they could find to staff it were two teachers and a librarian. And that was with an offer of $40 an hour.

 

[dez1978]

They are multi million dollar corporations who treated their employees as expendable and are now reaping what they sowed in a transformed labor market.

What about the dude that owns 1 McDonalds or Subway or whatever franchised location? I think people forget that most McDonalds (90%) are franchised, not company owned. I'm just using them as an example bc I think most people consider them one of those multi million dollar corps. Sure the McDonalds company is worth billions. But Joe over there doesn't have access to that money. Joe has access to the money from sales from his 1 store. And from that money he has to pay royalties to McD, food costs, insurance, leases, equipment, taxes and payroll. Should that guy with one store who might make 150k a year, which is less than 6% of sales. When you consider what Joe put on the line to be able to purchase the franchise, build or lease the building, lease on the lands etc, and the fact that he probably works 60 hours a week, Joe def isn't rich or making a ton of money at the expense of his employees. Now, Walmart, Amazon, those kinds of things that are 100% company owned and all have the same giant pot of money, sure. They can pay a ton more, and should. Whereas Joe over there, if he has to up his employees from say 12 to 15$ an hour thats an extra $105,000 a year just towards pay rll, not including payroll taxes. (assuming 8 employees working at a time, open only 12 hrs a day, 365 days a year which is much less than actual hours worked). So now Joe only takes home 45K a year (again, not accounting for taxes). Why would he work that hard and put his own resources out there to only make that? I only bring all of this up bc the argument is always about wages and in this example Joe would either A) raise his prices to offset the cost or B) close entirely. You can put this same scenario at any franchised business. I don't think those can be held to the same ideology as the Walmarts and Amazons of the world when it comes to pay.

 

[dez1978]

Closest I find here in a meal
2 Double Quarter Pounders
Medium Fries
Drink
$11.99

Going with the smaller double cheeseburgers should shave a couple bucks off that price.

But what the guy said was $16 was a meal PLUS a double cheeseburger and fries. Not just a meal including those items.

 

[Kestryl]

A meal includes a burger, Fries and a drink. Drinks are currently $1 for any size. Still nowhere near $16.

I realize that prices are regional.

Small fry $1.59
Double cheeseburger $2.29
With tax total $4.24

Most expensive meal here: double quarter cheese deluxe meal (comes with fries and drink)
Medium $9.19
Large $9.69

So total with the large and tax, that’s $14.83.

Pretty close to $16, and with a second drink it would be $16... but that would effectively make this two meals. $8 per meal isn’t that absurd...

 

[tvguy]

I realize that prices are regional.

Small fry $1.59
Double cheeseburger $2.29
With tax total $4.24

Most expensive meal here: double quarter cheese deluxe meal (comes with fries and drink)
Medium $9.19
Large $9.69

So total with the large and tax, that’s $14.83.

Pretty close to $16, and with a second drink it would be $16... but that would effectively make this two meals. $8 per meal isn’t that absurd...

Spiders said.
"The last time I went to McDonald's I got a meal, a double cheeseburger, and a small fry. It was $16. Disposable incomes are not increasing and *surprise* the increased costs are being passed on. The problem for McDonald's is that nothing I got was worth even close to $16 but I needed something quickly because I was running late. Fast food is great when you don't have any other alternatives. I will at least them credit that the order was correct."

So I was assuming it was a Double Cheese burger meal, not a meal, PLUS a double cheese burger plus a small fry. So in that case I am wrong.