At least Robots will get your name right. 15 an hour and the coffee business

Just when I thought I might get a brief reprieve from pointing out how galactically stupid the concept of a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage is AP reports that Seattle is facing a push for the increase. With this in mind I thought it would be worthwhile to look at what this would mean for Seattle's biggest contribution to society Starbucks.

If Starbucks were forced to pay it's hourly employees 15 dollars an hour it would only hasten the downsizing of the human workforce. . Why pay a team of baristas 30,000 a year each if you can eliminate over two thirds of your hourly staff by putting this machines in? Not to mention that I am sure that the service provided by these machines would be superior to that of the human employees. Seriously can you really trust your average Starbucks employee to use skim milk instead of whole milk when you ask? A machine would most assuredly dispense the correct milk after all that is what it is programmed to do.

If you are one of those people who loves to complain about Starbucks eating up all the market share and running the mom and pop coffee shops out of business just imagine what happens if those mom and pop shops have to pay 15 dollars an hour to their employees. Seeing employee costs double would most assuredly drive those shops out of business. If those small businesses somehow managed to stay open you would be looking at 10 dollar mochas and 3 dollar bagels.

A minimum wage increase would not only lead to consumer price inflation it would also lead to an even more homogeneous business environment. There would be no incentive for anyone to attempt to compete with the big coffee corporations when they could simply invest in a couple of vending machines. Provide all the service with minimal employees and have brand recognition. It sure beats spending 30,000 a year to give baristas something to do until their band gets huge.

It is not just Starbucks that is going in this direction. Seattle's Best also has an express coffee system.

Someday soon it will be a robot that is making your cafe latte that you pick up on your way to see a movie.

Oh who am I trying to kid? You won't be going to a movie you will be watching it at home as Movie Theaters are on their way out as well.