I think I've figured out a job that is recession proof. It's not glamorous, but it appears that this company has hired more people than they need to server their customers, and shows no signs of layoffs. The company? McDonald's.
Now, first, you have to understand their vision. Yahoo reports that "McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile." (highlighting is mine)
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I stopped at this McDonald's in Duncan, SC. This was in the middle of a lot of other activities (see here for a description). We stood at the counter and watched nearly half a dozen workers mulling around on the other side without caring the fact that we wanted to actually buy something. After waiting for several seconds, we decided that they obviously didn't want our business, so we left.
Then last Friday, I stopped in this McDonald's in Chapin SC on my way home from Columbia. I had skipped lunch and was tired and hungry. I only wanted a drink and something small. Why I went in, I'm not sure, but I waited a couple minutes while three workers discussed looking through the cash drawer for an Obama quarter (apparently, one of them believed that the new Hawaii quarter had President Elect Obama's face on it, something I seriously doubt).
And finally, this morning, I stopped at this McDonald's for a cup of coffee. The lady was quick and not impolite (but not great either) as she took my order and asked if I wanted cream and sugar, then asked how many. When she handed me my coffee, I asked where the cream and sugar was and she said it was in the coffee. Yep, she had mixed it in for me.
Now, I'm not sure that mixing the coffee for me qualifies as quality or value, but I typically like to mix it myself. But it strikes me that McDonald's is the kind of place to get a job that's recession proof. Apparently, it doesn't matter how bad the services is, you'll keep your job and stay in business.
No one ever expects a gourmet dinner at McDonald's, but they do expect the company to live up to it's vision of "quick" (not fast) food. And I expect reasonable service. Apparently, it really doesn't matter.
P.S. Not sure the links will work to the map sites, if you're interested in exact locations, let me know.
7 comments:
Do you want fries with that?
Before all of this, I was happy I became a Registered Nurse. It is a profession I genuinely enjoy. Now though, it's a lifeline for us. With the aging population and aging nurses, I do not worry much about my job. The one risk I face is that my wages could stagnate with decreased number of people with private insurance but I will have a job.
Uh, as tempting as that sounds . . .
I was at McD's with my youngest the other day and they were passing out free cappucinos. Their coffee is way better than Starbucks.
we have lost the word 'service' in the service industry.
kw
Randy - There are still high paying jobs on certain job sites -
www.linkedin.com (professional networking)
www.monster.com (keyword job search)
www.realmatch.com (matches jobs based on skills)
Good luck to those seeking work
Ray, welcome to my blog. You're right, there are still a lot of high paying jobs. I've been fortunate in my life and never really been wanting. My daddy taught me there is always work out there for those who really look (although my son seems to disagree).
Kris, you're certainly right. Service is a long forgotten word.
Neil, somehow, I just can't get into the fancy coffees. But I do have a post banging around in my head about the coffee I got at a Denny's a few weeks ago. Maybe it will come out soon...
Chuck, there's definitely a lot of call for nurses. I also heard about a "traveling nurse" program. Basically you can sign up to work 2 weeks in Houston, then 2 weeks in California, then 2 weeks somewhere else. Not the perfect job for everyone, but an interesting way to see the country.
Bugaboo's mommy, you know we all say that ("do you want fries with that"), but sadly, the folks behind the counter rarely try to even smile, much less provide service (like Kris said) anymore.
Thanks all...
It's amazing now when you do get good service. Ah, well.
Post a Comment